UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Communication scholar and former Hollywood producer Caty Borum Chattoo will discuss how and why entertainment plays an important role in social change. Her virtual lecture will be at 3:30 p.m. on April 7.
Borum Chattoo is executive director of the Center for Media & Social Impact and an assistant professor at American University. Her research presentation, “Why entertainment culture (and comedy) matters for social change and sustainability,” is part of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications’ SciComm Speaker Series in partnership with the Bellisario Sustainability Council. It will be streamed live on Zoom.
Popular culture is a powerful shaper of civic fabric, and entertainment media is deeply influential in matters of social justice, equity, and sustainability. Borum Chattoo, who has worked in agency communications and as a producer with Hollywood legend Normal Lear, will reveal an insider and research-based perspective about how the transforming digital media era has converged with activism and public participation in ways that are opening creative and cultural space for traditionally marginalized communities.
She will also share how the initiatives of the Center for Media & Social Impact fit into the media revolution. Ultimately, her talk will illustrate creative ways for scholarly research to evolve into creative media production and social change communication strategy.
Borum Chattoo is an award-winning documentary producer, scholar, professor and strategist working at the intersection of social change communication, documentary and entertainment storytelling. She has authored award-winning books, including “Story movements: How documentaries empower people and inspire social change” and “A comedian and an activist walk into a bar: The serious role of comedy in social justice.”
The virtual lecture is a part of the SciComm Lecture Series, an initiative of Penn State’s Science Communication Program. The program is housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and builds productive research collaborations between scientists in a variety of disciplines with science communications researchers.