Entertainment-Focused Narrative and Culture Change Practice

The Better Life Lab’s narrative and culture change mission includes working with television and film creatives. We provide real-world stories, policy knowledge, and research-based advice to Hollywood leaders. Scroll down for examples of our work with and for the entertainment industry.

Our focus is on driving progress for women and families by improving depictions of people's full lives as they relate to work and family, and narratives about gender, work, family, and care; busting myths about individual grit as the key to success at home and at work; and showing how public systems can advance work-family justice and greater gender, racial, and economic equity.

We also inform public conversations through opinion pieces that translate our policy and research expertise for public audiences. Recent highlights include:

A Boston Globe op-ed on how disparate policies related to abortion, workplace leave, and child care are creating a more fragmented society for families; a CNN op-ed on policy victories for pregnant workers and the state of paid family and medical leave and pay equity for parents and family caregivers; an Early Learning Nation graphic explainer on the child care sector and its effects on parental employment and care workers' jobs; a blog post on black maternal health and pregnancy decision-making; and a Zocalo Public Square essay on work-family and gender equity supports for health care workers.

We are available for presentations, writers' room consultations, 1:1 brainstorming sessions, briefings, and more. We love to amplify storylines and characters that accurately represent work-family challenges and help point to solutions. Contact Vicki Shabo at shabo@newamerica.org to learn more or set up a meeting.