Events Calendar

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington will speak about the depiction of immigrants in the media at the Creative Change conference March 5 at Self Help Graphics & Art in East Los Angeles. Buffington's presentation, titled "Entertaining Health and Well Being: Inspiring Hollywood to Create Socially Relevant Stories," will include clips from TV shows whose storylines dealt with immigration. The Creative Change conference will include a strategy session to "identify key opportunities for alliances" centering on efforts to change immigration policy at federal and state levels. Self Help Graphics & Art is a non-profit visual arts center serving the predominantly Latino community of Los Angeles. 

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington was a featured presenter at the Uplift 2012 festival held Dec. 20-23 in Byron Bay, Australia. Buffington held a workshop on “The New Mythology of Television, Film and New Media,” on Friday, Dec. 21, in which she offered techniques of Hollywood’s master storytellers in crafting the most compelling stories. Uplift (Universal Peace & Love in a Festival of Transformation) was described as a “participatory event bringing together some of the world’s most inspirational artists and innovative thinkers to explore, inquire, share and discover.”

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington delivered a presentation at the 2012 Behavior, Energy & Climate Change Conference on Nov. 12 in Sacramento. Through workshops and topic sessions on policy and program strategies, the conference explored how to accelerate the transition to an energy efficient and low-carbon economy. Guest speakers included senior-level policymakers, scientists, media representatives and energy experts, who offered the latest behavioral research and communication strategies. The event is being organized by the California Institute for Energy and Environment, the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington gave a presentation at the Cause Placement 2012 conference titled “Entertaining Health: Inspiring Hollywood to Create Stories That Change Lives” in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 11. The conference, which connects entertainment and causes, offered "new insights and strategy, and practical ways both can create big wins for their content and missions.” In her presentation, Buffington discussed how HH&S harnesses the power of the entertainment industry by helping writers with a range of services—including its signature Storybus Tours, briefings and consultations with experts, and panel discussions.

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington will talk about “Mainstreaming Socially Provocative Cinema and Television” at the FICCI Frames 2013 conference being held March 12-14 in Mumbai, India. The three-day global convention covers film, broadcast television and radio, digital entertainment, animation, gaming and visual effects. Nearly 2,000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates are expected to attend the event. 

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington led a series of events at the 28th International Papillomavirus Conference held Nov. 30 through Dec. 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She and a group of entertainment industry writers and producers presented two panel discussions and a storytelling workshop for medical doctors, researchers and clinicians. The Hollywood group included Chris Keyser, president of the Writers Guild of America, West; Jennifer Cecil, executive producer of Private Practice; Zoanne Clack, co-executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy; and Sarah Watson, co-executive producer of Parenthood. Together with Buffington, they held a panel discussion titled “Insiders for a Day: From Hollywood to Telenovelas” and offered a workshop on techniques from Hollywood’s master storytellers to help participants convey health information through storytelling.