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.
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Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington delivered a presentation on "Hollywood as a Cultural Catalyst" at the second annual Green Festival in Los Angeles. Described as "the nation's largest and most diverse sustainability event," the festival returned to the downtown Convention Center on Nov. 17-18, and featured an organic food court, live music, workshops and an environmental film installation presented by the Sierra Club.
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.
On a recent morning beneath beautiful blue skies, a bus full of Hollywood writers and producers pulled up to a space-age-looking entry gate, where a sign next to the familiar NASA logo greeted them with the words: “Welcome to Our Universe.” For the latest Storybus Tour organized by Hollywood, Health & Society, this was a mission to learn about climate change from some of the world’s top scientists and engineers at the NASA-JPL complex just northeast of Los Angeles.Through these signature series of research trips, HH&S offers writers and producers real stories about real people and places—unusual, compelling and dramatic—from climate scientists, other experts and community members on the ground.
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 explored the importance of storytelling and the role of the writer in helping to shape the future during a presentation at the "State of the Arts 2012: Amplify!" conference on Sept. 22 in Los Angeles. The event, described as an "immersive symposium," was an "experiential showcase featuring cutting-edge entertainment, technology exhibits" along with music, dance and film. It was held in the Vortex Dome (pictured) at the LA Center Studios located downtown.
Winners of the 2012 Sentinel for Health Awards for exemplary achievements of television storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives were announced at a ceremony Sept. 19 at the Writers Guild of America, West in Los Angeles. The NBC drama Law & Order: SVU received first place in the Primetime Drama (major storyline) category for accurately portraying the emotional effects and legalities around childhood sexual abuse. An episode of Fox’s Touch earned first place in Global Health for a storyline about domestic abuse, and NBC’s hit, Up All Night, won first place in the Comedy category for a storyline about the realities of childbirth.