Hollywood Compassion Coalition (HCC) is thrilled to announce the launch of its Research Corner, a dedicated compilation of global studies that breaks down the effects media and entertainment have on society. HCC is a nonprofit organization and entertainment industry movement that inspires positive social change founded in compassion.
The Research Corner is a collection of summaries that highlight key concepts and empirically validated studies surrounding hot topic questions in the industry. The first rollout of articles examines the importance of media literacy and how it affects the way viewers understand and interpret content, how entertainment influences viewers, the results of observing risky behavior in media, the stereotypical representations in media and its repercussions, and entertainment’s role in shaping the world around us.
The HCC was founded by multi-Grammy and Emmy Award re-recording mixer Brian Riordan (founder, Levels Audio) and awarding-winning actress, producer and director Natalie Conneely (Optimist, Pachamama Sabia). The founding advisory board includes Positive Media Psychology Research Director and Chapman University Assistant Professor Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D. and documentary filmmaker Owsley Brown III.
Co-Founder Brian Riordan stated, “We, as an industry, must gain a deep understanding of the impact our content has on its viewers. Only from that understanding can instrumental change occur. The Hollywood Compassion Coalition was born after I went on a life-changing trip to India through Mind & Life Institute and spent a week in the company of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.”
“Brian and I were connected through our relationship with His Holiness and Mind & Life,” continued co-founder Natalie Conneely. “After working for seven years with the 14th Dalai Lama to build a global network of mindful, compassionate and ethical leaders, I’m excited to bring this idea to fruition and begin sharing research that informs the entertainment industry of the connection between the stories we tell and the world we live in. We believe in building a world that works for all of us, because it is increasingly clear that otherwise it won’t work for any of us.”
Sophie Janicke-Bowles, Ph.D. stated, “It is one thing to make people laugh out loud with the stories we tell but another to also inspire them to be just a little kinder to the grocery store clerk next time we shop. Media Psychology research demonstrates the power stories can have to shift the way we look at and behave in this world. Thus thinking about research informed storytelling that is entertaining and good for society is something I want to see more of in the current media landscape and HCC is on a mission to make this happen.”
The research is based on empirical findings from peer-reviewed communication journals and media studies textbooks, which investigate how media can impact viewers’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.. HCC’s Digital Content Manager and current Chapman University Ph.D. Student Noel McGuire has been essential in gathering and analyzing these pieces of academic literature and plays a vital role in breaking down the concepts, making the complex theories and academic jargon more understandable and inviting to the entertainer’s eye.
To learn more and join the Hollywood Compassion Coalition and the Research Corner, visit https://hollywoodcompassioncoalition.org/. To help support HCC’s mission, please visit https://hollywoodcompassioncoalition.org/donate.