John August, Vince Gilligan, Robert and Michelle King, Mike Schur, Malcolm Spellman and Dailyn Rodriguez are among the prominent writers set to take part in a vaccine education summit organized by the Ad Council to encourage Hollywood to address vaccine-related issues through storytelling.
In partnership with PvNew and the COVID Collaborative, the Ad Council’s virtual program “Educating Audiences On The COVID-19 Vaccines: A Summit For Film & TV Writers” will stream June 29 from 8-9 p.m. ET. The focus is helping writers and producers find ways to inspire public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.
Marketing experts from the Ad Council will offer ideas for how key vaccine facts can be integrated into storylines in the hopes that the messages will resonate with jab-hesitant viewers. They will also show how established Hollywood production operations can easily create vaccine-related PSA content for online distribution.
Nearly four in 10 adults across the United States have yet to receive at least one dose of the vaccine. While some states such as California and New York have surpassed 70% vaccination rates, many states still hover around 50% or under. The number of daily reported doses continued to rise through April but it has plateaued in recent weeks. According to data presented by the Ad Council, one in three Americans who want to “wait and see” currently plan to wait at least a year to get vaccinated.
Beth Schacter (“Billions”), political consultant and screenwriter Joel Silberman, Schur (“The Good Place,” “Parks and Recreation”), LaToya Morgan (“The Walking Dead”) and Nicole Tramble Spellman (“Truth Be Told”) will co-host the event, produced with support from the Writers Guild of America. Also set to participate in the summit are Cynthia Littleton, PvNew co-editor in chief; Dr. Sanjay Gupta, chief medical correspondent for CNN; and Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Registration is free to all.
(Pictured: Robert King and Michelle King and Malcolm Spellman)
