Lift Every Voice: How Storytelling Changes Culture

Storytelling, in all its forms, is one of the most effective ways to influence behavior in a long-term way. Whether it’s the TV we’re watching at home with our families, the podcasts we’re listening to on our way to work, or the content that flashes across our screen as we’re scrolling social media in the breaks throughout our day, there are countless ways to both intentionally and subconsciously influence the minds of people everywhere.  Those stories, and the lessons that people learn from them can make huge strides in creating the equitable and just world we strive to live in one day. 

There are no limits to the examples that show that the power of narrative is massive. But what does it look like to meaningfully support that work? Join DOCN in a conversation about the importance of investing in narrative and culture change work with award-winning thought-leaders and creatives in the field. 

Speakers include Bridgit Antoinette Evans (CEO, Pop Culture Collaborative), Imara Jones (Founder, Translash Media) , Raiza Licea (Artistic Director, Uprights Citizens Brigade), and Sameer Gardezi (CEO, Break the Room)

Topics discussed will include:

• The importance of narrative in the 2024 election and beyond
• How to support diverse and expansive storytelling
• Creating proactive narratives that tell our stories rather than reacting to harmful ones that reinforce harmful and inaccurate stereotypes and beliefs
• Building a comprehensive media ecosystem that is engaging and boundary pushing, empowers independent creatives and storytellers, and encourages audiences to think differently. 
• Telling important stories on screen and onstage that don't fall in the trope of the "very important episode"

About the speakers:

Bridgit Antoinette Evans

Throughout her life and career, Bridgit Antoinette Evans has been  obsessed with one question: What is the relationship between a great story and widespread cultural change? She has since explored this question of impact and scale from every angle: as an award-winning Off Broadway and international actor-producer, a social impact advisor to celebrity artist-activists, culture change strategy designer collaborating with renowned social justice leaders, and narrative researcher for global foundations. Today, Bridgit is a widely respected thought leader investigating this question as CEO of Pop Culture Collaborative, a $60 million fund supporting a network of 300+ pop culture artists, social movement leaders, strategists, researchers, and donors laser-focused on producing stories and other experiences that transform the “narrative oceans” harming our communities and awaken public yearning for a just and pluralist society.

Imara Jones

Imara Jones, whose work has won Emmy and Peabody Awards, is the creator of TransLash Media, a cross-platform, non-profit journalism and narrative organization, which produces content to shift the current culture of hostility towards transgender people in the US. She was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People on the planet in 2023. As part of her work at TransLash, Imara hosts the TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones, which received the 2023 Outstanding Podcast Award from GLAAD ; as well as the investigative, limited series, The Anti-Trans Hate Machine: A Plot Against Equality which received the Excellence in Podcasting Award from the National LGBTQ+ Journalists Association.

Raiza Licea

Raiza is a comedian, actor, creator, and artist, and the first women of color to become Artistic Director for Upright Citizens Brigade, a world-renowned comedy theater and comedy school, shepherding writing, acting and sketch divisions for up-and-coming performers. She is now the Senior Producer of ASSSSCAT, which is UCB's signature & biggest improv show, and also produces "Spanish Aqui Presents", the biggest Latino live comedy show in the US. Raiza has also worked as a content writer for Netflix is a Joke’s NIAJ Netflix social media page. Her recent credits include HBO Max’s Emmy nominated show HACKS and was recently nominated for Mitús Jefas on The Rise. When she’s not acting she can be found on stage performing standup and improv.

Sameer Gardezi

Sameer is an award winning writer and CEO/founder of the writer development incubator, Break the Room. He has written for several networks/streamers including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, The CW, FOX, ABC, NBC and Netflix. He has worked on such critically acclaimed shows as Aliens In America, Matthew Perry’s Mr. Sunshine, and Modern Family, for which he won a WGA Award. Sameer most recently created East Of La Brea, a dramedy digital series about two Muslim-American women trying to make it in LA. Currently, Sameer is a writer on the Netflix series Twits created by Phil Johnston and based on the adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, wrapped his Paramount+ comedy caper feature Hot Mess Holiday with Kal Penn, and scribing his next two features: an animated comedy feature at Netflix and an adaptation of a graphic novel. As the CEO of Break the Room, Sameer has curated 40 writers rooms globally, training over 300 writers, with successes in selling a series with Dwayne Johnson's company Seven Bucks, setting up Netflix’s first women-led Saudi series Crashing Eid, and another half-hour with Padma Lakshmi at 20th Century Studios. Break the Room has operated in over 10 countries with its latest project with ImageNation.

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