Using TV Serial Dramas to Role Model Solutions to the Climate Crisis

The combined team of ClearVision and Population Media Center (PMC) includes the world’s leading experts in using popular TV and radio serial dramas to bring about positive social change. These entertainment-education (EE) specialists have repeatedly proven internationally that EE is the most effective social change strategy available for rapidly shifting the behavior and social norms of entire cultures.

PMC has been producing top-rated EE programs in the developing world for over 10 years to address population issues. ClearVision has been working to mainstream the EE strategy in “Hollywood” as a new commercial model for producing highly profitable TV serial dramas and other media that have a positive social impact.

Recently, ClearVision and PMC decided to join forces in order to launch a US EE campaign with a primetime TV series at its hub to address the urgent crisis of global warming. Vision: Imagine a highly entertaining, primetime TV drama series that role models solutions to the climate crisis and leads to significant changes in how Americans think and act about global warming.

Imagine this series engages millions of people with a healthy, achievable vision for our future, and builds a powerful sense of urgency about climate change, as well as the belief that their actions can have a real impact.

Imagine characters whom audiences intensely identify with, making life-style changes such as conserving energy, driving fuel efficient cars, and making this issue a top political priority in a way that motivates viewers to do the same.

Finally, imagine this ongoing TV series is supported by a multimedia campaign including Internet sites, DVDs and print materials, and a national infrastructure of community-based groups.

Problem: Those working on the issue of global climate change have done an extraordinary job of increasing awareness around the issue. In fact, a recent Gallup/ClearVision/Yale baseline poll on global warming conducted a week prior to Live Earth revealed that 64% of the American public now believe we need “drastic action to reduce global warming.”

However, despite this dramatic increase in the public’s sense of urgency and the fact that global warming now ranks first among environmental issues, only 3% of Americans consider this issue to be a top national priority, compared to other problems such as the war in Iraq and immigration.

Despite EE’s enormous success in over 80 countries and the many challenges America is facing, the Sabido methodology remains virtually unknown in the U.S. as a comprehensive social change strategy because a Project Champion is needed to launch and coordinate an EE initiative. Tragically, this powerful strategy has not yet been applied in primetime American television and the Hollywood community has yet to fully harness the potential of entertainment media to do social good.

Solution: ClearVision and PMC are filling the leadership role of U.S. Project Champion by pioneering the use of the EE strategy in this country to address the climate crisis. Our goal is to apply the Sabido methodology in the United States to create an ongoing, primetime TV serial drama and comprehensive multimedia campaign to motivate people to conserve energy, lower CO2 emissions and transition to a sustainable lifestyle.

We are working to launch such an initiative by orchestrating the first-ever collaboration of top climate change specialists, Hollywood professionals and EE experts to tackle the issue of climate change. In this way, ClearVision and PMC hope to help maximize the impact of efforts to change attitudes and behavior to reduce global warming in the U.S. and other countries.

Why TV Serial Dramas Using the Sabido Methodology?

ClearVision/PMC are convinced that the Sabido methodology, modified for the U.S., is the most effective strategy for bringing about the individual and society-wide changes that are needed to address the climate crisis. The brilliance of the Sabido methodology is how it applies the latest social science research regarding attitude formation and behavioral change to serial dramas.

Unlike most entertainment in the U.S., Sabido-style TV serial dramas are based on intensive formative research. These insights prove invaluable in enabling writers to develop compelling characters and engaging stories that resonate powerfully with audiences and have exceptional relevance to their lives.

Sabido-style dramas use positive, negative and transitional role models to guide people through the process of change. Unlike documentaries or movies, these long-running TV serial dramas allow audiences to form deep emotional bonds with characters whom they aspire to emulate. This makes the Sabido methodology an ideal strategy for dealing with climate change because it is specifically designed to:

• Create a heightened sense of the urgency regarding important social problems.

• Build a powerful belief that these problems can be solved individually and collectively.

• Intensify the effects of social problems on characters designed to be just like audience members so that people feel the deep personal relevance of an issue.

• Motivate people emotionally to take action and carefully demonstrate through role models the process and benefits of changing and making new choices.

• Allow time for characters to change attitudes and behavior gradually, realistically demonstrating how to overcome obstacles and setbacks that occur in real life.

• Demonstrate how audience members can avail themselves of real-life community or Internet based resources that can support changes in their lifestyle or behavior.

Why ClearVision and PMC?

Despite the enormous challenges America is facing, the Sabido methodology remains virtually unknown in the U.S. as a comprehensive social change strategy. In fact, EE has never been systematically applied in U.S. commercial media because a Project Champion is needed to launch and coordinate such a campaign. ClearVision and PMC are filling the crucial leadership role of U.S. Project Champion. PMC is the world’s leading organization implementing the Sabido methodology.

ClearVision is the leading organization working to mainstream EE in U.S. commercial entertainment. Together we are focusing on climate change because of the urgency of this problem. Our combined team of top EE experts includes the originator of EE, Miguel Sabido, key individuals from Soul City, and veterans of Sesame Workshop, as well as top Hollywood professionals, leading social scientists and climate change specialists.