About Bridge Entertainment Labs

America faces a historic threat from toxic polarization, with trust in institutions and each other at all-time lows. Bridge Entertainment Labs (BEL) believes we can build a culture of courageous engagement and genuine connection across communities, renewing the promise of a diverse democracy.

We have seen the power of entertainment to catalyze cultural shifts around pressing social issues. BEL leverages this power to repair and transform America’s divides.

BEL serves as an incubator of ideas, a resource for entertainment creatives and executives, and a catalyst for content that promotes new American “stories of us.”

Of Americans say political polarization is a threat to America

Are concerned about political violence.

Of partisans see the opposing party as “a serious threat to the United States and its people.”

We activate entertainment media to unite Americans across lines of difference and build an aspirational narrative for civic engagement

Enter the storytellers. Enter the narrative shifters.

Entertainment can offer America a different script.

Bridge Entertainment Labs (BEL) aims to ignite a consciousness of transformational bridge-building, belonging, and civic participation in American culture through popular entertainment. BEL’s theory of change is grounded in three core ideas:

Culture Precedes Politics: Cultural change leads to political change.
Entertainment as a Lever for Change: Entertainment is the most powerful tool for scaling cultural transformation.
The Power of Vision: Americans need to see compelling examples of bridge-building to believe it is possible and worthwhile.

We must tell better “Stories of Us”:

Modeling Strong Bridging Behavior

Showcasing examples of people with different ideologies or lived experiences engaging respectfully, fostering curiosity, and even enriching lives across lines of differences

Themes of Connection

Emphasize themes like connection, belonging, interpersonal/social trust, institutional trust, dignity, respect, and civic agency

Representation

Authentic storytellers, stories and characters from underrepresented communities (eg. rural, small towns, middle America) or those unfairly represented in popular culture

Inspiring Perspective Shifts

Inspire audiences to rethink how they perceive people who seem dissimilar

Relatability

Ensure the story and characters are broadly relatable and humanized

Nonpartisan

Maintain political balance and avoid persuasion or bias towards one side of an issue

Pluralistic Values

Feature storylines or characters reflecting a pluralistic view of America

We aim to achieve our impact in society through these primary strategies:

CONVENE

Building a community and an ecosystem of culture-changers committed to stories that explore our shared humanity and connect Americans across lines of difference.

CONSULT

Equipping entertainment leaders and creatives with pluralism/democracy expertise and resources to enhance their content slates.

CREATE & CATALYZE

Accelerate the development, completion, and promotion of game-changing entertainment projects that embody BEL’s ethos.

Studios would make more money if they tell the story of America, the American workplace, and American family. America is big loud cacophonous place, and the neighborhood in America is people who live together in relative peace.
Rob Long, Writer & Producer, “Cheers”; Co-Founder, Ricochet, Bridge Entertainment Labs Advisory Council Member, at Hollywood & Storytelling in a Divided America