Episode Details

The social impact sector has gotten very good at describing problems: white papers, statistics, annual reports filled with data on gaps and needs. But it hasn't built a system for telling stories that actually move people. Heather Mason spent 20 years producing the biggest convenings in the sector before building The Impact Lounge, a traveling hub that brings together funders, filmmakers, and creators at Sundance, Cannes, and beyond to build the narrative infrastructure social change has been missing.

Episode Highlights:

[02:15] Why narrative change is the most powerful lever for social change 

[05:00] The social sector treats film as a tactic — Hollywood treats it as a system 

[08:00] Marvelization: what world-building looks like for social impact 

[12:30] You were hired to solve a problem — what if you were hired to create a vision? 

[37:00] Why small teams should build, not buy — and let go of perfect 

[45:00] The Skunkworks mindset: annoyingly positive in a hard year

Notable Quotes:

[03:45]: "Data can inform us, but only stories can move us."  — Heather Mason 

[13:00]: "If people get hired to focus on the problem, you're going to get problem-focused experiences, problem-focused communication, problem-focused white papers." — Heather Mason 

Resources & Links:

• The Impact Lounge — theimpactlounge.com
• Caspian Agency — caspianagency.com
• Outrider Foundation Nuke Simulator — outrider.org
• Cosmic — designbycosmic.com

Hosted by Eric Ressler, Founder & Creative Director of Cosmic, with co-host Jonathan Hicken, Executive Director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. New episodes every Tuesday.

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