25 Years of Storytelling for the Global Good
A note from our founder
It was 25 years ago that we created an organization to shake the world to its core.
Today, we celebrate a milestone – the 25th anniversary of Population Media Center (PMC) marking our journey to empower women, address population growth, and create a sustainable planet through storytelling.
I have witnessed a tapestry of achievements woven by our incredible community. Jolokoto empowered thousands of Nigerians to access contraceptives and and was a finalist in Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas awards. Kwishilya reached an estimated 659,440 weekly listeners in Zambia and BREAKAWAY, our innovative video game, has sparked global awareness of gender inequity and violence.
Together, we are shaping a future filled with hope, equality, and opportunity.
Entertaining at Scale. By Popular Demand.
25 YEARS OF IMPACT
HEALTHY POPULATIONS. HEALTHY PLANET.
Today, global understanding and commitment to change is growing, and the resulting goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, are demonstrating that effective interventions are needed.
In Burundi, 47,000+ Burundians now know they can determine the size of their family.
In Mexico, our show drew more than 3.5 million viewers each night, with a top draw among our target audience, ages 13-21, and a partner sexual and reproductive health hotline receiving a weekly average of 2,868 calls.
In Nepal, our radio show resulted in an estimated 88,000 people believing adolescents in their community talk about sexually transmitted infections, normalizing behavior and improving lives.
In Nigeria, 41% of all the new visitors to partner health clinics referenced a PMC show as their motivation for coming in for services.
DO YOU SHARE OUR VISION?
Your contribution is a step towards a more equitable and sustainable world.
awards and nominations
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BREAKAWAY
BREAKAWAY, our innovative video game designed to address violence against women, bullying, and gender equality took home first place at the Digital Communications Awards 2023 in the Contest & Game Category.
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East Los High
With six Emmy Award™ nominations, East Los High soared as a top five Hulu show, recognized by the American Journal of Public Health for its positive impact on adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
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Jolokoto
Jolokoto, a 120-episode radio show reaching the southwestern states of Ogun and Oyo in Nigeria was named a finalist in Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas in Media and Entertainment awards.
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Vencer el Miedo
Vencer el Miedo broadcast in multiple countries on Univision and ranked top 3 for viewers 13-21. It won four awards, including best first actor and best co-starring actress at the 38th Annual TVyNovelas.
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Crossing the Line
Winner of Marcom’s 2022 Platinum award for Best Podcast Series, this dynamic 10-episode podcast chronicled the fight for abortion access and was featured on Apple Podcast’s “New and Noteworthy.”
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William Ryerson/PMC
The June edition of NonProfitPRO recognized the “2019 Nonprofit Professionals of the Year,” which included William (Bill) Ryerson, President and Founder of Population Media Center (PMC).
Global Sustainability
Global Sustainability
Population
Women's Rights
Global Sustainability
Population Media Center creates transformative storytelling to role model actions that create a chain of planet-positive impact that uplifts individuals, communities, and the environments we all share.
Listeners were 1.5 times more likely than non-listeners to say that their ideal family size was between zero and three children as opposed to four children or more.
Listeners were 2 times more likely than non-listeners to say “Yes” when asked “Have you been involved in planting trees in the past year?”
Listeners were 3.4 times more likely than non-listeners to know protecting mountain gorillas can reduce poverty and bring tourists.
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Radio Show
Umurage
The Umurage series captured the hearts of Rwandans with four seasons reaching millions of loyal listeners every week. Audiences used family planning, understood population growth’s impact on the environment, and worked to protect mountain gorillas, proving popular entertainment’s power for positive change.
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Radio Show
Pambazuko
Pambazuko inspired hundreds of thousands of Congolese listeners to make more equitable and sustainable choices. Partially funded by the Jane Goodall Institute, Pambazuko addressed local conservation efforts and increased the use of family planning — all for the cost of $2.86 per loyal listener.
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Blog
Overpopulation & Overconsumption
PMC explores the ethical dimensions of population issues and advocates for resource conservation to address the interconnected challenges of overconsumption, single-use products and climate change.
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Blog
Population Growth Role In Water Scarcity
Addressing the impact of overpopulation, our blog highlights global water scarcity, environmental damage, and social unrest, emphasizing the need for universal resource access and a sustainable future.
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Podcast
Episode 1. The Dilemma of Sustainability
With our current population exceeding Earth’s capacity, we must confront climate change, resource depletion, and other environmental crises challenges and seek genuine solutions for the well-being of all.
Population
With a global community of 8 billion people, we need a more equitable, flourishing world for all people and all ecosystems. As we look to write the script for our future, we focus on solutions that touch us all.
Listeners were 2.4 times more likely than non-listeners to say “Yes” when asked “In general, do you approve of family planning?”
Listeners were 1.8 times more likely than non-listeners to say “No” when asked “In your opinion is it legitimate for a husband/spouse to beat a wife/partner if she refuses to have sex with him?”
1.1 million new family planning users catalyzed in Northern Nigeria at a cost of 30 cents each.
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Radio Show
Nekakat
This series made a lasting impact in Ethiopia by shedding light on cross-cutting issues, inspiring women and girls to rewrite their life stories. It addressed critical issues such as sexual and gender-based violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation and family planning sparking dialogue and driving social change.
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Radio Show
Zoukoutap
The Zoukoutap series has flipped the script on social issues, like child slavery and family planning. The series launched in Haiti in 2013 entertaining and educating more than 550,000 loyal listeners every week with relatable characters, cliffhangers, and Afro-Caribbean music.
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Blog
Key Drivers of Population Growth
Gender inequality drives population growth and empowering women through education, rights, and opportunities is crucial for a sustainable future, creating a more equitable and prosperous world. What’s right for girls is also right for the planet.
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Whitepaper
Ending Population Growth
With over 200,000 people being added to the world population each day, population growth is a pressing sustainability challenge. Discover the truth about unsustainable population growth and effective interventions in PMC’s free white paper. Take action for a more balanced future.
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Episode 4. Women Leaders On Population Growth
In a world of 8 billion, with over 218 million women lacking access to reproductive choices, women’s leadership in discussing sustainable population is crucial. It’s time to include and empower women’s voices in shaping a more balanced future.
Women's Rights
Building global sustainability for today and for tomorrow all begins with the rights of women and girls. The right to education, economic independence, and reproductive autonomy are the building blocks and must-haves for gender equality.
Listeners were 3 times more likely to believe that girls should be encouraged to continue their education to higher levels.
An estimated 54,000 people intend to stop child marriage in their family and community after listening to a PMC show.
Listeners were 1.8 times more likely than non-listeners to say “Myself” when asked “Who usually makes decisions regarding your own health, you, your spouse/partner, both of you, or others?”
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Radio Show
Kwishilya
In a region where over 80% of girls do not finish secondary school, Kwishilya was designed to empower women and girls, reaching an estimated 659,440 weekly listeners. The series enabled more women to plan their families and allowed more girls to walk into the classroom.
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Video Game
BREAKAWAY
Ready, Set, Play. BREAKAWAY is an innovative video game designed to address violence against women and gender inequality. The game and youth camps have reached 150 countries, raising awareness, fostering reflection and challenging deeply entrenched, harmful social norms.
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Blog
Centering the Rights of Women and Girls
Building global sustainability for today and for tomorrow all begins with the rights of women and girls. The right to education, economic independence, and reproductive autonomy are the building blocks for creating an equitable world where women’s rights are celebrated.
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Whitepaper
Our Future Depends on Hers
We explore the social norms holding women and girls back from acting as the leads in their own life stories. Learn how social norms and unjust fertility rates impact women’s empowerment and reproductive autonomy in PMC’s whitepaper.
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Podcast
Episode 3. What Limits Success of Family Planning?
Explore the success of family planning through community and couples dialogue. Despite global challenges, progress is being made in reducing unmet needs for birth control, promoting gender equity, and lowering birth rates in places like Guatemala, Kenya, and the Philippines.
Our 25th Year of Impact
Reflecting on the past year fills us with awe and gratitude, as it has been a year of extraordinary impact. Dive into our Annual Report to discover the inspiring stories of transformation and the incredible ways we made a difference in 2022. Together, we’re shaping a brighter future.
Looking Ahead
PMC is committed to creating lasting change.Population Media Center is the global sustainability non-profit and production partner that creates popular entertainment for universal social and environmental good.
This work is needed more than ever. We remain steadfast in our commitment to improving the rights of women and girls, slowing population growth, and doing our part to contribute to a sustainable future. We remain committed to learning, to putting our audiences center stage, and to opening eyes, minds, and dialogues.
Our award-winning TV and radio series, broadcast in the US and 50+ countries, have changed lives. By empowering audiences, and especially women and girls, through transformative storytelling that addresses fundamental threats to global sustainability where it matters most—in human hearts and minds—we inspire entire communities to choose a healthier, more equitable, and flourishing world for all. With our global team of advocates, partners, and funders — imagine what we will do in the decades to come.
Thought Leadership
BREAKAWAY: A Personal Odyssey Towards a Game-Changing Legacy
You know that feeling when you’re part of something big, something truly groundbreaking? If you’ve ever felt it, you know there’s nothing quite like it.…
