Our sense of community and identity has been shaken in Los Angeles, where CSS was born and where so much of our work is focused. As we continue to deal with the devastating LA fires, which impacted so many (including my own family and some of our staff), I am thinking of the young people who will be experiencing trauma because of this disaster for years to come. At the same time, I know that storytelling has the power to help people make sense of tragedy, providing healing and inspiring action. At this unprecedented moment, I am even more motivated to help influence how the stories that young people see and consume are told so we can make a difference in their lives.

I became a film executive because I believed in the transformative power of storytelling to change the world. Although I left that industry to pursue a PhD in developmental psychology, the impact of storytelling remains central to my work. The first film I worked on as an executive, Mi Familia, was recently added to the National Film Registry—an honor recognizing films of cultural or historical significance in American history.

Today, our team continues to build on this belief, combining expertise in storytelling and psychology to partner with some of the world's biggest media companies. Together, we reach billions of people, shaping the stories that youth consume in ways that create a profound and lasting impact. This is especially critical for marginalized youth, who engage with media at higher rates and deserve to see themselves reflected in empowering and meaningful ways.

At the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA, we’re combining the rigor of science, the prosocial perspective of advocacy and psychology, and the emotional impact of storytelling. We have always prioritized the next generation, because they are the ones who have the passion and idealism to change the world.

And as I reflect on what we achieved in 2024, I am certain it all made a difference. You will see in this impact report the extraordinary growth of our work. What I know as a result is that the process of how media is created, in the places and with the creators we touched, has been altered. The media that was produced as a result was more consistent with what we know is developmentally supportive, utilizing our research base to authentically capture the full complexity of adolescence. What I also know is the adolescent leaders who we worked with closely, impacted everyone they met and influenced how industry leaders think and act about the creation of media for kids and young people like them.

Our journey at CSS is not a straight line and the bridges we build between disparate worlds and people are complicated and numerous. In 2024, we worked with some of the world’s biggest media companies, bringing our knowledge of developmental psychology into their fastpaced environments and making our voices heard so that what ends up on the screens that dominate children’s socio-cultural environments, are complete narratives that avoid harmful stereotypes and instead positively impact mental health, self-identity, and potential.

We did this last year and will do it again this year. As you read about our impact, numerically and anecdotally, I hope you will be inspired— inspired to shift narratives, to support adolescents, and to build a more joyful, empathetic, authentic, and inclusive world.