Population Media Center

What Population Media Center does

Population Media Center (PMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by Bill Ryerson and headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, that applies an entertainment-education methodology to drive social and behavioral change on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender-based violence, female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and adolescent reproductive health. Its core technology is a proprietary, theory-grounded serial-drama methodology—rooted in the Sabido methodology and behavioral and social cognitive theory—that embeds evidence-based messaging into radio dramas, television telenovelas, podcasts, and short film series, supported by formative research and rigorous mixed-methods impact evaluation frameworks.

PMC's product portfolio spans internationally broadcast radio dramas (Kwishilya, Siñalamba, Agashi, Rope Guna Fal, Yalaleke Guzo, Barnusietehdeh!) reaching millions of listeners across Sub-Saharan Africa and Nepal, prime-time television co-productions (Último Año on MTV Latin America, East Los High on Hulu, Vencer el Miedo and Papás Por Conveniencia on TelevisaUnivision's Las Estrellas), documentary audio (Crossing the Line), and short film series (Mother Justice with Level Forward). Distribution is achieved through a partner-channel model with major entertainment companies and broadcasters rather than owned platforms, supplemented by community engagement via participatory theater and listener groups. Country offices operate in Burundi, Nepal, Zambia, Liberia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, with activity reported in 50+ countries.

PMC operates a nonprofit funding model reliant on institutional grants from USAID, SIDA, UNFPA, UNICEF, and major private foundations (Kendeda Fund, Ford Foundation, California Endowment, Argosy Foundation, Blue Shield of California Foundation, West Wind Foundation, Weeden Foundation, Grantham Foundation), individual donations through a legacy-giving program (The Ryerson Society), and corporate partnerships with entertainment companies. End audiences are adolescents, parents, and caregivers in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and South Asia; intermediary customers are entertainment networks, SRHR organizations (MEXFAM, UNFPA, Power to Decide, Planned Parenthood, Abortion Finder, Plan C Pills), and institutional funders.

Name

Population Media Center

Legal name

Population Media Center, Inc.

Website

https://populationmedia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Population Media Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that uses entertainment-education—serial radio dramas, television telenovelas, podcasts, and short films—to shift social norms and behaviors on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, FGM, and child marriage across 50+ countries, partnering with major entertainment networks, SRHR organizations, and institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment-Education Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Network/Studio Streaming Channels (MPABAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Distribution Feeds & Syndication (Partner Delivery, APIs, Feeds) (MPAHALAJ)

Keywords

• Entertainment education
• Social behavior change
• Reproductive health media
• Narrative change campaigns
• Serial drama programming

Headquarters

HQ city

South Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: PMC operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with primary funding from institutional donors including USAID, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), UNICEF, The Kendeda Fund, and private foundations such as Ford Foundation, California Endowment, and Argosy Foundation.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the organization's donation portal, with a legacy giving program (The Ryerson Society) for planned gifts. The organization offers stock donations, IRA transfers, and corporate gift matching.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with entertainment companies for co-production of content. While PMC is not a grant-making organization, it receives support from corporate partners and operates as a nonprofit receiving tax-deductible contributions.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Population Media Center (PMC) creates narrative-driven entertainment content—radio dramas, television telenovelas, documentary podcasts, and short film series—using its entertainment-education methodology to embed evidence-based sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) messaging. Each production applies formative research, behavioral and social cognitive theory, and rigorous mixed-methods impact evaluation to drive measurable social and behavior change in 50+ countries. Content is co-produced with major entertainment partners and supported by embedded health resources, hotlines, and listener groups.

Product overview

Population Media Center (PMC) is a nonprofit entertainment-education organization that creates narrative-driven content to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The portfolio spans serialized radio dramas (Kwishilya, Siñalamba, Agashi, Rope Guna Fal, Yalaleke Guzo, Barnusietehdeh!), television telenovelas (Último Año, East Los High, Vencer el Miedo, Papás Por Conveniencia), documentary podcasts (Crossing the Line), and short film series (Mother Justice). Each production applies PMC's methodology combining formative research, behavioral and social cognitive theory, embedded health resources, and rigorous impact evaluation. Content addresses issues including family planning, gender-based violence, child marriage, FGM, and adolescent reproductive health across 50+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Crossing the Line: A 10-episode immersive audio documentary following individuals seeking abortions across state lines and the providers, volunteers, and advocates who helped them get there, nominated for a Webby Award.
• Mother Justice

Products and services

• Kwishilya A long-running radio drama in Bemba language that tackles family planning, girls' education, and gender equality in Zambia through evidence-based entertainment-education storytelling. Funded by USAID and broadcast on community and commercial radio stations across five Zambian provinces.
• Siñalamba A radio drama in Zambia targeting Western Province, addressing family planning, gender-based violence, HIV, and related social issues through narrative storytelling. Funded by USAID alongside Kwishilya.
• Último Año An award-winning 70-episode telenovela co-produced with MTV Latin America addressing sexual and reproductive health, gender equity, and disability inclusion, reaching 22 million households across 19 countries.
• East Los High A six-time Emmy-nominated Hulu series with Hollywood's first all-Latino cast, addressing teen pregnancy, domestic violence, sexual health, and related issues through entertainment-education. Ran for five seasons, becoming the longest-running series on Hulu at the time.
• Vencer el Miedo A 47-episode telenovela co-produced with Grupo Televisa addressing adolescent reproductive health, teen pregnancy, and gender-based violence, reaching 3.5 million nightly viewers in Mexico. Won four TVyNovelas awards including Best First Actress.
• Papás Por Conveniencia A prime-time telenovela produced with TelevisaUnivision addressing teen pregnancy, gender-based violence, and STIs, reaching 6 million viewers per night in Mexico City. Condom use intentions among adolescent girls rose to 79.5% after viewing.
• Mother Justice A scripted short film series addressing Black maternal health in the United States, produced in partnership with Level Forward, featuring fictional narratives exploring joy, resilience, and complexity in Black motherhood.
• Crossing the Line A 10-episode immersive audio documentary following individuals seeking abortions across state lines and the providers, volunteers, and advocates who helped them, documented in the post-Roe landscape. Connected listeners to Abortion Finder and Plan C Pills resources.
• Agashi A radio drama series in Burundi ('Hey! Look Again!') addressing maternal and child health, reproductive health, and gender-based violence, with three seasons reaching over one million weekly listeners.
• Yalaleke Guzo A magazine-style radio talk show broadcast on Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation and local FM stations, reaching millions of listeners across 215 episodes as part of a multimedia campaign addressing FGM and child marriage.
• Rope Guna Fal A 104-episode radio drama broadcast nationally in Nepal addressing child marriage, adolescent reproductive health, and parenting practices, reaching 325,026 Nepalis weekly at $0.91 per loyal listener. Listeners were 3.8 times more likely to act against child marriage than non-listeners.
• Barnusietehdeh! A nationwide multimedia universe in Liberia combining radio drama, talk shows, and participatory theater addressing sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and social cohesion. 64% of audience opposed FGM by end of broadcast (up from 17% baseline).

Quantifiable outcome

• Condom use intentions rose to 79.5% among adolescent girls after watching Papás Por Conveniencia in Mexico
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Level ForwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026PMC partnered with Level Forward, an Oscar-nominated public benefit entertainment company, to produce Mother Justice—a scripted short film series addressing Black maternal health in the United States. Level Forward brings world-class production expertise and dissemination strategies; PMC contributes research and impact evaluation frameworks. Three films confirmed: Colors We Made, Cliff & Clara & Her Baby, and Smile, Roxy!
• Talking Drums StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Liberian production company partnership for Barnusietehdeh multimedia campaign. Talking Drums led participatory theater tours across all 15 counties, bringing communities into the story directly using Theater of the Oppressed methodology.
• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with UNFPA to implement multimedia SBC intervention addressing FGM and child marriage across four woredas in southern Ethiopia. UNFPA is a key funding and strategic partner for multiple PMC programs including Papás Por Conveniencia impact campaign.
• TelevisaUnivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandmark partnership producing three primetime telenovelas: Vencer el Miedo (3.5M nightly viewers, won 4 TVyNovelas awards), Papás Por Conveniencia (6M+ nightly viewers in Mexico), and Papás Por Siempre. Showrunner Rosy Ocampo leads production with PMC providing formative research, methodology training, and evidence-based storyline design.
• HulucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced East Los High—one of Hulu's top five shows during its first season—featuring Hollywood's first all-Latino cast. PMC trained the writing team in evidence-based methodology. Series ran for five seasons and attracted over 1M monthly visitors to Hulu's Latino page.
• MTV Latin AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst collaboration with MTV Latin America on Ultimo Ano—a 70-episode telenovela reaching 22M households across 19 countries. Argos Productions co-produced; CadenaTres broadcast in Mexico; Tr3s aired in U.S.
• MEXFAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico's Planned Parenthood affiliate provides SRHR resources and hotline services (OrientaSEX) promoted during telenovela broadcasts. Received 2,868 calls per week during Vencer el Miedo. Also provides text and internet chat services connecting viewers to reproductive health resources.
• Power To DecideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRHR partner contributing resources and services to Papás Por Conveniencia impact campaign, connecting viewers to reproductive health information and services.
• CONAPOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico's National Population Council participates in Papás Por Conveniencia impact campaign as SRHR partner providing expertise and resource connections.
• The Boston CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRHR partner supporting Papás Por Conveniencia impact campaign with resources and expertise for reproductive health programming.
• Antenna Foundation NepalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Antenna Foundation Nepal to produce Rope Guna Fal radio drama addressing child marriage, adolescent reproductive health, and parenting. First season funded by UNICEF and The Kendeda Fund.
• Planned ParenthoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on East Los High transmedia ecosystem, providing 'The Check' widget on EastLosHigh.com. 27,000+ people used the widget in first month, accounting for 22% of Planned Parenthood's total widget visits during season one.
• Pragma Consultancy (Zambia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZambian research organization partnered on social norms evaluation study with PMC-Zambia and Dr. Amy Henderson Riley.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BBC Media Action: The BBC's international development media arm producing TV, radio, and digital content for SRHR, governance, and health outcomes across LMICs; uses similar broadcast partnership models with local stations to drive behavior change at scale, comparable in mission and target geographies.
• Long Run / Well Told Story: A Kenya-based social enterprise producing drama (Shuga), comics, and digital content for youth audiences on SRHR, family planning, and HIV across East Africa — overlaps directly with PMC's Kenyan and East African programming footprint and methodology.
• Search for Common Ground: An international NGO using TV, radio drama, and serialized storytelling to advance peacebuilding, governance, and social cohesion across conflict-affected countries — comparably structured around long-running narrative-driven SBC programs with rigorous evaluation.
• MTV Staying Alive Foundation: A Viacom/Paramount-affiliated foundation producing youth-targeted TV dramas and short films on HIV, SRHR, and mental health in LMICs — directly comparable in the youth-entertainment-for-SRHR niche and co-produces content through MTV networks.
• Soul City Institute for Social Justice: A South African nonprofit applying entertainment-education through prime-time TV drama (Soul City series) to address SRHR, gender-based violence, and HIV — historically the most-cited entertainment-education benchmark alongside PMC and PCC work.
• PCI Media Impact (Population Communications International): A U.S.-based nonprofit using entertainment-education methodology for SRHR, health, and environment communication globally — the closest methodological analog to PMC, applying serial drama to international SBC programs and frequently identified alongside PMC as a peer in the entertainment-education field.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP): A global center of excellence in social and behavior change communication for health, with comparable geographies, funder base (USAID, Gates), and emphasis on evidence-based SBC strategy across family planning, HIV, malaria, and maternal health.
• Story Workshop: A Malawian and Southern African NGO using entertainment-education and edutainment (radio drama, theater, TV) to address SRHR, gender, and child protection — operates the same methodology niche as PMC in overlapping African markets.

Broad incumbents

• Sesame Workshop: A much larger educational content nonprofit producing Sesame Street and international co-productions (e.g., Sesame Square in Nigeria, Kilimani Sesame) targeting children's health, gender equity, and inclusion — broader scope and scale, but the same entertainment-education-for-social-impact paradigm.
• Participant Media: An impact-driven film and media company producing commercially successful feature films (Spotlight, An Inconvenient Truth) and series aligned with social missions — overlaps on purpose-driven entertainment but operates as a commercial entity rather than nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PopulationMediaCtr
• Facebookfacebook.com/populationmediacenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/population-media-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/populationmediacenter
• Xx.com/PopulationMedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Population Media Center