Population Media Center (PMC) is an entertainment organization dedicated to women's rights and empowerment, population stabilization, and the environment.

PMC's headquarters staff and offices are located throughout the United States and abroad, including Los Angeles, Montreal, and Cape Town, with the primary office located in South Burlington, Vermont.

History

PMC was founded in 1998 by William Ryerson to address population and reproductive health issues using the Sabido method.^[1] The company received funding from the Mulago Foundation in 2010.^[2]

Organization

Activities

US Content Studio

In the United States, PMC develops and produces original content designed to entertain and address contemporary social issues, including women and girl's empowerment, reproductive health, and environmental sustainability. PMC's series, East Los High, was one of the top five shows on Hulu during its first season and 27,000+ viewers used a Planned Parenthood widget in the first month of release.

International Programs

PMC hires local writers, actors, and production staff, as well as administrative staff, to create powerful radio and TV serial dramas for behavior change.

Since its inception, PMC has aired its shows in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Eastern Caribbean, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, United States of America, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Leadership

PMC's board of directors has included leading proponents of family planning, gender equality and reproductive health, as well as writers, producers and executives of network television and independent film companies.

Notable board members include:^[3]

• Anne H. Ehrlich and Paul R. Ehrlich (co-authors of the 1968 book The Population Bomb)
• Tom Sawyer (former Congressional Representative from Ohio)

Funding

As a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, PMC receives donations from corporations, individuals, philanthropic organizations and government agencies.^[4] Donors include:^[3]