Media Impact Collaborator Network

Connecting Experts,

CSS’s collaborator network features world-class subject matter experts and academics who believe in CSS’s mission: harnessing the power of media to make a positive impact on adolescents. CSS collaborators will take part in CSS events, work, and research as permitted, share their work within us so we can share it with our network, and more. Through our collaborator network, we want to become a go-to resource and hub for industry seeking academics and other experts who work on topics like youth development, media impact, media representation, and more. We want to offer, for our collaborators, a community and platform where researchers can share their cutting-edge work, and CSS can, when available, offer consulting opportunities, speaking engagements, and advisory roles.

Collaborative Opportunities:

The main ways that members of our collaborator network will work with the Center will be the following : 

• Project experts and consultants for client work

• When possible, CSS will reach out to the collaborator network when we have the need for consultants and experts for our client work. This includes workshops, tip sheets, script consultation, and more.

• Project experts and consultants for grant-based work

• When possible, CSS will reach out to the collaborator network when we have the need for consultants and experts for our grant-based work.

• Event-based opportunities

• When applicable, we will invite collaborators to attend or participate in CSS events. This will mostly apply to collaborators who are based in the LA area. This will also be a way we offer networking opportunities to collaborators, when possible.

• Collaborator articles on CSS’s website

• Starting in the fall, we will start offering to publish short articles written by collaborators on our website. CSS will create a template and work with the collaborators to make sure the topics are appropriate for CSS’ website, as well as the timeline. The goal of this is to further expand CSS own expertise and output, while also helping experts get their own research in front of the entertainment industry. 

• Platforming research and work

• When appropriate, CSS will use research done by collaborators in our work. This includes our client-based work (like our tip sheets and workshops) as well as AskYalda. This is a way for us to utilize the expertise of the collaborators while also using our platform to share their work.

Timelines:

There will be two major virtual meetings, a Spring Collaborators Lab (name pending) and a Fall Collaborators Lab (name pending).

• Each of these meetings will feature at least one CSS staff member involved in client work and one involved with research.

• The main goal of these meetings is for CSS staff to get to know the collaborators and the work they are doing, while CSS staff share the work CSS is doing and ask for feedback.

Quarterly Emails to Collaborators

• Every quarter, collaborators will receive an email from CSS that includes recent updates on the internal calendar of the organization. 

• This email will also ask collaborators to share, through either a Google form, doc, or directly to a CSS staff member, recent or upcoming publications. When applicable, we will share these on our social media channels and in our newsletter.

Membership Criteria and Structure

Moving forward, collaborators will go through a two-step membership process. Potential collaborators and subject matter experts will meet with a CSS staff member, who will then share meeting notes with staff to determine whether they should be included in the collaborator network. Potential collaborators can be interviewed at any time, but the whole staff formal review process will be done on a semester-by-semester basis. 

To apply to be a collaborator, send a CV and a short personal statement (2 paragraphs) on why you want to be in the collaborator network to nina@scholarsandstorytellers.com.