East Los High Finale Nominated for Daytime Emmy
On March 21, 2018, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced East Los High as a nominee for “Outstanding Directing Special Class.” This is the sixth Daytime Emmy nomination for the East Los High series, which finished its U.S. broadcast in December 2017. The conclusion of East Los High on Hulu marks a bittersweet moment for Population Media Center (PMC), the nonprofit at work behind this popular show.
“East Los High marked a turning point for PMC,” says Bill Ryerson, PMC President and Founder. “It was our first foray into the U.S. market. The impact of East Los High affirmed that we have a responsibility to work in the U.S. and we’re pleased to have recently hired Lisa Caruso as our new Head of U.S. Programs.”
PMC creates entertaining shows to address social and environmental issues, and it has broadcast shows in more than 50 countries. East Los High’s first season launched on June 3, 2013. Following PMC’s methodology, it was based on formative research that at that time revealed more than 50 percent of Latinas under 20 had at least one pregnancy. The high rate of teen pregnancy was also contributing to high rates of high school incompletion.
The resulting show, set in high school in East L.A., was Hollywood’s first series with an all Latino cast and one of Hulu’s top 10 shows. In addition to drawing audiences and earning Emmy nominations, East Los High was also featured in publications like the American Journal of Public Health for its impact on issues like adolescent sexual and reproductive health. StayTeen.org’s website traffic doubled on the day East Los High launched and 22 percent of Planned Parenthood’s total “the check” widget visits during the first season were accessed through the East Los High website.
“East Los High demonstrates the power and responsibility of entertainment,” says Ryerson. “PMC’s formula for shows draws on research to create stories that weave in accessible and important information. Everyone wants to be entertained and that’s a tremendous opportunity to also inform.”
PMC produced East Los High in association with Wise Entertainment as a Hulu original series for hulu.com. At the time, East Los High was Hulu’s longest running original series. East Los High can be viewed on Hulu in the U.S. and is also now available in select countries around the world. The 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be held on Friday, April 27, 2018 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Southern California.
ABOUT POPULATION MEDIA CENTER (PMC):
Population Media Center is a nonprofit leader in entertainment-education, dedicated to women’s rights and empowerment, population stabilization, and the environment. For the past two decades, PMC’s entertainment programming has promoted social and cultural change and has helped 500 million people in more than 50 countries. www.populationmedia.org