Llegarán Papás por conveniencia con un compromiso social en Las Estrellas
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Interning with Population Media Center (PMC) on the TV drama “Papás por Conveniencia”
A unique mission
This summer, I worked as an intern supporting the Global Impact Unit (GIU), the research and evaluation arm of Population Media Center, in Mexico.
In Mexico City, PMC is applying its unique methodology through a collaboration with Televisa Univision and Rosy Ocampo Productions. The resulting show will address difficult issues such as reproductive health, sexual or gender-based violence, sexually transmitted infections, and dual contraceptive use. As with PMC’s other projects, this work is managed through an in-country office, led by Country Director Cecilia Orvañanos.
A special show
When you turn on Papás por Conveniencia, you’re introduced to classic telenovela characters, portrayed by child stars and big names in the Mexican entertainment industry.
But there’s a twist. The storylines are crafted to catalyze meaningful discussions around otherwise untouched topics. For example, when the young woman Chofis has sex for the first time with her boyfriend, her brother warns her about the dangers of unprotected sex.
PMC has a strong legacy of producing socially impactful shows in Mexico and across Latin America. These programs, created in collaboration with local partners, not only captivate large audiences but also effectively disseminate positive messages. For example, the 47-episode telenovela Vencer El Miedo aired on weekdays in Mexico and garnered the highest viewership numbers in its time slot, with an average of 3.5 million nightly viewers — solidifying its place as a ratings leader even before the onset of COVID-19.
Drawing lots of viewers
At Televisa’s San Ángel headquarters on August 6th, VP of International Programs Natalia Cereser spoke alongside stars María Chacón, María Perroni, Miguel Martinez, Joaquín Bondoni, Lukas Urquijo, and Natalia Álvarez. The press event announced the broadcast of the show, with journalists highlighting the social impact storyline that PMC brought to the project. Afterward, just down the stairs from the press room, PMC staff toured the filming stages of Papás por Conveniencia.
With real life impact
At the lush headquarters of Mexfam, Mexico’s Planned Parenthood affiliate, where health promotion materials line the walls and local cats roam freely, Population Media Center and Mexfam staff met to discuss an important service available to viewers of the show.
For many viewers living in rural or indigenous communities, resources surrounding reproductive health are scarce. The OrientaSex hotline serves as a confidential source for viewers to call with questions about reproductive or sexual health. As an intern with the GIU, I watched as VP of International Programs, Natalia Cereser, presented on PMC’s methodology, while Program Associate Ana Akin and Mexico Country Director Cecilia Orvañanos discussed the details of a powerful collaboration between Mexfam and the Papás por Conveniencia team. Quantitative data from the hotline could be invaluable in detecting changes brought on by the telenovela’s broadcast. Privacy, of course, remained a top concern. We concluded the meeting with a tour of the hotline offices, manned 24/7 by trained counselors.
Researching the experiences of cast and crew
Since PMC’s inception in 1998, hundreds and thousands of local cast and crew have worked on shows inspired by PMC’s mission. My summer mission in Mexico was to conduct a qualitative research project with employees working on Papás por Conveniencia. Since the show will air in October, it was the perfect time to explore the factors influencing the work of these employees on a social impact entertainment project. Our interviews took us from Televisa’s sprawling headquarters in the hills of San Ángel, Mexico City, to director’s trailers and crew tents in the pouring August rain in Coyoácan.
With the help of Patricia Rentería from local research firm El Instituto, and the support of Televisa, we were able to conduct 20 interviews during my time in Mexico City. After translating the interviews from speech to text, and Spanish into English, researchers at PMC will use thematic coding software to analyze these interviews. Thematic coding, a widely used tool in the social sciences and public health, helps researchers detect trends in experiences described by a group of respondents. Research projects like this one hope to build the knowledge base surrounding the SIE ecosystem, so that future projects can be more effective.
I interned for PMC in 2021, but this was my first time living and working on one of its projects in the field. In Mexico, where PMC has worked since 2012, I felt glad hearing firsthand how PMC projects had helped people talk about and think about issues that matter. By shifting the narrative around universal issues, PMC achieves at-scale impact using a novel methodology.
Victor is a junior at Brown University concentrating in Applied Mathematics-Economics.
