AMC Shows the Thrilling Side of STEM with "Walking Dead" Campaign

To encourage more young women to get excited about and interested in STEM AMC its branded studio Content Room at AMC Networks and the Ad Council partnered on a multiplatform public service campaign spotlighting female crew members from The Walking Dead and how they use STEM in their jobsquotOur goal is to inspire and expand the next generation of women and STEM and to show girls it is anything but boringquot explained Katherine Dore Vice President of Creative for the Content RoomAs part of the Ad Councilamp8217s quotShe Can STEMquot initiative The Walking Dead campaign is directed at girls nonbinary youth and trans youth ages 13 to 16 and aims to draw more women into STEM careers where theyamp8217re underrepresented and may not expect opportunities Dore saidamp8220Entertainment and content creation is probably the last place you go when you think of STEM when in reality all of the content we consume wouldnamp8217t exist without itamp8221 she notedWith its sweeping action scenes and acclaimed special effects The Walking Dead offered ample opportunity to showcase STEM in production including costume design set construction and video effects Dore explained As a bonus quotThe Walking Dead has a massively talented crew with so many women using STEM in unexpected waysquot she addedSince the campaign is aimed at teens AMC adopted a quotsocialfirstquot distribution strategy creating short snackable 60second videos that will be distributed on TikTok Instagram Twitter and YouTubeA more traditional multiplatform public service announcement mashed up the social content and includes soundbites from crew members discussing STEM in their work That spot will run on digital video and linear networks including AMC Networksamp8217 AMC BBC America Sundance TV IFC and WEtv AMC Networks will begin sharing content in JuneThis marks the first time AMCamp8217s Content Room has partnered with the Ad Council Dore said it was a good fit because The Walking Dead is a massively popular series with so many STEM integrations Also AMC produces the show and owns the intellectual property allowing for easy behindthescenes accessquotThis project is a great representation of everything the Content Room stands for creative with storytelling that moves audiencesquot Dore addedTo create this work the AMC team asked crew members to share how STEM influences their roles Dore noted that female crew members were especially passionate about their responses amp8220We wanted to show how just a few minutes let alone an entire episode requires hours days and sometimes weeks of intricate calculations strategy and stepbystep processesamp8221 she saidThe videos feature teen scientist inventor and activist Gitanjali Rao interviewing female crew members on STEMamp8217s influence on the show emphasizing quotSTEM is everywherequot Think zombies dressed in rags epic apocalyptic scenes and wild special effects In each case STEM is an essential ingredientItamp8217s a window into the creative process For instance to craft TWDamp8217s elaborate costumes designer Vera Chow begins with sketches and computer renderings then chooses fabrics to accommodate actorsamp8217 movements and stunts She uses chemicals to destroy material and make costumes look old To illustrate STEM39s role in set design art director Jasmine Garnet explains how they begin with an empty soundstage and build a set that meets lighting and camera requirements and how her team created a virtual reality version of The Walking Dead set Watch Gitanjali39s interview with Vera Chow hereDirector Aisha Tyler said she uses STEM principles on set daily from calculating the size of sets to deploying science and technology to create new monsters and worlds In one scene for example technology helped turn 12 actors playing zombies into what looks like thousands on screenquotThe nexus between art and science is at the core of telling great stories and delighting audiencesquot Tyler explained quotI couldnamp8217t do my job without itquotFittingly the spot39s director Julia XiuYin Ngeow is also a STEM expert She graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Biophysics and majored in neuroscience She also worked as a researcher for the Australian Cancer Council Her work explores the intersection between arts and sciencequotShe is an incredible multifaceted womanquot Dore said quotShe was excited to bring her worlds together in this great wayquotDore who has a 17yearold daughter interested in STEM hopes the campaign will open new pathways for young women quotWhen we think about STEM we think about lab coats and sitting behind a desk When we show STEM through the lens of entertainment and how it brings an entire fake universe to life you really see the diversity of careers you can have in itquot she concludedClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of 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AMC Shows the Thrilling Side of STEM with "Walking Dead" Campaign

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Alli Romano

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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