Yes, And…Laughter Lab seeks to start cross-sector collaborative relationships between the comedy and social justice sectors, on the way to supporting the production and distribution of new comedy work that can reframe the conversations about and encourage public engagement with the most pressing issues of today. The first Yes..And event in June 2019 was a collaboration between the Center for Media and Social Impact at American University and Moore + Associates, in partnership with Comedy Central. Focusing on independent, documentary, entertainment, and public media, the Center bridges boundaries between scholars, producers and communication practitioners across media production, media impact and effects, public policy and audience engagement. Moore + Associates is a creative agency in New York City operating at the intersection of social change, pop culture and digital media.

For its inaugural event supported by the Collaborative, the Yes…And team, including selection committee members such as Broad City‘s Abbi Jacobson and Decoded host Franchesca Ramsey, selected six comedy projects out of 500 applications. These six project pitched to 100 leaders from social justice, philanthropy and entertainment with the goal of building new partnerships and surfacing production opportunities. The first Yes…And event set the stage for the development of a critical new pipeline for the best of the best social impact comedy projects.

“The Yes, And… Laughter Lab is creating a pipeline into both Hollywood and social movements for the best of the best comedy projects. It is particularly interested in supporting content developed by comedians coming from communities often overlooked by the entertainment industry.” –Mik Moore, Moore+Associates and Yes..And Laughter Lab Co-Producer