Next Generation Tobacco Control Alliance

The Next Generation California Tobacco Control Alliance, a program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Smokeless States Initiative, represents a broad and powerful coalition with both new and traditional constituencies. The Alliance links public and private tobacco control efforts to advance the next generation of California tobacco control.

LGI Communications worked with Next Generation on marketing/communications and entertainment industry outreach since the Alliance’s inception. LGI has been deeply involved in various aspects of Next Generation’s Entertainment Industry Initiative, which was developed to engage Hollywood as a partner in the effort to influence both the number and the nature of tobacco depictions in the entertainment media, including motion pictures, television shows, music videos, and related fields.

On behalf of Next Generation, LGI conceptualized and created the Entertainment Working Group. The Group convenes formal and informal meetings between prominent representatives of the health community and the entertainment industry. The Working Group meets periodically and is chaired by the three Guild presidents: Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, and Directors Guild. These opportunities to exchange views and share ideas have shown that success will depend on the ability to work with and through a variety of organizations and individuals inside the industry. Furthermore, the strategic alliances we have developed with each of the Guilds have proved to be exceptionally beneficial to other projects over time.

Additionally, the Broadcast Standards Subcommittee was created to address network television specific concerns and chaired by Fox and Turner Broadcasting standards executives. For the first time, all of the networks sent representatives to the subcommittee’s first meeting. A meeting of this stature, attended by all networks, was unprecedented up until that point—on any issue.

Finally, LGI convened an important meeting between youth leaders and entertainment representatives at the first youth and entertainment summit at the Director’s Guild of America.

Other LGI public health related success stories include the National Mental Health Association, the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, and many others.