From Ideas to Impact: How the Natural History Museum and PBS SoCal Rocked My World

The Natural History Museum (NHM) celebrated Earth Day with month-long fun activities. After all, the Earth deserves to be celebrated and acknowledged for more than one day, and the NHM was right on track with this.

Through Agency 398, my student team was able to collaborate with PBS SoCal throughout the semester to showcase our creative concepts for Earth Focus, including social media mock-ups and event ideas. This was a great opportunity as it gave me a chance to work with a professional media organization to gain insight on real world strategy and content experiences.

Through this experience, I learned the importance of working as a team in harmony to create strategies for engagement by pulling strengths from each team member to develop and bring our goal to life for this collaboration. I also gained a deeper understanding on how to engage a target audience while maintaining a tone and delivery method. Additionally, I learned how to implement the given feedback to improve on the work quality.

After completing my time working on this team, I attended the screenings of “Earth Focus: Transforming the Los Angeles River” and award winning documentary, “SoCal Snowy Owl,” on Thursday, April 24, the NHM partnered with PBS SoCal for the screenings, creating a memorable night filled with emotion and a sense of hope. The screening was followed by an informative Q&A session with the filmmakers and PBS SoCal representatives who provided a deeper look into the episodes.

“Transforming the Los Angeles River” aims to bring awareness on how it's important for neighboring communities to have a voice in the city's plans. It offers a personal look into the lives of residents and their connections to the river and to the community. We hear from individuals who are personally affected by the changes being made to the river and how their voices are often silenced.

“SoCal Snowy Owl” tells a heartfelt story on how a rare beautiful snowy owl landed in a Southern California neighborhood and hundreds gathered daily to watch and admire the owl. The owl served as a symbol bringing people together, creating new friendships and meaningful connections. I was moved during many moments from this documentary.

This event provided insight on the importance of community and how we can locally provide meaningful change. It was an engaging and informative experience seeing how Earth Focus as a whole, is a powerful storytelling series on environmental issues and how communities come together to show their efforts for a significant impact on the earth's future.

If you're interested in watching “Transforming the Los Angeles River” and “SoCal Snowy Owl,” make sure to click the links below. Both episodes along with the entire Earth Focus series can be found on PBS SoCal’s website and app, for free!

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/socal-snowy-owl/episodes/socal-snowy-owl

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/earth-focus/episodes/transforming-the-los-angeles-river

BIO: Ashley Rodriguez-Meany is a junior at CSUN majoring in Public Relations and an active member of PRSSA. She is a dedicated student with a strong passion for arts PR, including film, photography and museums, and is always eager to expand her knowledge and experience. Ashley is committed to promoting cultural and identity diversity within the field of PR.