USC vice president of research Randolph Hall organized and moderated the panel discussion titled “Los Angeles: Where the World Creates and Innovates.”
Hall summed up the appeal of Los Angeles for the international guests, pointing to the wealth of talent in all aspects of storytelling; key strengths in creative disciplines, technology and innovation; and the universal character of the city.
“What is it we can learn from Los Angeles that might translate to other parts of the world?” he asked.
He might have asked, what is it that we can’t learn.
“This is an absolutely global, international, multicultural region,” he noted.
Panelist Ernest J. Wilson III, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, began to answer Hall’s question by describing a four-sided “diamond” necessary for success: a strong network of connections between government, academia and think tanks, the private sector and the nonprofit world.
USC Annenberg strives to build that network through initiatives, such as the Annenberg Innovation Laboratory, which reaches all points of the diamond by working with major corporations, research centers, community groups and cultural institutions in Los Angeles.
In one of its signature efforts to broaden innovation by including social and institutional change, the laboratory has been exploring uses of social media to expose and reduce child trafficking. Read More »