For the first time in its 80 years of existence, the non-profit Ad Council is branching beyond its impactful public service spots into long form storytelling. The Ad Council has formed Ad Council Entertainment in partnership with Sugar23 , the media company founded by Michael Sugar , producer of Spotlight and 13 Reasons Why.

In an interview, Sugar and Ad Council President/CEO Lisa Sherman said their ambitions are lofty. They would like to create scripted films and TV programming that lean into social impact issues that can change culture. They hope to fill a gap left by the demise of Participant, a backer of Spotlight , the film about the Catholic Church scandal in Boston that Sugar produced and which won Best Picture. That company was started by Jeff Skoll to generate issue-

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