U.S. officials are employing a variety of methods to offset ISIS’ anti-western propaganda around the world, but one new strategy has a touch of glitz and glamour: John Kerry’s gone Hollywood, baby.
The Secretary of State was in Los Angeles earlier this week meeting with a group of Hollywood executives to discuss ISIS and how the movie industry might be an effective tool when it comes to countering narratives put forth by the terrorist organization—such as the notion that westerners are anti-Islam and adhere to principles that are antithetical to the tenets of that religion.
According to Variety, Kerry sat down on Tuesday with DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara along with top executives from Comcast’s (CMCSA) Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox (FOX), Walt Disney’s (DIS) motion picture unit, and Sony’s (SNE) film business.
In a tweet about the meeting, Kerry referred to ISIS as “Daesh,” which is another term for the group that ISIS apparently dislikes:
Great convo w studio execs in LA. Good to hear their perspectives & ideas of how to counter #Daesh narrative. pic.twitter.com/AGhesmg1zK
— John Kerry (@JohnKerry) February 17, 2016
Kerry reportedly brainstormed with the film executives about ways that Hollywood can reach areas of the world where ISIS’ propaganda is most prominent. The terrorist organization is known for relying heavily on video in its recruitment process, often using propaganda films with relatively high production quality that sometimes call to mind popular movies and video games.
During the Secretary of State’s trip to Los Angeles, he also stopped by ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a chat with the comedian that spanned topics from international diplomacy to Donald Trump and the Taylor Swift-Kanye West spat.