Change
Using the media to persuade
and influence people
Minds
Win
Applying the power of storytelling to impact attitudes
Hearts
Impact
Creating large-scale media efforts that result in behavior change
Society
What is MDC?
Media Development Collective (MDC) is a new, collaborative consultancy and training organization. Our founders have years of hands-on experience in the media and international development sectors, and have worked in over 30 countries around the world. We offer cutting-edge training and consulting services to the “for-purpose sector” and media organizations, focusing on information campaigns and journalism.
MDC is devoted to the transformative power of stories. We recognize (digital) media’s potential as a new frontier for knowledge transfer and attitude shaping. When it comes to changing people’s minds about contentious political or social issues, stories have been shown to be the most effective.
Although digital and social media campaigns have enormous potential to scale reach and impact, they also have increasing problems with disinformation, polarization and hate speech. MDC has expertise in designing counter-disinformation campaigns and in training moderators to safely and effectively manage discussions in digital platforms and other (offline) spaces.
Through building civil society networks, we can also support jointly developed responses and producing alternative narratives that deal with online polarization and/or increase opposition by conservative groups on the issues that are being advocated.
Expertly crafted practical training, coaching, and support services.
What can MDC do
We offer cutting-edge training and consulting services to the “for-purpose sector” and independent media organizations, focusing on media campaigns and using the media for behavior change in order to increase the impact of their work.
We work with partners to uncover their needs and understand their challenges, then design practical training, coaching, and support services to meet their needs.
MDC has a five-module persuasive storytelling training that has been implemented in dozens of development programs in cultural norms shifting and advocacy on issues such as the SDGs, climate change, women’s rights, sexual and reproductive health and rights – SRHR and political pluralism. This is combined with skills-training to develop engaging content in any media format.
Trusted Collaborators
Discover more about how we create collaborative change.
The Collective
We believe in the power of collectives; people working together to effect change.”
Our “collective” includes professionals and subject matter experts in our network, as well as those who have taken part in our organizational training and collaborative programs.
Nancy Onyango is a senior communications expert with extensive experience working in the African continent and beyond with governments, multilateral NGOs, media organisations and NGO consortiums focusing on children and youth, SRHR and sustainable development.
Experienced development practitioner with proven experience in the fields of lobby and advocacy. She has worked with Asian and African civil society actors in jointly implementing advocacy and capacity strengthening programmes that led to changes in attitudes/beliefs, policies and practices in both democratic and (post) conflict settings.
Janet Anderson is an independent journalist and trainer, working with multi-disciplinary teams of civil society activists, media professionals and academics to improve their storytelling skills, create persuasive human rights campaigns and navigate social media.
Issa Shaker is an independent filmmaker and widely recognised for his ability in generating viral content. He has worked with BBC, Al Jazeera and has made a large number of viral videos, with more than 250 million views worldwide.
Alu Azege is currently the Executive Director of Media Health and Rights Initiative of Nigeria-MHR. She is an experienced development communication expert having started her career with radio and later evolved to digital production of targeted behavioural change campaigns and content. She has developed content for national and international brands and development goals.
Hennah is an International documentary filmmaker, journalist, trainer and coach. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the “10 Minutes Kids News” and she owns “The Backlot” a production house and foundation in Suriname. Hennah has won multiple awards for her work and is a valued trainer internationally.
Jonathan Groubert is an award-winning international journalist, storyteller and radio/podcasting trainer. He makes podcasts for the likes of BNR Newsradio and KLM. His work has been broadcast by the BBC, NPR, the Australia Broadcasting Corporation and Deutsche Welle as well as the podcasts Snap Judgment and PRI’s The World.
Michele Ernsting works at the intersection of digital media and behaviour change with a focus on the development sector. She designs and runs programs for non-profit leaders to drive digital transformation with the THNK school of Creative Leadership, where she is the director of partnerships, community and scale.
Jordy Nijenhuis is a storyteller, campaigner, consultant and trainer. He co-founded Dare to be Grey, an award winning organisation that aims to counter polarisation, is involved in a variety of campaigns, and trains media professionals from all over the world in (social media) campaigning, storytelling and countering radicalisation, hate speech and disinformation.
Our Network
Let’s Connect And Create Something Great
