On November 14th, 2017, Live Out Loud got an inside look behind the scenes at NBCUniversal! LGBTQ+ and allied students lined the conference room to hear from six amazing out professionals who do all sorts of work at NBCUniversal. Panelists Jordan, Jesse, Abigail, Lucas, Nicholas and Jessica shared openly their experiences with coming out, accepting themselves, and how they’ve seen the world change for LGBTQ+ people throughout their lives. One student reflected that their favorite part of the night was getting to know the panelists–in their words, “I feel close to them.”

After the panel, students teamed up with NBCUniversal employees to develop marketing strategies for their favorite NBCUniversal shows to increase their outreach to LGBTQ+ youth. Students found themes of acceptance and empowerment that resonate with LGBTQ+ youth in series like Harry Potter, and one team of students even proposed a new sitcom and a marketing plan to go with it!