Film Producer Jo Jensen Joins Archbridge As An Entertainment And Culture Fellow

The Archbridge Institute is delighted to welcome Jo Jensen as a new entertainment and culture fellow.

Jo is an Emmy Award-winning movie producer and trailblazing entrepreneur at the intersection of the entertainment industry and policy change. She founded MovieGoer, which mobilizes audiences by measuring and amplifying enthusiasm to drive cultural impact.

Archbridge is partnering with Jo and her company, MovierGoer, to launch a film fund focused on connecting the American Dream to movies in various stages of production. We are also developing a special film edition of our American Dream Survey. Jo brings valuable expertise to these ventures and will help build our human flourishing network among entertainers, community organizers, and political advocacy organizations.

Jo has helped change more than 50 laws and produced films that premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, and other top festivals. She holds a Guinness World Record for the largest film screening in history, and she has raised over $100 million for cause-driven initiatives.

Her expertise in digital storytelling and audience engagement has taken her to the White House, the United Nations, Google, and Facebook as a speaker. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, NPR, CNN, and Good Morning America.

She holds a degree from Mount Holyoke College. She is a civil society fellow at the Aspen Institute, an advisory board member of Bridge Entertainment Labs, and a graduate of Leadership Program of the Rockies.

On adding Jo Jensen as a fellow, Archbridge President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz said:

“Jo Jensen brings tremendous value and insight as a leader in the entertainment industry and driver of policy and cultural change. I am very excited to partner with her on finding new ways to position the American Dream and human flourishing in public conversation. Jo has a keen understanding of what moves both filmmakers and audiences; and, importantly, she knows how to turn inspiration into action through entertainment and policy. I am thrilled to have her join the team.”

Get to know Jo Jensen and learn how she is lifting barriers to human flourishing. In this interview, she talks about the entertainment industry, cultural barriers to flourishing, and how she is collaborating with the Archbridge Institute to tell better stories.

To kick things off, can you tell us a little bit about your background as a film producer and how you connected with Archbridge’s mission? 

I believe people are capable of extraordinary things when someone believes in them. I’m drawn to creating experiences that help people see new possibilities in themselves and others, and bringing together people who might never otherwise meet. Some of the most meaningful moments happen when the right people, ideas, and experiences come together. That belief has shaped every chapter of my career.

As an Emmy Award-winning film producer, I’ve spent more than a decade working at the intersection of entertainment, social impact, and policy change. I’ve supported over 40 documentary films, led campaigns that have contributed to changing more than 50 laws, and helped raise over $100 million for organizations featured in our films. But what has always motivated me most is the opportunity to bring people together around stories that move them.

That passion led me to found MovieGoer, which builds a bridge between filmmakers and the audiences who can carry their stories forward. We work with community leaders, nonprofits, churches, families, and local organizations to create meaningful experiences around films. We also measure and amplify audience enthusiasm, helping people move from watching a story to discussing it, sharing it, and finding ways to get involved.

What excites me about Archbridge is your mission of “Lifting barriers. Lifting lives.” I see a natural alignment between your work exploring the economic, psychological, and cultural foundations of human flourishing and my work using film to create cultural impact. Research helps us identify what allows people to thrive, while storytelling brings those insights to life through the experiences of real people. I like to think of my contribution as putting Archbridge’s principles into action through film, connecting ideas about human flourishing with the stories that help people see what’s possible.

What do you see as the biggest cultural barriers to human flourishing, and how can the entertainment industry reinforce or counteract these narratives?

I’m passionate about films that show what happens when people are given the freedom and opportunity to pursue their potential. I believe the entertainment industry has an opportunity to tell more stories that recognize both the challenges people face and their capacity to overcome them. That vision aligns closely with Archbridge’s focus on lifting both artificial barriers, such as unnecessary restrictions on opportunity, and the personal barriers that can prevent people from realizing their potential.

We need stories that help audiences see possibilities where they might otherwise see limitations. And when a film inspires people to reconsider a law, support a local organization, or give someone a second chance, its impact can extend far beyond the screen.

You have helped produce several impactful documentaries, including POVERTY, INC., FREE TO CARE, HONOR FLIGHT, and THE TEST. How are documentaries and films underrated as drivers of human flourishing?  

I think film is one of the most underutilized tools we have for bringing people together. In a world where we increasingly sort ourselves into groups of people who think like us, film creates a reason to show up in the same room with people we might never otherwise meet. We don’t have to agree on everything to share an experience, start a conversation, or begin building trust.

Films can make complex ideas accessible, humanize people whose experiences might otherwise feel distant, and help communities discover common ground. When we pair that emotional experience with thoughtful opportunities for engagement, storytelling becomes a practical tool for strengthening communities and expanding human flourishing.

One line from POVERTY, INC., changed the way I thought about my own choices: “No one wants to be a beggar for life.”

I remember hearing that during a screening in Washington, D.C. At the time, I owned a pair of TOMS shoes, part of the popular buy-one-give-one model. The film challenged me to consider whether a well-intentioned approach to helping people could inadvertently crowd out local businesses and create dependency rather than opportunity.

At MovieGoer, we believe a film’s potential shouldn’t end when the credits roll. We measure enthusiasm because we want to understand not only whether people watched a film, but whether it moved them enough to share it, bring others into the conversation, or take the next step. That engagement can look different for every film, whether it’s supporting a local nonprofit, rethinking a purchasing decision, advocating for a policy change, or simply forming a new relationship.

We are celebrating America’s 250^th anniversary this year, and at the Archbridge Institute, we care deeply about perceptions of the American Dream. Do you think the entertainment industry—both in film and culture—thinks about the American Dream? What role should our cultural leaders play in promoting the American Dream? 

The American Dream has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents are American historians, and they got married in July 1976, the year America celebrated the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This year, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary as our country turns 250. I grew up surrounded by stories of our country’s past, and today I find myself thinking about what the next 250 years will look like—and the stories that will help shape them.

I think the entertainment industry tells stories about the American Dream more often than it realizes. But how consciously do filmmakers and other cultural leaders think about what their stories communicate about opportunity and what’s possible?

That’s one question I’m excited to explore with the Archbridge Institute. One of our first projects will survey filmmakers, showrunners, creators, producers, financiers, curators, and other cultural visionaries about how they define the American Dream and entertainment’s role in shaping it.

Archbridge’s 2026 research found that two out of three Americans say they’ve achieved the American Dream or are on their way, while one in three believes it’s out of reach. I find both numbers important. There is still a remarkable reservoir of hope in this country, and we need stories that acknowledge real challenges while reminding us of our capacity to build a better future.

To me, the American Dream is about freedom, opportunity, meaningful work, family, and the people who help us thrive. Cultural leaders have an important role to play in shaping how we understand opportunity and the future. Filmmakers, artists, journalists, and other storytellers influence what we admire, what we believe is possible, and how we view one another. We can tell stories that leave audiences feeling cynical and powerless, or we can tell honest stories that acknowledge real obstacles while showing people exercising agency, building relationships, and finding ways forward.

Optimism doesn’t mean pretending that every person has the same opportunities or that every challenge has an easy solution. It means believing that people have the capacity to grow, that institutions can improve, and that we can make progress when we recognize and remove barriers that hold people back.

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I hope we create space for more stories that remind us what makes this country extraordinary: the possibility of building a better life, the freedom to pursue our ambitions, and the ability of people from different backgrounds to come together and help one another succeed. I hope the next 250 years are shaped by stories that expand our sense of possibility, restore our belief in one another, and remind us that the American Dream can be built one person, one family, and one community at a time.

We are excited to collaborate with you on several upcoming projects. Can you tease one or two of them for today’s readers? 

I’m excited to bring Archbridge’s research on the American Dream and human flourishing into films that explore how people build meaningful lives. The Archbridge MovieGoer Film Fund brings together Archbridge’s expertise in economics, psychology, and culture with MovieGoer’s ability to connect compelling stories with audiences and opportunities for engagement.

Together, we aim to support powerful documentaries and bring the American Dream to life through films that inspire enthusiasm, spark conversation, and bring people together. Research helps explain what enables people to flourish; film makes those ideas personal. By connecting audiences with meaningful opportunities to engage and act, we can help stories strengthen communities long after the credits roll.

SOBER (About the Film)

I co-produced SOBER, a documentary about The Phoenix, a recovery movement that has reached more than a million people through fitness, connection, and community. The film aligns with Archbridge’s HEAD OUT initiative by showing how social connection and belonging can support mental health and human flourishing. Clay from Archbridge will also tour with SOBER, introducing audiences to HEAD OUT and connecting the film’s message with Archbridge’s work on mental health.

FUTURE YOU (About the Film)

I’m an executive producer on FUTURE YOU, a documentary that Optimist is bringing to life in collaboration with MIT Media Lab researchers. The film follows people interacting with AI-generated versions of their future selves, exploring how imagining who we might become can shape our decisions, priorities, and lives today. Executive producers Gonzalo and Clay believed in the project early and helped champion the film from the beginning.

Through our partnership with Archbridge, FUTURE YOU offers an opportunity to explore timely questions about identity, agency, and technology through the lens of human flourishing. We hope to connect the film with Archbridge’s research and bring these conversations to audiences, encouraging people to think critically about how emerging technologies shape our choices and our vision for the future.