A year after Netflix’s Adolescence sparked intense debate about masculinity and the pressures shaping young men today, where has the conversation gone since? In this episode, Jasmina is joined by Holly Hewlett, VP of Content Development and Marketing Strategy at NRG, and Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, VP on NRG’s Trends and Futures team. The trio come together for a conversation about how masculinity is being portrayed, debated, and redefined across media and culture. Drawing on insights from NRG’s Hero Complex research report, they explore what continues to resonate in stories about men and boys, how the industry has responded over the past year, and why the conversation is beginning to move beyond diagnosing the problem toward a more constructive view of what male representation could look like next.

Want to explore some of the research mentioned in this conversation and more? Learn more via the links below.

• Hero Complex
• From Bond to Beckham
• Mirror on Masculinities

Who’s really shaping the future of AI policy, and what are the most influential voices saying behind closed doors? In this episode, Jasmina is joined by David Byler, NRG VP and in-house expert on public opinion and panel research, to explore the Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) Panel. The KOL brings together leading voices across government, policy, academia, and technology, revealing what they’re really saying about today’s biggest policy questions: from AI anxieties to whether the US is truly leading the global AI race.

What does it take to build a successful entertainment franchise in our modern media ecosystem? And who are today’s franchises actually for? In this episode, Jasmina is joined by Matt Blong, EVP, Head of NRG’s Syndicated Entertainment Programs, and Collin Leirvik, EVP, Head of Gaming and Sports. Together, they explore how the most powerful entertainment franchises are shifting away from broad, four-quadrant appeal and toward deeply-engaged fandoms, from hardcore gamers to anime superfans. And they dig into what the future of entertainment strategy will look like in a world where passion, not reach, is the true key to success.

Want to explore some of the work mentioned in this conversation? You can dive into our Leveling Up research and our Anime, Ascendant research via the links.

Research Reframed pulls back the curtain on what's next in the world of research, insights, and data science. In this episode, host Jasmina Saleh is joined by Fergus Navaratnam-Blair, Vice President for Trends and Futures, and Alan Miyazaki from NRG’s data science team. Together, they explore how generative AI is opening up new possibilities for research and insights professionals. As a case study, they discuss a research initiative conducted in partnership with the nonprofit Young Storytellers that used large language models to analyze more than 7,000 children’s stories, revealing how young people’s hopes, fears, and emotional needs have evolved over the past 20 years.

Want to go deeper? You can explore the full research behind this work here.