Michael Wolfe, executive producer and president of Unity Productions Foundation, told attendees at a Nov. 15 lecture in Fresno that his organization’s mission is to expand and humanize the portrayal of Muslims in American media.

Wolfe, who co-founded UPF 25 years ago, said the nonprofit has produced 14 nationally aired films and a range of digital projects, including educational websites. The group is now expanding into educational gaming as part of its effort to reach wider audiences.

He said UPF visits Fresno every few years to update the community on new work and ongoing initiatives. A key focus of his lecture, titled Changing the Narrative of Muslim Culture in Hollywood, was addressing the long history of misrepresentation of Muslims in U.S. media.

Wolfe said UPF began consulting for major television shows in the mid-2010s, offering guidance grounded in its own experience producing films and television programs. The organization has advised programs such as “The Simpsons,” “The Good Wife,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

He noted that despite Muslims representing an estimated 10% of U.S. physicians, “Grey’s Anatomy” had gone 13 seasons without a Muslim doctor until UPF helped the writers develop more authentic characters.

“We weren’t going in as an advocacy group,” he said. “We were going in as peers… helping them do better research and tell more authentic stories.”

Wolfe also discussed his writing projects, including his book on his first pilgrimage to Mecca and a forthcoming work about the Paris Mosque’s role in sheltering Jews during World War II.

For those looking to support UPF’s work, he encouraged audiences to watch their films on PBS or visit https://www.upf.tv/ to learn more.