About the Episode
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About the Episode:
Broadway has found its Gen Z audience — by telling Gen Z stories
In this energizing episode of Higher Ed Pulse, host Mallory dives into the world of Broadway with creative strategist Toni Marie Perilli, exploring how higher ed can learn from the theater district’s masterful storytelling. Drawing inspiration from the cultural resurgence of Wicked, Sesame Street, and even Duolingo, the episode uncovers how colleges can deliver educational content that actually connects with Gen Z. From TikToks to Career-Chela festivals, this episode is a masterclass in edutainment with intention.
Key Takeaways
- Edutainment is the Future of Engagement: Higher ed must go beyond traditional messaging and adopt creative, storytelling-driven content strategies to engage students—think Sesame Street meets student services.
- Learn from Broadway’s Emotional Design: Theater is cracking the Gen Z code by telling stories that sound like the people they’re trying to reach—colleges need to do the same.
- TikTok Isn’t a Trend—It’s a Stage: Smart content strategy on platforms like TikTok isn’t about chasing virality, but about packaging valuable information in familiar formats.
- Creative Strategy Impacts Student Engagement: At Fordham, initiatives like “Career Chela” didn’t just boost attendance—they reshaped how students perceive and use the Career Center.
- Edutainment Makes Complex Info Accessible: From tick prevention to career exploration, Perilli shows how educational content doesn’t have to feel academic to be effective.
- Student Expectations Are Evolving: Students benchmark colleges against everything online, not just peer institutions. Your content has to compete in the attention economy.
- Know Your Audience, Then Surprise Them: Content that resonates starts with familiarity—and then adds unexpected value students didn’t know they needed.
Episode Summary
What Can Higher Ed Learn From Broadway’s Storytelling?
Broadway doesn’t just sell tickets—it sells transformation. And as Toni Marie Perilli passionately argues in this episode, higher education should be doing the same. From the stage to the quad, today’s students are looking for experiences that mirror the emotionally resonant, narrative-rich journeys they see everywhere else online. Drawing from her work at Fordham University, Pirelli breaks down how higher ed can infuse storytelling, character, and tension into their content—just like a killer opening number that grabs you before the plot even begins.
Her mantra? “Not every show is for everyone, but there is a show for every person.” The same goes for student services. Instead of blasting generalized content, we should be designing tailored micro-experiences that meet students where they are in their journey—from first-years to postgrads. And yes, that might mean your Career Center looks more like Coachella than a boardroom.
Why Is Edutainment a Strategic Imperative for Higher Ed?
Perilli's approach to edutainment is more than clever branding—it’s a data-backed strategy to drive real engagement. At Fordham, initiatives like Career Chela, a music-festival-themed career kickoff event, turned an annual info session into a must-attend party complete with DJs, lemonade stations, and employer booths. Attendance jumped from 300 to nearly 600 students—and the ripple effects are still being measured in year-over-year engagement data.
But the magic lies in intentionality. Whether it’s TikTok videos breaking down tick safety with a charismatic professor or micro-series like “Please, Please, Please Learn Your Professional Lingo,” the goal is always the same: make important information digestible, desirable, and—dare we say—delightful.
How Can Institutions Embrace Edutainment Without Losing Credibility?
A recurring myth in higher ed: making things fun means dumbing them down. Perilli dismantles that completely. Whether it’s Sesame Street, The Weather Channel, or Stranger Things: The First Shadow, educational content doesn’t lose value by being entertaining—it gains accessibility. The key is understanding your audience's psychology and creating “serendipity on purpose”—sneaking value into familiar formats students already trust and enjoy.
And it doesn’t have to be a TikTok dance. It can be a beautifully shot documentary, a podcast, or an interactive workshop. The point is this: if students aren’t engaging with your content, it’s not because the information isn’t valuable—it’s because the packaging doesn't resonate.
What Frameworks Should Higher Ed Marketers Follow?
Start with these three:
- Start Where Your Students Are: Know their platforms, language, and behaviors. Your job is to meet them there.
- Layer In the Unexpected: Deliver value they didn’t know they were seeking—like career advice hidden inside music festival vibes.
- Iterate Like a Playwright: Test different formats, repackage content, and workshop ideas like you’re developing a Broadway show.
Perilli reminds us that just like in theater, not everything hits on opening night. That’s OK. Build your strategy like a long-running show—one that grows stronger with every performance.
Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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