S5: Ep 9 - Inside Attenborough’s Ocean: How Storytelling Drives Climate Action | With Emily Renshaw-Smith (Open Planet)

What if the problem isn’t climate inaction, but rather the way we are telling the story? 🌍 In this live episode of Green Queens, we sit down with Emily Renshaw-Smith, the Managing Director of Open Planet to go behind the scenes of her team's incredible productions, including the David Attenborough-narrated documentary Ocean, to unpack how storytelling serves as a vital tool for real-world climate impact. From her professional journey through Channel 4 and Comic Relief to her current role leading one of today's most ambitious environmental media initiatives, Emily explains why data alone is insufficient to inspire change. She shares how powerful narratives can shift perspectives, influence global policy, and transform climate anxiety into meaningful action. We also explore Open Planet’s groundbreaking open-source footage library. This platform is designed to provide creators everywhere with access to world-class natural history content, effectively democratising the ability to tell stories that truly matter. Find out more: https://www.openplanetstudios.uk/ https://openplanet.org/ https://otherhouse.com/south-kensington/ 00:00 – Welcome to The Other House: Live with the Green Queens 02:00 – Reusing & Sourcing 03:10 – Introducing Emily Renshaw-Smith: From Comic Relief to Open Planet 05:00 – The "Golden Thread": A career in purposeful media 07:15 – Data vs. Storytelling: Why we are hardwired for narrative 08:45 – The Mission of Open Planet 11:20 – Ocean: Baking impact into David Attenborough’s latest film 15:30 – Open Source Revolution: Giving away world-class footage 17:40 – Individual Acts vs. Systemic Change: The tuna sandwich dilemma 19:50 – Fighting the "Slop": Authenticity in the age of AI 22:00 – Hopeful Storytelling: Imaging a better future 24:30 – The Next Generation: Finding new trusted voices 26:40 – Community Narratives: Why local stories cut through 30:00 – Short Form Power: Nature doesn't have a bin 34:10 – Advice for Creators: Know your audience & entertain first 39:30 – The Yogurt Pot: Small acts and final thoughts 💚✨ Join the greenest girl gang around—hit subscribe, give us a like, and share with a friend! 📆 Join us for new episodes every Friday 🎥 Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GreenQueensPod 🫶🏼 Follow us on instagram: @green.queens.pod - https://www.instagram.com/green.queens.pod 🎵 Find us on tiktok - Green.queens.podd #GreenQueens #GreenQueensPodcast #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #ClimateStorytelling #Sustainability #Environmentalism #ClimateSolutions #Storytelling #ImpactFilmmaking #EnvironmentalDocumentary #DocumentaryFilmmaking #OceanConservation #MarineConservation #DavidAttenborough #OpenPlanet #HopefulStorytelling #ClimateCommunication #SustainableFuture #MediaForChange Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.