April 04, 2023
Press Releases

Television Academy Foundation to Present 'The Power Of TV: Representing Climate Change On Screen' April 18

Television Producers and Environmental Experts Address How to Increase Effective Climate Change Storytelling in free, Open-To-The-Public Event in Celebration of Earth Day

The Television Academy Foundation today announced it will host "The Power of TV: Representing Climate Change On Screen," presented by the Los Angeles Times, on Tuesday, April 18, from 9-10 a.m. PDT. The free, open-to-the-public event will be held at the Television Academy's North Hollywood campus. To register, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/power-of-tv/tickets.

A report published in October 2022 by nonprofit environmental firm Good Energy and the USC Norman Lear Center found few references to climate change and environmental crises in a survey of more than 37,000 scripts from 2016 to 2020. The data showed that only 0.6% featured the words "climate change." 

To commemorate Earth Day the Foundation is assembling content creators and climate change experts to discuss the many ways in which media storytellers can raise public consciousness on the issue of climate change through storylines. 

Panelists for the event include the award-winning screenwriter, director, producer, playwright and creator of the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations (starring Meryl Streep, Edward Norton and Marion Cotillard), Scott Z. Burns; founder and CEO of Good Energy, Anna Jane Joyner; creative director of the NRDC's Rewrite the Future initiative, Meredith Milton; and co-creator of mixed-ish, Peter Saji, who was the recipient of the 2020 Environmental Media Association Award. The discussion will be moderated by Los Angeles Times environment reporter Rosanna Xia.


Anna Joyner

Meredith Milton

Rosanna Xia
Courtesy: Ricardo DeAratanha
The Los Angeles Times

Scott Z. Burns
Courtesy: Georgina Cates

Peter Saji

The event will be held at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, 5210 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. A pre-event continental breakfast will be served for all attendees at 8 a.m. prior to the 9 a.m. panel discussion. Admission is free; RSVP is required. To register, visit TelevisionAcademy.com/power-of-tv/tickets.

"We've assembled a stellar panel of experts to address the representation of climate change on screen," said Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "We invite everyone to join us for this crucial and compelling discussion on how to inspire more stories on the issue and facilitate television's power to promote positive social change through content."

A full recording of the panel discussion will also be made available for on-demand viewing at TelevisionAcademy.com at a later date.

"The Power of TV: Representing Climate Change On Screen" is presented by the Los Angeles Times with additional support provided by The Walt Disney Company.

Power TV

About the Television Academy Foundation

Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship Program, and the Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.

Download the press release here

 

Media Contacts:
Jane Sparango
jane@breakwhitelight.com
310.339.1214

Christina Parisi
christina@breakwhitelight.com
310.962.3027

breakwhitelight for the Television Academy

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