The Hollywood Climate Summit’s sixth annual edition to connect environmental experts with leaders across media and entertainment is set for June 2-4 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The increasingly popular networking event for conversations aimed at climate education and advancing sustainable practices across the entertainment ecosystem features speakers from the climate, media and music worlds. This year, it looks at How Grey’s Anatomy Has Shed Light on Climate Through he Generations with the series’ cast and creative team; How Music Mobilizes; Gaming Takes On Climate Change; How To Show Movements On Screen; and Westerns: A Window into America’s Public Land Legacy, and host workshops at the Writers Guild Theater on Day 3.
The Summit was launched by Yea! Impact, an agency that works on grassroots events and marketing campaigns and gather filmmakers, executives, artists, environmental organizations and scientists in Hollywood and at events around country from the Sundance Film Festival to New York Climate Week. It’s grown over the past six years with the 2024 edition hosting about 1,200 attendees in person and 1,500 virtually.
“As climate impacts intensify and national tensions create uncertainty about environmental priorities, the Hollywood Climate Summit team has remained more committed than ever to creating moments for connection, community and collaboration,” said Heather Fipps, Executive Director of Hollywood Climate Summit. “The climate crisis affects all of us and intersects with every issue. It will take us coming together to make meaningful change. Whether you’re a creative, executive, advocate, or simply someone who cares deeply about our shared future, your presence matters in this moment.”
Some highlights from the lineup:
YOU ARE THE SUN: How Grey’s Anatomy Has Shed Light on Climate Through the Generations: Camilla Luddington, Kim Raver, Alexis Floyd, Zoanne Clack, Meg Marinis. For two decades, Grey’s Anatomy has diagnosed America’s relationship with pressing social issues through the lens of medicine. While the show is celebrated for its groundbreaking representation of race, gender, and sexuality in healthcare, its consistent thread of environmental storytelling has received less attention despite its significant impact on public perception. Featuring creative team and current cast, this program explores how Grey’s Anatomy has evolved its approach to climate-related health issues over its 20-year run, reflecting and sometimes accelerating shifts in public consciousness.
How Music Mobilizes: Tarriona “Tank” Ball (Grammy Winning artist, Tank & the Bangas), Tim Myers (Founder, Palladium Records, former One Republic), Cameron Trimble (Hip Politics), Brittany Bell Surratt (Senior Director, Storytelling & Communications HHC), Samata Pattinson (CEO, Black Pearl).Tracks the raw power of music to spark movements and shift culture, from the soul of African call-and-response traditions to the massive cultural earthquakes of Woodstock and Live Aid. We dive into how songs that capture people’s lived experiences can explode into cultural phenomena, creating new models for artists to shape social change while building their brands.
The Final Boss: Gaming Takes on Climate Change: Karla Reyes (Founder, Anima Interactive), Ashly Burch (Actress, Horizon Zero Dawn, Fortnite). With over 3 billion gamers worldwide, gaming has influenced our culture for decades, giving players the ability to create their own worlds, participate in stories as decision makers, and build a global community from their own homes. Speakers will talk about enriching the player experience by incorporating climate and environmental themes into stories, game design and social impact campaigns, highlighting best practices for studios and developers looking to integrate climate themes authentically and look ahead to where the next wave of engagement is going.
How to Show Movements on Screen: Dustin Lance Black, Aru Shiney-Ajay (Executive Director, Sunrise Movement), Reverend Yearwood (Hip Hop Caucus), Steven Olikara (Founder, Bridge Entertainment Labs), Abre’ Conner (Director of the Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, NAACP). Explores how film and television can authentically capture the electric energy of mass mobilization. Through compelling media clips, insider perspectives from both activists and storytellers, and hands-on exercises, participants will discover how to translate collective action into stories that inspire without simplifying.
Why Are We Consuming This?: What We Eat, Buy, and Watch: Adam Conover (Comedian), Tig Notaro (Comedian), T.K. Pillan (Advisor, Beyond Meat, Founder, Veggie Grill), Maren Costa (U.S. Advisor, Work For Climate), Aisha Becker-Burrowes (Co-Founder, FEMINIST), Thomas Kraft (Founder, VGAN Chocolate), Nate Halverson (Reporter, Reveal News). Explores how our consumption patterns – from products to attention – shape environmental and societal change. Through the lens of what we eat, buy, and watch, we’ll examine how corporate interests compete for both our wallets and our attention in an increasingly complex marketplace. Leading voices in plant-based food, media consumption, and sustainability will unpack how our daily choices ripple through these interconnected systems.
Inter/dependence Day: Reimagining Community and Care After Disaster: Ai-Jen Poo (Executive Director, Caring Across Generations and President, NDWA), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Actor), Etienne Maurice (Founder, WalkGood LA). In the aftermath of the LA fires, one thing was abundantly clear: people wanted to help. Climate disasters often reveal the deeply rooted and human impulse to show up for others and create community amongst the rubble. A conversation about what it would look like for our entertainment storytelling to harness the core values of care and interconnectedness.
Plot Twist: Earth’s Epic Comeback Story: Sacha Spector (DDF), Billy Almon (Afrobiofuturist). A creative visioning, future-oriented, world-building experience that highlights bold thought leaders with moonshot visions of a nature-centered future. Featuring activities to inspire storytellers, designers, and marketers to dream bigger about our future in harmony with nature-based solutions and innovations,
Displaced Within: Telling the Story of Climate Resilient Communities: Patrisse Cullors. How to bring visibility to a growing American reality: internal climate-driven displacement. While headlines often focus on global climate refugees, millions are being displaced within U.S. borders—due to wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other extreme events—reshaping what it means to lose home, rebuild community, and create more resilient futures. This panel will explore how communities across the country—and especially in Los Angeles—are navigating climate disaster, recovery, and ecological transformation, through the possibilities created by cinematic, character-driven storytelling.
Westerns: A Window into America’s Public Land Legacy: Westerns: A Window into America’s Public Land Legacy explores how contemporary Western dramas reflect our evolving relationship with public lands and natural resources. Through examining the genre’s ongoing themes, we gain insight into the tensions between private ownership, resource exploitation, and conservation that continue to shape policy and public opinion today. By analyzing Western storytelling’s portrayal of land use across generations, the discussion will reveal how these cultural touchstones both mirror and influence our collective understanding of stewardship, access, and the future of America’s shared wilderness.
The Academy: Sustainability and Decision Makers: Academy members from across the branches discuss the importance of department heads making sustainable choices in film productions. This panel will highlight the importance of stories with narratives that drive the cultural conversation in sustainability and dispel the myth of higher cost in sustainable production practices.
WORKSHOP: Production Meeting: Script Breakdown Feat. All Things Sustainable Production: Director Rachel Raimst, on-set creatives/department heads, and sustainability practitioners lead a 60-minute workshop deconstructing a specific scene to explore the sustainable production process. The idea is to demonstrate how eco-conscious practices can be integrated at every stage without compromising creative vision.
