What Hollywood Climate Summit Taught Me About Climate Conversations

While every session offered new insights, one panel in particular challenged me to think deeper about not just the climate community, but how we engage with the people outside of it.

June 10, 2026

Last week, I attended the Hollywood Climate Summit. The two-day-long summit is an annual gathering that brings together environmental professionals, storytellers, Changemakers, and creatives alike who are using the power of media and culture to drive the climate narrative. Through a diverse lineup of panels and conversations, attendees explored how storytelling and media are such an important tool when it comes to having conversations about climate. While every session offered new insights, one panel in particular challenged me to think deeper about not just the climate community, but how we engage with the people outside of it.

Out of all the panels and conversations I attended at the Hollywood Climate Summit, the one that stayed with me the most was not about climate technology or sustainable film sets. It was simply about people and our conversations with people outside of the “climate bubble.” The panel, Seeking Common Ground: Stories to Shape A New Era of Conservation, featured Charles Loi, Benji Backer, Scott Shigeoka, Nadia Gill, and Sacha Spector. Each panelist is a part of a “new wave” of creators and leaders who are rewriting and redefining who belongs in the environmental movement. Their discussion honed in on how environmentally focused creators and communicators can reach audiences who may care deeply about their local environments but haven’t traditionally seen themselves represented in mainstream narratives.

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My main takeaway from this panel is that if we want broader climate engagement and to enact real change, we need broader climate stories… and that will be accomplished when we strive to find common ground with those that may not be the "typical" environmentalist. I think that too often, climate conversations happen amongst people who already agree on the urgency of the issue. Yet environmental action requires nuance and consensus, and progress requires building relationships with people who carry different backgrounds, priorities, beliefs, and experiences than our own…and this panel was an excellent reminder of that! Nadia Gill (Director/Producer, Encompass Films) stated that she began exploring this issue in the film setting by first asking, “who are the people on the other side of the aisle that care about climate change?”

Panelist and Founder of Nature in Nonpartisan, Benji Backer, emphasized the importance of “reaching across the aisle” when it comes to climate and conservation work. Rather than viewing environmental issues through a strictly political lens, he encouraged attendees to focus on the values that people share. Whether it is caring for local communities, preserving natural spaces, or protecting the places people call home…common interest can definitely serve as a starting point for meaningful dialogue. His perspective served as a reminder that building broader support for climate action is not about winning arguments, but connecting and creating space for more people to be a part of the conversation.

The Hollywood Climate Summit does an excellent job at facilitating the community and conversations where topics like communication, media, conservation, and storytelling can be discussed and challenged. Beyond the panels and programming, the Hollywood Climate Summit community is filled with changemakers, creators, and leaders who are thinking deeply about how storytelling shapes the climate movement and continues to drive change. I left the summit with a deeper appreciation not just for the role that communication plays in this movement, but also fo how these conversations help people see themselves in the climate movement.

-Allyssa Salcedo

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