On this episode of The Sustainable Act, I sit down with Emellie O'Brien (EOB), founder and CEO of Earth Angel. Earth Angel is the leading sustainable production service provider in the U.S. founded on the vision that entertainment should never be made at the expense of the environment.
* This interview was recorded in early 2021. *
EOB is a pioneer of the sustainable filmmaking movement, working with major motion pictures and television series to cut carbon and costs since 2011. After her sustainability leadership on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and it being acclaimed as “the most eco-friendly blockbuster in Sony Pictures’ history,” EOB founded Earth Angel in 2013 to expand her expertise and impact.
About Earth Angel
Earth Angel's collective of production and sustainability experts provide the strategy, skilled labor, supplies and analytics to help the entertainment industry reduce its environmental impact. Since 2011, Earth Angel has helped films and series avoid almost 9,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, divert over 10 million pounds of waste, and donate over 135,000 meals to local communities. Their client roster includes The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spielberg's The Post, Emmy-winner The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. Earth Angel is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Atlanta.
On this episode, EOB lets me in on how her journey began in this movement, as a NYU student focusing on film producing, to landing her first gig as a sustainability steward on set. We learn about how the name "Earth Angel" came to be, what the challenges and highlights of leading sustainability on set are and how the pandemic affected environmental sustainability initiatives. This episode is full of inspiring stories, laughs and lessons.
Check out Earth Angel's IntroVideo!
Visit Earth Angel's website to learn more about their services on reducing waste in the motion picture industry.
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Yours sustainably,
THE SUSTAINABLE ACT
WITH SMIELY KHURANA