The Tie-In

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark speak with Alan Lacy, chief filmmaker and founder of Reel Earth Films, about his latest film, a Jackson Wild 2025 Media Award Finalist: Burrowing Owls: A Love Story. In this episode Alan shares behind the scenes details on the production and filming of Burrowing Owls, the film’s collaboration with The Global Owl Project to actively participate in conservati...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Mark is on The Playa talking to the innovators who are using the extreme environment of Burning Man as the proving grounds for portable, replicable, user-friendly renewable energy microgrids. Meet some of Burning Man's renewable energy pioneers and learn about the infrastructure they are creating to help meet The Burning Man Project’s 2030 goals set out in their Net Zero...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark reflect on their second season. Season 2 included nearly 50 interviews! Join Zena and Mark as they look back on what they've done this year and share the lessons they've learned from their guests. Please like & follow “The Tie-In” here: @the_tie_in_pod You can learn more about our hosts, Zena Harris and Mark Rabin & connect with them here: Zena Harr...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark talk with CJ Jerard, Chief Brand Officer at Outside, and Jonah Geschwind, CEO of Green Disco, about planning and production of Outside Days, Denver, Colorado’s 3-day festival that brings family and friends outside to enjoy music, ideas, film, and experiences. Outside Days has aspired to become the most sustainable festival in the country, tune in to get the...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark speak with Larry Engel, a Daytime Emmy® award-winning filmmaker and the director of the Film and Media Arts division in the School of Communication at American University .   Larry co-authored the first Code of Best Practices in Sustainable Filmmaking in 2009 and is currently an associate director of the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, where he di...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are changing things up, we have two interviews on this episode. Tony Linan from Texas and Isaiah Smith from Louisiana share their point of view from their distinct regions, communities, and niches in entertainment..  Tony, a former military filmographer, has moved into documenting power sports and has insight on what it would take for electric motorcyc...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark talk with Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Founder and Executive Director of Sacred Earth Solar and co-founder of Indigenous Climate Actions. Melina shares with us her journey into climate activism; why she started an organization dedicated to supporting self-sufficiency and a just renewable energy transition for Indigenous communities; insights from her 2020 serie...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark talk with Samuel Rubin, a social impact practitioner and climate activist working at the intersection of culture, storytelling, and environmental advocacy.  Samuel, Zena, and Mark explore the language of change, the inertia of emotion, how to avoid the greenhouse effect of ideas, and why culture shapes action. Learn more about Samuel Rubin Website: htt...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark talk with Adam Rowe (Production Designer) and Joe Madziak (Construction Coordinator) about how they worked together in Canada and the U.S. to reuse sets on Good Sam (2022), Glamourous (2023), and Matlock (2024-current).  Adam and Joe share practical knowledge, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and share the obvious and surprising positives of working with s...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark talk with Aaron Laslo, founder of Can-Do! Green Technologies, an urban lumberjack and CEO of UrbanJacks. UrbanJacks is a Vancouver, Canada-based startup growing in Vancouver and expanding to Ontario and California markets. UrbanJacks processes secondary solid wood waste and transforms it into recycled, premium lumber.  We talk carbon credits, the circu...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark have a conversation with Climate Action Now’s Founder and CEO Brett Walter and President Tim Guinee. Brett is an award-winning software designer and former Silicon Valley executive. Tim is a climate campaigner and an actor whose voice and face you’ll likely recognize from his 30+ year acting career. On this episode, we learn more about the Climate Action No...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark chat with Award-winning filmmaker Valerie Weiss. Valerie has directed for some of televisions biggest producers all while looking to incorporate her sustainable values into the day to day work of a director.  On this episode we discuss Valerie’s journey from her early interest in storytelling, her years in science that culminated in receiving a Ph. D....

And the 2025 Jackson Wild Award for Innovation in Green Production goes to…Shared Planet!  This week, Zena and Mark catch up with the production team from Shared Planet: Armen Evrensel, Production Manager for River Road Films; Matt Muncaster, Production Coordinator; and Lynn Fuhr,  Line Producer.  Shared Planet is a natural history series centered on coexistence and environmental re...

This week, Zena and Mark catch up with Tony Lee, the Producer and Director of P-22: The Legacy Lives On, a finalist of the 2025 Jackson Wild Innovation in Green Production Award!  This is a lovely conversation about the film and the iconic story of Los Angeles’ iconic mountain lion, as well as sustainable practices that touch on the co-existence of nature, urban life, and community.  We...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are talking with Leena Manro.  Leena is on a purpose-driven journey that embodies body, mind, and soul.  Co-Founder of All Purpose, an award-winning B Corp-certified creative agency, she works in spaces and with companies that are “doing good” in the world. In this episode, we explore how we approach our life and work, and ways to create a positiv...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are joined by Jack Cooper Stimpson. Jack is an award-winning writer, director, and environmental campaigner. Jack directed the short Spirit of Place, which was the first film to ever use the Green Rider. On this episode, we explore finding humor in climate stories, how to implement the Green Rider in filmmaking, and the success of Spirit of Place on the fes...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are talking with Nat Boltt, Director (Holy Days), Writer (Holy Days), and Actress (Riverdale). An ambassador for the Sustainable Production Forum, Nat is passionate about sustainable production. On this episode we talk to Nat about sustainability on her first feature film Holy Days, discuss the state of sustainable production, and challenge each other to co...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are talking with powerhouse Catherine Warren, Founder and President of FanTrust. Catherine is deep in the digital engagement revolution. We dive into digital engagement, AI, and where digital media is headed.  Website: www.fantrust.com   LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ceowarren Please like & follow “The Tie-In” here: @the_tie_in_pod You can lea...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark are taking a look at the nature we’re striving to protect in our own way with a hands-on explorer and educator, the Zoologist Andy Johnston (@andyjohnston.wildlife). His enthusiasm and knowledge about the marvelous creatures we share our wild backyard with has engaged the viewing public of New Zealand and his fans online. We learned a lot about what kind of...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark learn about electrical services, lighting design, and so much more from Carly Steiman (@ladyelectric_)! Carly has specialized in design, installations, consulting, and so much more for two decades. She brings a positive, can-do attitude to everything she does, and we hope listening to her words inspires you as much as it inspired us! The latest scoop about...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark take a look inside the sustainable costume closet with Jillian Clark, the Founder and CEO of Roboro, an organization doing their best to keep textiles out of landfills. You’ll hear about her fascinating career, as well as her many anecdotes about why she’s so proud of her “emotional industry” in LA. Her story is inspiring to creatives who are trying to find...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark explore waste management with the Founder of Rethink Resource (@rethink.resource), Shane Harker. Waste management seems to be at its best when the people working in that industry champion forward-thinking and data-led ideas and transparent processes. That’s one of the many reasons we so enjoyed our conversation with Shane. There is a lot to learn about wast...

This week on “The Tie-In,” Zena and Mark sit down with Sabrina Torres, the Founder of The Great Film Club (@thegreatfilmclub), to discuss how screening events can bring artists together! Their annual festival is coming up August 22 and runs through August 24. It’s free to submit, and Sabrina’s team prioritizes showcasing the work of filmmakers who are trying to find their audience. This is a great...

Thanks so much for being fans of “The Tie-In!” We look forward to releasing another full episode on Tuesday, but for now, we wanted to wish you a happy and healthy summer!  Please like & follow “The Tie-In” here: @the_tie_in_pod You can learn more about our hosts, Zena Harris and Mark Rabin & connect with them here: Zena Harris on LinkedIn Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

This week on The Tie-In, it’s a joy to bring you our discussion on digital opportunity with Mo Dhaliwal, the CEO and Founder of Skyrocket Digitial. A software engineer turned marketer, Mo is also the esteemed host of The High Agency Podcast (@highagencypod), which Mark had the pleasure of being on recently. On this podcast, we talk about how visionaries championing cultural change can create socia...