Storytelling for a sustainable future: inside The Decarbonisation Dialogue podcast
In episode 44 of The Decarbonisation Dialogue, we talk to Morgan Cartlidge and Oliver Couch of Here, Now Films discuss how filmmaking can drive climate awareness, balance purpose with profit and reshape the industry’s environmental impact
In our latest podcast, The Decarbonisation Dialogue, episode 44, we speak with Morgan Cartlidge and Oliver Couch of Here, Now Films about the film industry’s role in addressing climate change - and how storytelling can help drive meaningful environmental action.
Founded in 2016 by Ed Smit and Oliver Crouch, Here, Now Films was built on a clear mission: to bring the level of craft typically reserved for high-end TV advertising to a wider audience, while focusing on stories that matter. Today, the company is known for its human-first documentaries exploring urgent environmental and social issues, with the aim of inspiring a more sustainable and biodiverse future.
Oliver co-founder and creative director, leads the creative development of every project, from initial concept through to final delivery, ensuring each film achieves both technical excellence and emotional impact.
“We started like anyone else,” Oliver says. “We were putting work out there and trying to connect with companies we wanted to work with. What really helped us stand out was donating our time to charities.
“One of our first projects was with a sustainable fishing initiative, and that led to more work with organisations around the world.”
Purpose-driven
That early focus helped define the company’s purpose but also highlighted a key challenge: how to sustain meaningful storytelling financially. The answer came through balancing purpose-driven projects with commercial work, enabling the team to continue telling important stories.
Oliver’s route into filmmaking began in fine art, but he found the medium lacked accessibility. “I needed something more tangible, something that connected with people more directly and film became that medium.”
Morgan, head of production and partner, brings a strong storytelling background rooted in journalism. “I always thought I’d be a journalist,” he says. “I studied English and then picked up photography at university. That’s where visual storytelling and narrative started to come together.”
Working on film sets alongside her studies, Morgan gradually took on more responsibility before moving fully into production. “One day I realised I was a film producer; it’s the perfect blend of image-making and storytelling.”
A key theme of the podcast is the role filmmaking plays in shaping public understanding of climate change. For both Morgan and Oliver, accessibility and emotional connection are essential.
“One of the most important roles of filmmaking is accessibility,” Oliver says. “Environmental conversations can become quite insular. Our role is to broaden those messages and reach new audiences.”
One of the most important roles of filmmaking is accessibility.
Environmental conversations can become quite insular. Our role is to broaden those messages and reach new audiences.
Connecting on an emotional level
Morgan adds that film offers a unique opportunity to connect people with complex global issues on a personal and emotional level. “When people only see grief and disaster, it’s easy to switch off.
“We try to tell stories that people can connect with, stories where they can see themselves. That’s how you make these issues feel relevant.”
While their films promote sustainability, the team is equally aware of the environmental impact of production. However, implementing sustainable practices can be challenging, particularly for smaller companies.
“There are industry tools designed to help large productions reduce their carbon footprint,” Morgan says. “But they’re not always accessible to smaller teams, so we focus on making conscious decisions where we can.”
These include working with local crews to reduce travel, minimising unnecessary equipment upgrades, avoiding single-use plastics on set, and sourcing second-hand materials where possible.
Morgan says: “We can’t avoid travel entirely, but we try to reduce our impact by being intentional, like sending smaller teams or collaborating with people on the ground.”
Prioritising impact
Balancing commercial viability with meaningful storytelling remains an ongoing challenge. “Often, the organisations with the biggest budgets aren’t telling the stories we think are most important,” Oliver says. “So, we’ve built a model where commercial work supports the projects, we really believe in.”
This approach allows the company to take on independent projects, such as a documentary in Portugal exploring monoculture forestry and its link to wildfires, work that was self-funded but ultimately created wider opportunities.
Looking ahead, both Morgan and Oliver are focused on building a sustainable business that continues to prioritise impact.
Oliver is keen to emphasise the value of the visual medium and that people should not feel they need a scientific background to tell the climate story.
“Our goal is to create a strong company that allows us to keep telling important environmental and social stories,” Morgan says.
Oliver adds: “We’d love to work more closely with major brands and agencies to show the value of environmental storytelling, not just creatively, but commercially too.”
The Decarbonisation Dialogue
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