The magic of storytelling: Jess Hines on reimagining our future through film and climate action

Entrepreneur and creative pioneer Jess Hines talks to us in our latest podcast, The Decarbonisation Dialogue about what it’s like working with former US senator John Kerry and why there’s no one perfect way to tell a story

Entrepreneur and creative pioneer Jess Hines talks to us in our latest podcast, The Decarbonisation Dialogue, about what it’s like working with former United States senator and climate champion John Kerry and the power of stories.

In episode 23 of The Decarbonisation Dialogue, Jess talks about the magic of storytelling and how it can shape the way we understand what is happening to our planet. 

Jess is a co-founder of Fingerprint Content and describes her own remarkable career as a “series of happy accidents.” She believes stories are not just entertainment - they are one of the most powerful tools we have to inspire change.

Growing up in Cornwall in the 1970s and 80s, Jess was surrounded by stories – and landscape.

Her father, a poet and musician, filled her childhood with tales, including those about the fairies at the bottom of the garden. It was here, she says, that she first discovered how naturally storytelling came to her.

Today, Jess is a pioneer in film, television, and climate campaigning. 

With more than two decades of experience across the British, American, and Indian film industries, she has helped shape globally recognised titles and collaborated with some of the most influential cultural figures of our time.

At Fingerprint, Jess works alongside creative teams around the world to produce popular content for diverse audiences. 

The company was founded in 2020 with a clear and urgent mission: to spark change in the way social issues are portrayed on screen. Through film and television, Jess and her collaborators explore inequality, race and gender, the influence of big business, and most of all - climate change.

Jess said: “The joy of allowing people to find their own way to these stories is that they discover an emotional truth that resonates with who they are. That is the real power of storytelling. It is not about saying, ‘you must do this.’ It is about finding your own way forward.”

Fingerprint’s projects reflect this ambition.

The company has worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver, developed an eco-crime thriller written by Piyush Gupta, and created an anthology series on the architects of denialism. It has also championed female-led projects, including a bold feature film set on Corfu.

Working with former senator John Kerry, who served as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State and later as President Joe Biden’s Special Envoy for Climate, has been another highlight. 

He’s a co-founder of Fingerprint who Jess describes as “an exceptional communicator, an orator” who deeply understands the power of storytelling.

“Tell stories to show how things could be,” Jess says. “As humans, everything we do comes from stories. From racism to rockets, it all begins with the stories we tell ourselves and the ones that are told to us. 

“That is where the real power lies. The small, quiet stories we share can take apart empires, topple tyrants, and change the course of history.”

But telling the climate story is not easy. In our podcast Jess quotes poet T.S. Eliot, who once wrote: “Mankind cannot bear too much reality.” It is this tension between the urgency of climate change and the limits of human attention that drives her to experiment with formats and approaches.

“There is no one story that is going to be the perfect story,” Jess explains. “You need to tell the same message in different ways, many times, before you start to create real change.”

This year has brought personal challenges.

Jess and Fingerprint lost a dear friend and co-founder, Melanie Dicks, after a long illness. It’s clear that Melanie’s creativity, brilliance, and passion left a deep mark Jess and the team.

As well as Fingerprint, Melanie had co-founded Greenshoot in 2010 - the first sustainability consultancy of its kind for the screen industries. It worked with more than 500 content projects in reducing their environmental footprint - saving both carbon and cost. The award-winning producer also authored international white papers on the topic and represented the UK at major film festivals as a recognised expert on environmental sustainability and the arts. The story goes on. 

Even in the face of this loss, Jess is determined to keep the magic alive. Fingerprint is growing and Jess is determined to continue the work.

And with her curious mind and keenness to grow her own powers - Jess is undergoing a master’s degree at the University of East Anglia. She continues to focus on what she believes matters most - using the magic of storytelling to reimagine our future and inspire transformation.

The ancient tradition of storytelling continues to thrive.