2015 Annual Report

2 0 1 5 A N N UA L R E P O R T

USING VIDEO AS

A CATALYST

FOR ACTION CMG’s mission is to support filmmakers, activists and organizations who are leading the way toward healthy oceans and renewable energy solutions. We build capacity and connections so these leaders can create compelling call-to-action campaigns with measurable impacts.

MAKE

SHARE

CHANGE

We help changemakers create videos with engaging storylines and innovative platforms.

We help changemakers utilize best practices for more effective viewer-centric distribution.

We help changemakers develop strategies to obtain significant and measurable results.

From Our Founder 2015 is CMG’s first substantive year. We saw some immediate successes and we eagerly await the flow of more results, as they arrive in the first and second quarters of 2016. CMG has been driven hard and well, under the very able operational leadership of Liz Smith, our Chief of Operations.

From the new projects launched and described in this report, I expect some successes, and also a few failures. This is how it should be, when exploring new waters.

New waters. In 1989, I was working for a small film company in Massachusetts and fielded an unexpected telephone call from a man who wanted to paddle his sea kayak along the same migratory route that the flightless Great Auk once paddled.

Could we film the voyage? The resulting story of a wonderfully quirky paddler and an ill-fated bird showed me and many others how seabirds serve as indicators of a changing ocean. When seabird populations are healthy, the sea is healthy.

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Since then, the sea’s health has been challenged.

I’ve witnessed the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the overfished cod and lobster fisheries, and the very challenged coral reefs. In the course of making dozens of observational episodes in our series Sunrise Earth for Discovery Communications, I’ve seen more and more plastic stuff wash up on the beaches. In 2009, while filming the climate change conference in Copenhagen, I heard the early reports of ocean acidification. People burn fossil fuels. The ocean responds.

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On June 9th of this past year, the seabird indicator returned to mind. The biologist Daniel Pauly (one of my heroes!) and his group at the University of British Columbia compiled data from research sites around the world—an impressive 3,213 breeding populations comprising 324 species in all. They looked at seabird population changes between 1950 and 2010. Not surprisingly, they’ve gone down over that time. The causes include overfishing of food sources, pollution, disturbance, development, introduced species, energy production, and a changing climate. But I was shocked to learn the extent of the fall. World-wide seabird populations had declined 69.6 percent over those 55 years! Where once there were three birds, now there is only one. As a filmmaker, I aim to support a persistent ocean, an ocean that is productive and resilient.

I also want to support the adoption of renewable energy, because this underlying solution will help the oceans (and the rest of the planet) enormously. But as the seabirds indicate, there is a lot of work to do. We need more filmmakers, making effective and efficient films with measurable impact.

That’s where CMG comes in. CMG’s work is targeted towards the discovery and support of production capacity for others. We are not making films ourselves. We’re supporting talented and emerging filmmakers as they make innovative and eye-catching media. We’re sharing best-practice guidelines so that their media is positioned with like-minded activist organizations and shared widely. As people turn towards their screens, small and large, we want to make sure that they see paths and momentum for healthy oceans and renewable energy solutions. On every screen they see! And then, most importantly, we want to look beyond the screens to see and measure healthy changes in the ocean itself, and positive growth in successful renewable energy solutions. Ultimately, those are the high ratings we seek and believe matter most.

I am very grateful for the work of CMG Chief Liz Smith this year, as well as for the growing number of others mentioned in this report who are joining the effort. The seed funding from the Lewis Family Foundation has been an absolutely essential pillar of strength and support in these early times, both moral and financial. Looking to 2016, we will be refining and expanding our Catalyst Workshop and Action Grant models, with the goal of convening four weeks of workshops at the new Alnoba center in New Hampshire in the fall. We will continue our Filmmaker-in-Residence program and our CMG Fellowship program. We will also launch our Feature Focus Fund for long format productions. In the skunk-works R&D department, we are exploring a New Platforms initiative with user-generated-content. There’s lots to do. Onward!

Signed,

David Conover Founder & Director Conservation Media Group

PROGRAM IMPACT

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CMG PROGRAM IMPACT

CMG Program Awards Total number of projects: 13 Total direct awards given: $130,645

IMPACT ON HEALTHY OCEANS & RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITYENERGY BUILT

CMG Blue Initiative (page 18) Community-Managed Marine Protected Area in Gokova Bay, Turkey 2 local films distributed 400% increase in demand for invasive species 20% increase in market value of invasive fish 100+ fisherwomen’s lives improved +1 working waterfront engaged in removing invasive species & protecting their bay

#StickWindHere Windustry (page 12) Minneapolis, Minnesota USA $9,950 1 web video distributed ENERGY Hallowell & Hurricane Island Foundation 1,600+ petition signatures for aSam National Community Wind Partnership Off-Shore, Off-Line, Off-the-Grid Hurricane Island, Maine USA 1,000s engaged at 5+ national $9,500 wind energy events +attention of Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar to the proposed ENERGY Shalini Kantayya Suncatcher partnership Brooklyn, NY USA $10,000a wind energy advocate +video capacity built at Windustry,

Northern Pass Campaign (ongoing from 2014) (page 20) Communications collaboration built among three major New Hampshire environmental activist groups 4 web videos distributed 13,500+ views combined 8,000+ petition signatures New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan takes stronger stand against early proposals of the transmission line with evidence of broad citizen disapproval via the petition +1 long-term collaboration built between a filmmaker & conservation organization (page 15) SeaGrass Grow (page 13) 2 web videos distributed $68,500 raised in blue carbon offsets 30,000 square meters of seagrass planted in Elkhorn Slough, CA (Trial run as of Dec 2015, more to come!)

Bloom Campaign to Ban Bottom Trawling (ongoing from 2014) 1 web video distributed in 6 languages 4,500+ views 15,300+ petition signatures European Union (EU) Fisheries Council agrees in November 2015 to support measures to prohibit bottom trawling below 800 meters in EU waters in the northeast Atlantic

Lisa Daniels & Windustry

ENERGY Michelle Benham Faith In Solar Durham, NC USA $8,000

COMMUNITY & NETWORKS INCREASED OCEANS & ENERGY Jarrod Curry & The Ocean Foundation

One Blade of(page Grass Rhode Island Stormwater Campaign 21) Washington, DC USA $7,800 1 web video distributed OCEANS & ENERGY 15,000+ video views Jessica Plumb Protecting the Salish Sea 300+ petition signatures, including 12 conservation organizations Port Townsend, WA USA $5,000 100+ local state, county & city representatives engaged OCEANS Razan state Ghalayini resolution passed 1 World Oceans Day Rhode Island Pick It Up! Brooklyn, NY USA

Catalyst Workshops (page 6) $6,000 OCEANS 2 workshops Sally Snow & The Large Marine Vertebrates Project Philippines My Future is Your Future 23 filmmakers, strategists & activists Barangay Tejero, Bohol Philippines $10,000 9 conservation organizations OCEANS Noé Sardet & Tierney Thys 7 ocean & energy projects catalyzed The Plastic Vagabond Quebec Canada 10+ resulting videos for action Montreal, created $10,000 ∞ connections built between organizations & filmmakers: OCEANS Zafer Kizilkaya & Mediterranean Conservation Society 2015 Blue Initiative Sailors for the Sea requests Ayla Fox as a CMG Fellow (page 17) Izmir, Turkey Mediterranean Conservation$30,000 Society hires Ingrid Pfau for ENERGY Blue Initiative (page 19) Elicia Epstein The Pass Project Windustry hires Jordan Fein Concord, for Action NH USA Grant (page 8) $10,000 Hurricane Island Foundation hires Jay Sia & Elicia Epstein OCEANS Conover for Action Grant (page 8) Eleanor Aleutians West Aleutian Islands, AK USA CMG hires Lauren Reid on Islands & Climate Workshop $4,395 Michelle Heller hired full timeOCEANS

by The Ocean Foundation (page 9) Ayla Fox & Sailors for the Sea CMG Fellowship Newport, RI USA $10,000

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Eleanor Conover Aleutians West Jessica Plumb Protecting the Salish Sea Windustry #StickWindHere

Elicia Epstein The Pass Project

Hurricane Island Foundation Off-Shore, Off-Line, Off-the-Grid Ayla Fox & Sailors for the Sea, CMG Fellowship Razan Ghalayini & Shalini Kantayya Suncatcher Pick It Up! The Ocean Foundation One Blade of Grass

Michelle Benham Faith In Solar

NoĂŠ Sardet & Tierney Thys The Plastic Vagabond

Mediterranean Conservation Society 2015 Blue Initiative

Sally Snow My Future is Your Future

Awards By Location

Awards By Program Area

Awards By Focus Area

Action Grants

US Recipients

Healthy Oceans

Awarded: $76,250

Awarded: $80,645

Awarded: $70,395

Number of Grants: 9

Number of Grants: 10

Number of Grants: 6

Blue Initiative

International Recipients

Renewable Energy Solutions

Awarded: $50,000

Awarded: $37,950

8%

Awarded: $30,000 Number of Grants: 1 Filmmaker-in-Residence Awarded: $14,395 Number of Grants: 2 CMG Fellow Awarded: $10,000 Number of Grants: 1

11%

58%

Number of Grants: 3

17%

Number of Grants: 4

38%

Healthy Oceans &

23%

Renewable Energy Solutions

62%

54%

Awarded: $22,300 Number of Grants: 3

29%

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CATALYST WORKSHOPS Our Catalyst Workshops bring together filmmakers, social media managers, campaign strategists, and conservation activists for an intensive 5-day collaborative retreat. Engaged mediamakers are paired with conservation organizations to develop videos and strategies for existing campaigns with a focus on catalyzing real, measurable impact. With just 10-15 participants, each workshop is a unique capacity building and networking experience that acts as an incubator for driving change.

The workshops take place at Alnoba in Kensington, New Hampshire, an hour’s drive north of Boston. Participants stay in on-site cabins and share meals while focusing on conservation, video and impact. CMG also considers workshop participants for future grants, residencies, and fellowships.

Our CMG Workshops are made possible with generous support from the Lewis Family at Alnoba.

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Foundation, providing us with direct program funding and in-kind use of the grounds & facilities

The workshop has helped me embrace a new way of seeing my work.

—Lisa Daniels, Executive Director of Windustry

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Over the course of two weeks, CMG

helped

incubate 9 projects for 8 conservation organizations, with 23 workshop participants and a wide range of speakers and staff. Also in attendance were our first CMG Filmmakersin-Residence. Partner organizations included those who are working in ocean conservation, renewable energy and sustainability education.

Participants included: • A Climate Fellow from the Sustainability Institute at the University of New Hampshire; • A conservation graduate student and an underwater cinematographer from Scripps Institution of Oceanography; • Producers from National Geographic and PBS; • Filmmakers from New York, San Francisco, Alabama, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Washington, DC; and • Three international participants, including a journalist from the UK, a filmmaker from China, and a marine conservation director from Turkey.

An experienced group of guest speakers attended both in person and via Skype, including a frequent cinematographer with the BBC, a professional video editor, multiple guests from funders and foundations, online strategy experts from Greenpeace and 350.org, and the Research and Strategy Director from Impact Media Funders.

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The individual connections I made at the workshop were invaluable as well as the lessons and introductions to many of the foundations and organizations out there doing similar work. VERY useful and practical workshop—I LOVED it.

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—Cynthia Matzke, Documentary Producer and Professor at UCSD/Sally Ride Foundation

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The Workshop has caused us to consider video production and elements much more in the brainstorming and production of future campaigns. The attendees were also a great group—I ended up hiring one of our workshop team members for a full-time position at our foundation.

—Jarrod Curry, Marketing and Operations Manager at The Ocean Foundation

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—Sam Hallowell, Director of Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership

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The workshop helped me and our organization become better informed about the use of film and media as a tool for action. It has motivated and encouraged us to enhance our use of film as a marketing, promotional and educational tool. The workshop also gave me a better understanding of how to work with filmmakers and how to navigate the creative process to have an outcome that we are, collectively, satisfied with... I learned a lot about the importance not only of a good video but of the strategy associated with distributing it and measuring the results.

2015 CATALYST CAPSTONE PROJECTS

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ENERGY WORKSHOP JULY 12-18, 2015 Windustry Executive Director Lisa Daniels joined

Women in Solar Energy (WISE) Founder Kristen Nicole joined us with

Hurricane Island Foundation (HIF) Sam Hallowell, Director of HIF’s Center

us from Minnesota-based Windustry, a non-profit focused on empowering communities to develop and own clean energy assets. Her objective was to increase the use of their newly-

the objective of using video to tell WISE’s story and obtain partnership with corporations to support their work to increase diversity in the solar industry. We paired her with Chithra

for Science and Leadership, joined us with the objective to increase summer attendance for their island sustainability programs. We paired Sam with two emerging independent film-

created wind toolkit on their website and begin a conversation with the White House Administration about creating a national Community Wind Energy Partnership. With the help of filmmaker Jordan Fein and Climate Fellow Ravdeep Jaidka, from the University of New Hampshire Sustainability Institute, the team developed the #StickWindHere campaign and video, which we then funded through an Action Grant.

Jeyaram, an independent filmmaker from Washington, DC, and Hina Pandya, a freelance journalist from London. The team created a short film showing women as solar industry workers and as consumers of solar energy. A second version of the film was also created to share via WISE’s social networks as a recruiting tool.

makers: Jay Sia from Tennessee and Rita Liao from China. Together, they developed the Off-shore, Off-line, Off-the-grid video series aimed at engaging teachers, parents and students to explore the center’s programs on their website and sign up for their mailing list. CMG then provided an Action Grant for the team to complete the films.

THE CATALYST CAPSTONE The Capstone Project is a practical, project-based learning assignment that challenges organizations and filmmakers to push their projects further. Each Capstone begins with ocean health or renewable energy objectives set by each organization and ends with a 30—90 second concept video with a call-to-action.

Capstone groups also develop strategic plans for campaigns, with a focus on distribution, outreach and engagement. Every project includes key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of the video and campaign. Through this process organizations and filmmakers develop deeper working relationships that extend beyond the workshop week.

OCEANS WORKSHOP JULY 5-11, 2015 The Ocean Foundation (TOF) Marketing and Operations Manager

National Marine Sanctuaries Producer Steve Ellzey, from Monterey

Sailors for the Sea Social Impact Director Hilary Kotoun’s

Mediterranean Conservation Society Zafer Kizilkaya, our 2015 Blue Initiative

Jarrod Curry joined us from Washington, DC with the objective of increasing the use of their SeaGrass Grow online carbon calculator and purchases of blue carbon offsets. He

Bay National Marine Sanctuary, was paired up with Cynthia Matzke, an underwater cinematographer and lecturer at UCSD/Scripps, and Alexa Elliot, the Series Producer for PBS’s

objective for Sailors for the Sea was to increase the number of sailors to sign their No Trash, No Trail, No Trace Pledge.

Their Capstone Project goal is to reach 300,000 views with their first 3 videos

grantee, joined us from Turkey and was paired with a filmmaker and social media strategist to work on a campaign to increase invasive fish consumption as part of a community-

worked with filmmaker Kristin Tieche and Scripps alum, Michelle Heller, who was, as a result of the workshop, hired on full-time by The Ocean Foundation as a Program Associate. So far, the videos helped to raise $68,500 in pledged blue carbon offsets and will result in 30,000 square meters of seagrass planted.

Changing Seas. This Capstone team developed a stunning visual journey which was then used to catalyze potential partnerships between diving manufacturers, the National Marine Sanctuaries Foundation, and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

with an average pledge rate of 2% and a goal of 6,000 total pledges. Hilary was paired with National Geographic producer Hilary Hudson and Rhode Island filmmaker Ayla Fox. Ayla is now working as a CMG Fellow with Sailors for the Sea, where she is developing strategy, creative direction, and more videos for their pledge project.

managed Marine Protected Area.

Zafer continued to work with filmmaker Ingrid Pfau on the film, which has now been screened with much success in Turkey. The team’s social strategist, Lauren Reid, has since been hired by CMG as a project researcher.

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ACTION GRANTS CMG distributes a limited number of $5,000–$10,000 Action Grants to organizations and individuals to help catalyze and support projects and campaigns that use video to create measurable action in ocean health or sustainable energy. CMG seeks filmmakers, activists and organizations of all ages and experience levels as potential grantees. Many of these grants include a matching grant from an organization connected to the grantee’s campaign. Included in the Action Grant is funding for the proposed production, postproduction, distribution and impact measurement. Proposals may seek to create action locally, nationally, or internationally and may be based anywhere in the world.

—Michelle Benham, 2015 Action Grant recipient

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The Action Grant from CMG helped shine a light on how faith communities are at the forefront of the solar energy transition in North Carolina. I am grateful for this opportunity that has helped illustrate how we can create change by working together, standing up to powerful interests and claiming clean and renewable sources for our energy future in North Carolina and beyond.

SHALINI KANTAYYA

SALLY SNOW

Shalini Kantayya’s Suncatcher videos extend the strength and reach of her feature length film Chasing the

Sally Snow’s My Future Is Your Future video series aims

Sun. They will show local communities how solar energy has become affordable and efficient, while engaging the workforce in accessing the tools and training needed to bring solar energy to their neighborhoods. The broader Suncatcher National Screening Tour includes partners

ecotourism in the Philippines. In 2016 the Depart-

such as Sierra Club, 350.org, and the NAACP. Shalini was a CMG pitch finalist at the Camden International Film Festival.

change perspectives about the new law and inspire

Suncatcher $10,000

My Future Is Your Future $10,000 to engage key stakeholders in a new era of responsible ments of Tourism, Agriculture, and Environment & Natural Resources will put forward the Joint Administrative Order for the Guidelines on Marine Wildlife Tourism Interaction in the Philippines. Sally will use the films to respect in an industry that is at a crucial time in its development. Sally is the Media Director for the Large Marine Vertebrate Research Institute Philippines and was a CMG pitch finalist at the Jackson Hole Wildlife

NOE SARDET AND TIERNEY THYS The Plastic Vagabond $10,000

Noé Sardet and Tierney Thys’ The Plastic Vagabond aims to mobilize local community efforts to curb plastic ocean pollution while creating an international momentum toward reducing our plastic footprint. Their short film will educate viewers on the longevity of plastic in the ocean and its direct impact on ocean health, while urging individuals to keep trash out of the water. The project will also call people to participate in beach trash collection and art creation events around the world. Noé and Tierney were CMG pitch finalists at the Camden International Film Festival.

Film Festival.

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ACTION GRANTS

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WINDUSTRY

HURRICANE ISLAND FOUNDATION

MICHELLE BENHAM

#StickWindHere $9,950

Off-shore, Off-line, Off-the-grid $9,500

Faith in Solar $8,000

Windustry’s #stickwindhere video campaign brings the wind industry into everyday communities and demonstrates how it is already being used by individuals and local businesses. Lisa Daniels and

HIF’s video series, Off-shore, Off-line, Off-the-grid, aims to remind parents, teachers and students of the benefits of unplugging from our busy lives and the continuing importance of exploration and learning.

Michelle Benham’s Faith in Solar project aims to mobilize faith-based communities in North Carolina to fight for their right to freely utilize solar energy. The video is being used in partnership with nonprofit NC

her team are using the video to garner support These videos will be used in conjunction with an Warn to urge individuals to contact North Carolina for a petition encouraging the White House Administration to create a National Community Wind Partnership to scale up wind access and cut energy bills in communities across America. Lisa Daniels

enrollment campaign to highlight the unique summer sustainability programs available to students through the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership. HIF’s Sam Hallowell attended our 2015

Attorney General Roy Cooper to ask that he open an investigation into whether power company Duke Energy is guilty of violating their public charter by limiting consumer choice. Michelle was a CMG pitch

and Windustry attended our 2015 Energy Catalyst Energy Catalyst Workshop, where this campaign finalist at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

Workshop, where this campaign was developed. was developed.

SEAGRASS GROW

RAZAN GHALAYINI

JESSICA PLUMB

One Blade of Grass $7,800

Pick It Up! $6,000

Protecting the Salish Sea $5,000

The Ocean Foundation’s SeaGrass Grow program utilizes blue carbon offsets to combat ocean acidification, as well as to restore ocean habitat and support the local communities that depend on ocean

Razan Ghalayini’s Pick It Up! video project aims to encourage people to join the Ocean Conservancy’s Coastal Cleanup Initiative. The video will use humor, via Brooklyn-based comedian Jo Firestone, to highlight

Jessica Plumb’s Protecting the Salish Sea project engages local stakeholders in developing a special designation for this shared international body of water, which runs between the U.S. and Canada near

health. Their One Blade of Grass videos will be used

the importance of keeping our coasts clean, celebrate

Seattle, Washington. This “Particularly Sensitive

to promote their new blue carbon offset program and online carbon calculator. The Ocean Foundation’s Jarrod Curry attended our 2015 Energy Catalyst Workshop, where this campaign for the SeaGrass

those who already work toward that goal, and engage a new demographic in healthy oceans. Razan was a CMG pitch finalist at the Camden International Film Festival.

Sea Area” (PSSA) designation would begin to limit the shipment of fossil fuels and mitigate potential oil spills. Jessica’s video will be used in partnership with conservation advocate Friends of the San Juans as

Grow program was developed.

they travel around the region and engage supporters.

Jessica was a CMG pitch finalist at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.

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FILMMAKER-IN-RESIDENCE CMG selects emerging or established conservation communicators as Filmmakers-inResidence (FIRs) to receive funding to complete work from start to finish on a video-based project with a focus on ocean health or renewable energy solutions. Funding amounts range from $5,000 to $15,000 per resident and FIRs receive residence at one of our annual 5-day Catalyst Workshops. They also may be offered up to 2 weeks in residence at our CMG offices in Camden, Maine. The residency includes in-kind funding in the form of borrowed equipment, staff mentorship time, and room-and-board, as well as a resident honorarium for the length of the appointment.

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This was easily the most challenging, significant, and growth-filled project, I have done to date.

—Elicia Epstein, 2015 Filmmaker-In-Residence

ELICIA EPSTEIN spent the summer of 2015 documenting stories along the path of the proposed 192-mile long Northern Pass transmission line in New Hampshire. She traveled by foot, by bicycle and by car, interviewing locals and activists along the way. Her portrayal of the issues at hand offers a deeply personal account of how residents’ lives would be affected

ELICIA EPSTEIN

Tracing the Pass

FIR Amount: $10,000

should the 1,090 megawatt Northern Pass be built by Canadian power giant, Hydro-Québec.

Originally from Massachusetts, Elicia grew up hiking in the New Hampshire mountains and working summers with the Appalachian Mountain Club, where her interest in the area took root. As she was finishing her degree in Studio Art and Media Studies at Pomona College, she began development on her Filmmaker-in-Residence project. She joined CMG for two weeks in June at our Camden offices for in-house pre-production work, and then attended our Energy Catalyst Workshop in July, fresh out of the field from filming along the route in New Hampshire. At the workshop, she began building a rough cut of the film while receiving feedback from workshop participants.

In October, Elicia released her finished film, Tracing the Pass, online and held multiple town hall screenings in New Hampshire in partnership with local conservation groups, such as the Forest Society, who are actively opposing the Northern Pass transmission line. Through her residency, Elicia has built a solid relationship with the Forest Society and is continuing her work with them on the issue.

ELEANOR CONOVER

Aleutians West

FIR Amount: $4,395

ELEANOR CONOVER’S Aleutians West is a short documentary that explores marine landscapes in the context of remote marine research in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The film follows renowned Maine marine ecologist Dr. Robert Steneck and community ecologist Dr. Douglas Rasher from the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center as they hope to gain insight into the effects of climate change and the future of the biosphere during their National Science Foundation funded research cruise in July 2014.

A New England native, Eleanor studied History and Literature and Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard. She currently teaches Art and English at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, MA, where she also maintains an active studio practice in painting and drawing. Her work in the arts investigates landscape in the context of human and natural histories and is informed by a commitment to and passion for conservation and the natural world, including islands and the sea. (Eleanor is of no relation to CMG founder David Conover).

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CMG FELLOWS CMG Fellows are funded through a Conservation Media Group stipend with host organizations contributing a combination of matching funds, in kind support and staff time. In addition to allowing video activists to pursue their creative conservation work within an existing organization, the CMG Fellowship Program also increases the capacity of host organizations to communicate their message and to measure conservation impact.

CMG Fellows are typically selected from our yearly group of workshop participants and Action Grant pitch finalists. Fellowships typically run for 3–12 months as part-time or fulltime positions. While the filmmaker or strategist receives the fellowship, host organizations are intrinsically involved in determining, overseeing and reporting on the activities and accomplishments of the CMG Fellow during the fellowship.

—Hilary Kotoun, Social Impact Director at Sailors for the Sea

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We are thrilled to be part of CMG's fellowship program. Our fellow, Ayla Fox, has helped us greatly expand how we think about our audience, for social media, video concepts and growing our brand awareness. We can't wait to launch videos this summer thanks to CMG.

Ayla Fox is

a Rhode Island filmmaker with nearly a decade of experience in

production. She holds a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation Biology and a B.A. in Film Media from the University of Rhode Island, and she is a Coastal Institute Senior Fellow.

Her projects have focused on topics ranging from coastal resilience and climate change to fisheries health and river restoration. Her mission is to craft visual stories about the natural world that weave in our collective instinct to care for the planet that sustains all life.

Ayla (pictured at far right) attended our 2015 Ocean Catalyst Workshop where we paired her with Sailors for the Sea’s Social Impact Director, Hilary Kotoun. Over 5 days, their workshop team developed a video series for Sailors for the Sea’s new No Trash, No Trail, No Trace (NT3) campaign to engage sailors in taking the NT3 pledge and in joining the movement to protect the ocean.

Following the workshop, we provided Ayla with a CMG Fellow stipend for 6 months to support the project and further develop Sailors for the Sea’s video capacity at their request. Ayla is now bringing her experience as a filmmaker, as well as the insight and tools she gained from CMG’s workshop, to the Sailors for the Sea office in Rhode Island. She continues her work on the NT3 video series in addition to helping Sailors for the Sea integrate video for action into their community engagement strategy.

AYLA FOX

Sailors for the Sea

Fellow Award: $10,000

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BLUE INITIATIVE PROGRAM CMG’s Blue Initiative Program identifies unique marine conservation organizations for capacity-building video initiatives. The program’s focus is on small to midsized organizations doing work on the ground to engage local communities in conservation efforts, such as fisheries health, plastic pollution, climate change mitigation or adaptation and marine protected areas.

Through the Blue Initiative, CMG provides a $30,000 award to an international organization each year to create a series of short films aimed at engaging local audiences in direct measurable action. This award includes cash funding for video production and distribution as well as in-kind support and guidance. In addition, CMG commissions a short film about the Blue Initiative project to engage world travelers in protecting the places they love to explore.

Funding for the Blue Initiative Program is in partnership with and made possible by a 5-year grant from the Grand Circle Foundation, whose mission is to give back to the places we travel.

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Receiving the Blue Initiative grant allowed my organization to make two films creating action about Marine Protected Areas and local communities.

—Zafer Kizilkaya, Founder of the Mediterranean Conservation Society, 2015 Blue Initiative recipient

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MEDITERRANEAN CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Grant Amount: $30,000

The Mediterranean Conservation Society (AKD) is building and overseeing Turkey’s first community-managed Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Gokova Bay. About a decade ago, the health of these waters was in a rapid decline. Overfishing, illegal fishing and invasive species had deteriorated the marine ecosystem. At least five species of invasive fish arrived from the Indian Ocean due to changes in climate and warming Mediterranean waters. The invasives continue to pose a threat to the food chain, pushing many economically important target species into decline.

AKD’s founder and president, Zafer Kizilkaya, worked to engage the community and a network of no-take fishing zones was established by law in 2010. The local fish species and ecosystem have begun to recover; however, a healthy bay requires ongoing monitoring and enforcement, so AKD has launched innovative programs to engage local government, sport divers, visitors from afar, and a distinctive community of fishermen and fisherwomen.

As part of our Blue Initiative, we brought Zafer to our CMG Catalyst Workshop and paired him with filmmaker Ingrid Pfau and social media strategist Lauren Reid to develop a film to show how invasive fish can be prepared and to encourage their consumption. The film was shown in the fisherwomen’s cooperative fish market and in restaurants at the points of purchase. In conjunction with a summer invasive fish tasting festival and invasive fish recipe cards, the film has had successful impact on the community. Before the campaign, the market could only sell a small amount of their invasive species catch. Since then, the demand for invasive species has increased 400%, and the market price of these fishes has risen at least 20%. With this additional income, the fisherwomen are better positioned to make healthy choices for their families as well as the waters and marine life of Gokova Bay. Zafer is also using the Blue Initiative to produce a video about the fisherwomen, for the fisherwomen, showcasing their work. In Turkey, the profession is facing extinction due to overfishing and the lack of younger women learning the trade. Through the film, these strong and courageous women tell their stories of family hardship, of the volatile fishing economy, and of the exciting promise of recovery that sustainable fishing brings. This second film is already driving an increase in regional interest in AKD’s programs for the training of local fisherwomen.

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PILOT CAMPAIGN: NORTHERN PASS In 2015, CMG continued its involvement with the Bury or Stop the Northern Pass campaign in New Hampshire, a statewide effort to counter the 192-mile long, 1090 megawatt transmission line proposed

by Canadian power giant Hydro-Québec. During 2014 and 2015, CMG collaborated with numerous partners, including the Forest Society, the Appalachian Mountain Club, and Conservation Law Foundation, to produce and distribute four short web videos encouraging direct action on the ground.

The first three videos were viewed more than 12,000 times and shared with more than 80,000 recipients through email, newsletters, Facebook posts, tweets, and other social media. Our campaign petition Maggie Hassan (pictured at right) concrete evidence of statewide support and made it possible for her to stand more strongly against the project. The videos also garnered press coverage and gathered new members for our partners’ ongoing efforts, broadening the constituency.

In April we distributed our final Northern Pass video to citizens in the Concord, New Hampshire area where the local City Council would be taking a position on the controversial line. Tucker’s Turn: Concord received over 1400 views and successfully resulted in viewers taking direct action by calling their City Council members. The video also resulted in local newspaper articles and an NPR radio story, bringing more attention to the project and to the City Council’s pending decision. In October, the Concord City Council’s subcommittee on the Northern Pass announced their unanimous recommendation that the transmission line be buried underground along the route through Concord, following overwhelming opposition and input from local residents.

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The Forest Society has been pleased to work with CMG on Northern Pass. Our partnership with CMG has advanced our cause while advancing our own competency and capacity in using video in our advocacy.

—Jack Savage, Vice President of Communications and Outreach, The Forest Society

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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

gathered more than 8,000 signatures against Northern Pass, which gave New Hampshire Governor

23

PILOT CAMPAIGN: RHODE ISLAND STORMWATER Partnering with marine conservation organizations in Rhode Island, CMG produced a pilot video campaign called We are the Ocean State to engage local residents in reducing stormwater pollution. Viewers were asked to sign a petition to local officials to keep Rhode Island’s waters clean through improved stormwater management and green infrastructure creation.

We ran the video campaign for two weeks leading up to World Oceans Day on June 8th. The video was shared through a large network of partner organizations and through targeted Facebook boosts. During the campaign, the video received 15,000 views on Facebook and 400 views on YouTube. Our posts encouraging action for clean waters in Rhode Island were liked by more than 1,100 people and shared more than 300 times on our CMG Facebook page, in addition to the interactions on our partners’ social media platforms.

The petition garnered the support of more than 300 individual residents and 12 Rhode Island organizations including Save the Bay, Clean Ocean Access, Clean Water Action, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program, The Ocean Project, Friends of the Waterfront, Discover Newport, Sailors for the Sea, and the Ocean View Foundation. We sent the petition, signatures, and comments to Rhode Island’s governor, two state senators, two state representatives, and more than 100 local representatives in the Rhode Island senate and house. The campaign also inspired the director of the Ocean Project, William Mott, who also manages World Oceans Day, to ask local Rhode Island senators to pass a resolution officially recognizing World Oceans Day in Rhode Island, which they did on June 2, 2015.

EVENTS & PROGRAM OUTREACH

24

BLUE VISION SUMMIT

May 11-14, 2015

CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

NORTHEAST CLIMATE RIDE

September 17-21, 2015

Washington, DC

September 17-20, 2015

CMG sponsored the Blue Vision Summit,

CMG hosted an Action Grant pitch session at the Camden International Film Festival, choosing eight finalists to attend the film festival and pitch their projects. CMG Founder David Conover announced the three winners at the Festival Awards Night, which

Director Liz Smith joined the Northeast Climate Ride to raise funds for our Action Grants program.

She rode her bike more than 275 miles from Bar Harbor to Boston with 150 climate activist and cyclists, raising $6,360 for our CMG Action Grants

included $26,000 in grants. CMG also sponsored and attended the Points North Engagement Summit where they launched their “Sustainable Maine” program, connecting Maine-based environmental leaders with documentary films to spark

program along the way. Also on the ride were more than 20 non-profit ben-eficiaries all working toward sustainability and environmental causes nationwide, including CMG Catalyst Workshop attendees, Windustry and Women in Solar Energy,

dialogue and actions related to climate change, ocean & land conservation, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy solutions.

who each presented their workshop films to the Climate Riders. Liz also presented CMG’s work to the riders during their Ignite Nite.

which gathers over 500 scientists, explorers, students, media makers and staff from marine health organizations to network, build the blue movement, and meet with Congress in Washington, DC. CMG Director Liz Smith moderated an opening night discussion with National Geographic Explorer Paul Rose and ocean advocate Fabien Cousteau. She also hosted a Video for Action dinner, bringing together a small group of emerging filmmakers to discuss the use of video to create impact.

Camden, ME

Bar Harbor, ME to Boston, MA

JACKSON HOLE WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL

AMERICAN CONSERVATION FILM FESTIVAL

COP21 CLIMATE SUMMIT

November 29 - December 5, 2015

September 27 - October 2, 2015

October 22-25, 2015

CMG sponsored the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, a bi-annual film festival and conference that gathers more than 850 media conservation stakeholders, including conservationists, scientists, explorers, filmmakers, and students. CMG

CMG Director Liz Smith attended the American Conservation Film Festival and gave a talk on impact filmmaking during the festival’s Conservation Filmmaker Workshop. She was also invited to sit on a panel to critique live pitches from attending

CMG Founder David Conover joined 50,000 activists in London at the People’s March for Climate, Justice and Jobs. It was the largest of 2,500 demonstrations around the world ahead of the United Nations COP21 Paris Climate Summit. David also

held a commissioner’s session to give attendees an overview of CMG’s work. Liz Smith also spoke on a panel called “Micro-Movies, Maxi-Impact” about using short films for measureable impact in conservation. We also hosted an Action Grant pitch

environmental and conservation filmmakers.

The American Conservation Film Festival is an annual event and takes place in West Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC.

attended events in Paris, including the Global Ocean Forum’s Oceans Day and a screening by CMG Action Grantee, Shalini Kantayya, at the German Marshall Fund’s “Cities and Regions at COP21: Leading from the Front with Equity and Inclusion” session. A

Jackson Hole, WY

session and eight finalists were chosen to attend and pitch their projects. David Conover & Liz Smith awarded $23,000 in grants to three winners at the Teton Awards Gala.

Shepherdstown, WV

London, England & Paris, France

film excerpt was used to kick-off a discussion between subnational leaders sharing the challenges and opportunities they face to lead inclusive clean energy policies that create vibrant cities.

25

26

Statement of Financial Position / December 31, 2015 Current Assets Cash & cash equivalents Accounts receivable Prepaid Expenses Property & Equipment Equipment Less: accumulated depreciation Total Assets Current Liabilities Accounts payable & accrued Net Assets Unrestricted Temporary restricted

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Total Net Assets Total Liabilities & Net Assets

$

$

$

498,967 300,000 0 876 0 798,967

93,320

2015 Expenses

by Category Program Services $273,676 Support Services $30,396 Fiscal Sponsorship Fees $35,000

498,967 300,000

10% 9%

$ $

705,647 798,967

81% Statement of Activities / 2015 Annual Revenue Grants & Contributions Workshop Revenue Total Revenue Expenses Program Services Research & Development Blue Initiatives Catalyst Workshops CMG Fellows Filmmakers-in-Residence Action Grants Program Outreach Total Program Expenses Support Services Management & General Fundraising Total Support Services Total Expenses Reserved Funds for 2016 Budget

$ $

$

$ $

750,000 9,425 759,425

31,176 33,209 40,756 26,840 28,474 66,757 46,462 273,676 64,737 660 65,396 339,072 420,353

28 CMG FOUNDING SPONSOR

THE LEWIS FAMILY FOUNDATION

www.lff.org

The Lewis Family Foundation transforms people’s lives and builds strong communities by empowering young people, developing courageous leaders and creating strong alliances with key strategic

STRATEGIC PARTNERS & SPONSORS

partners. They focus their work in the Lewis family’s hometowns of Boston, MA and Kensington, NH and within the global villages where their company, Grand Circle Corporation, travels.

BLUE INITIATIVE SPONSOR

GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION

www.grandcirclefoundation.org

Grand Circle Foundation has a long history of giving back: to the places where we travel, to the people who live there, and to the city of Boston and communities around the world where we live and work. The Foundation has pledged or donated more than $144 million throughout the world in locations including Africa, Asia, South Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Many of the projects the Foundation supports are, quite literally, in the path of our travelers, while many more are much closer to home.

CATALYST WORKSHOP SPONSOR

ALNOBA

www.alnoba.org Alnoba is a special retreat environment in the woodlands of Southern New Hampshire and home to multiple leadership development & sustainability programs. Created in harmony with the earth, it fosters deep reflection, authentic communication, and personal and organizational transformation through the immersion in nature, art, and mindfulness practices.

CMG STRATEGIC PARTNER

THE OCEAN FOUNDATION

www.oceanfdn.org

The Ocean Foundation is a unique community foundation with a mission to support, strengthen, and promote those organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world.

CMG Staff

The 2015 CMG Annual Report is printed on 100% recycled paper.

David Conover / Founder & Director Liz Smith / Director & COO Margie Welch / Program Manager

CMG Advisors Philip Conkling / Founder, Island Institute Mark Frevert / Grand Circle Corporation Lisa Genasci / ADM Capital Foundation Mark Spalding / The Ocean Foundation

Conservation Media Group | P.O. Box 1204, Camden, Maine 04843 | 207-236-2078 | www.conservationmediagroup.org