Hollywood screenwriter and producer Scott Z. Burns on making climate change central to storytelling

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers

Scott Z. Burns is a screenwriter, director, producer and playwright. His film writing credits include “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “The Informant!," "Contagion,” “Side Effects,” and “The Laundromat.” As a director, his work includes “Pu-239” and “The Report.” He also was a producer for the Academy Award-winning documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and served as an executive producer of the film’s sequel as well as “Sea of Shadows.” Most recently, he’s the writer, director, executive producer and creator of the Apple TV+ series “Extrapolations,” which features eight interconnected stories exploring how climate change will affect all aspects of our lives.

Resources from this episode:

• Read the media impact report from USC Norman Lear Center.
• Learn about Good Energies Stories, a nonprofit consulting firm focused on climate storytelling.
• Listen to Scott Z. Burns’ interview on the Climate One podcast.
• Check out EDF’s Green Jobs Hub.

Related episodes:

• Transfer your skills to a green job with Work on Climate’s Eugene Kirpichov
• How to green any job with Project Drawdown's Jamie Beck Alexander
• The future of climate-smart ag and the hot politics of your dinner plate
• Lake Street Dive on music, activism, and bravery

***

🌎 Job hunting? Visit our comprehensive Green Jobs Hub for job listings, networking resources, skills and certification information and more.

💚 Follow and rate Degrees on Apple, Spotify, CastBox, or your favorite listening app.

📧 Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on green careers, upcoming episodes and more.

🔗 Connect with Yesh Pavlik Slenk on LinkedIn

👉 Follow up on social media:

• @environmental_defense_fund on Instagram
• @EnvDefenseFund on X
• @EnvDefenseFund on TikTok
• Environmental Defense Fund on LinkedIn

***

Who makes Degrees?

Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers is presented by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Yesh Pavlik Slenk is our host. Amy Morse is EDF’s producer. Podcast Allies is our production company. Stephanie Wolf produced this episode. Mia Lobel is our story editor. Ayo Oti is our researcher. Engineering by Matthew Simonson. Our music is Shame, Shame, Shame from Yesh’s favorite band, Lake Street Dive.