What criteria were used to select the recipients of the 2025 NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship? What kind of support will the fellows receive during their projects? How does the fellowship aim to reflect themes of climate change and environmental justice in storytelling? What impact does the NRDC hope these stories will have on audiences? What are the specific storylines of the projects by the selected fellows?
The trio was selected from more than 500 submissions for their unique and captivating portrayals of the climate crisis. As part of the fellowship, each fellow will receive a $20,000 grant and will be paired with an entertainment industry professional who will provide mentorship and creative support to further develop their projects. Mentors will include Lucia Aniello (Broad City, Hacks), Nick Kroll (Adults, Big Mouth), and Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, The Wild Robot).
Now in its fifth year, the NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship is designed to help screenwriters develop compelling stories that reflect climate change and environmental justice. In addition to creative mentorship, recipients receive counsel from environmental experts on climate issues highlighted in their script, and NRDC’s Rewrite the Future program advises on effective approaches to developing climate themes. Revised scripts may be reviewed for development by companies like CAA, Hyperobject Industries, Yellow Dot Studios, Madica Productions, UTA, WME, and NBCUniversal.
In a statement on the fellowship selections, Katy Jacobs, Entertainment Partnerships Director at NRDC, said, “These talented writers are telling compelling stories that explore the real impacts of our changing climate on our personal relationships, our plans for the future, and our day-to-day lives. It’s more critical than ever to uplift stories like these that can help us reflect on our climate reality and shift our culture to embrace a better future.”
Mentor Aniello commented, “The urgency of the climate crisis demands creative and compelling narratives—ones that can make audiences see and feel new perspectives. I look forward to working with one of these talented writers as they explore climate themes in their work.”
Applications for the fifth cycle of the Climate Storytelling Fellowship are open now through November 28. For more information on this year’s fellows and their projects, read on.
LOWCOUNTRY (pilot) by L.C. Killingsworth: When a hurricane devastates the quirky coastal town of Dundee, Georgia, and the area’s last insurance company pulls out, the community must find a new way to survive.
L.C. Killingsworth is a career writer based in Savannah, GA. She earned her BA in creative writing from Yale and has worked as a writing teacher, nonprofit leader, and messaging strategist while also pursuing various creative projects.
THE TIPPING POINT (feature) by Annika Marks: EverLeigh and Clay are madly in love. If ‘opposites attract’ is a rule, they’re the couple that proves it. She’s a pragmatic climate scientist; he’s a musician and a dreamer. Over a decade, another difference emerges—she’s convinced that adding children to our struggling planet is irresponsible; he believes raising children is a responsibility he was built for.
Annika Marks began her career as an actor and is known for her role as Monte Porter on Freeform’s “The Fosters.” As a writer, she has developed original series for Lionsgate, Sony, and Hallmark, and has contributed to projects for NBCUniversal, Peacock, Paramount+, and Tribeca, among others. Her first feature, “Killing Eleanor,” premiered at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, winning Best Narrative Feature. Her follow-up, “Adult Children,” is set to hit the festival circuit this summer. Marks has participated in various programs, including the Sundance Labs and the Women in Film Mentoring Program. She splits her time between Los Angeles and Seattle with her husband and collaborator, Rich Newey, and their two children.
NIGHT OF POWER (feature) by Yasir Masood: Amid Texas’s fiercest heat wave on the eve of Ramadan, three young Muslims plunge into a crime spree to save their community, confronting Houston’s gritty underworld and their struggle for power.
Yasir Masood is a Pakistan-born, Emmy-nominated producer and filmmaker. He won the Emerging Filmmaker Award at the Los Angeles Asian American Film Festival for his debut feature film, ISTIKHARA, NEW YORK. Self-financed with a budget of $15,000, the film was picked up for finishing and distribution by Nicholas Weinstock’s Invention Studios. Yasir produced OUT OF ORDER, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and debuted on VICE. He directed episodes for the Webby-nominated series PICTURE LOCKED & IN MY OWN WORDS on DOCUMENTARY+. Yasir’s work explores the intersectionality of masculinity, migration, and identity in Muslim and working-class communities.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), in partnership with The Black List, the CAA Foundation, NBCUniversal, and The Redford Center, has unveiled the 2025 NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship. This initiative aims to empower screenwriters to craft compelling narratives that address the multifaceted challenges of climate change, moving beyond dystopian portrayals to highlight solutions and envision a sustainable future.
A Collaborative Effort to Amplify Climate Narratives
The fellowship is a collaborative effort among several influential organizations:
NRDC: A leading environmental advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding the planet’s resources.
The Black List: A renowned platform that connects screenwriters with industry professionals, fostering the development of high-quality scripts.
The CAA Foundation: The philanthropic arm of Creative Artists Agency, supporting initiatives that promote social change.
NBCUniversal: A global media and entertainment conglomerate committed to environmental sustainability.
- The Redford Center: Founded by actor and environmentalist Robert Redford, this center focuses on storytelling to inspire environmental action.
Together, these organizations aim to reshape the narrative around climate change, encouraging stories that not only depict the crisis but also explore actionable solutions and positive outcomes.
Fellowship Details and Application Process
The 2025 fellowship cycle is now open for submissions, with a deadline of December 5, 2024. The program will award three recipients with $20,000 each to support the revision of feature screenplays or TV pilots that engage with climate change in a meaningful way. Selected fellows will receive six months of mentorship from industry professionals and climate storytelling experts, providing creative support for their original scripts. At the conclusion of the fellowship, revised scripts will be hosted on The Black List website and may be reviewed for development by prominent studios, agencies, and production companies. Writers will retain all rights to their scripts. (nrdc.org)
Encouraging Diverse and Hopeful Climate Narratives
The fellowship seeks screenplays that engage with climate realities beyond dystopia and apocalypse, depicting solutions and envisioning a better future. Writers are encouraged to submit pilots or screenplays that engage with climate themes in compelling and unique ways. All qualifying scripts submitted before the deadline will receive one script evaluation and one free month of hosting for their scripts via The Black List. (ebs.publicnow.com)
Mentorship and Industry Exposure
Beyond financial support, the fellowship offers selected writers the opportunity to refine their work through collaboration with industry professionals. Each fellow will be connected with a credited screenwriter involved in climate storytelling, a consultant from NRDC’s Rewrite the Future program, and, where applicable, NRDC experts specializing in the climate issues highlighted in the fellows’ scripts. This mentorship aims to enhance the quality and impact of the narratives, ensuring they resonate with audiences and effectively convey the urgency and complexity of climate change. (theflint.media)
A Platform for Climate Storytelling
The NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship is part of NRDC’s broader initiative, Rewrite the Future, which works with Hollywood professionals to support storytelling about the climate crisis in entertainment film and TV. The goal is to help shift attitudes and behaviors around the crisis with stories that reflect our climate reality, enable audiences to feel the urgency of the challenge, confront their fear and grief about it, and imagine better futures that inspire hope and action. (researchgate.net)
Looking Ahead
As the deadline for submissions approaches, the fellowship continues to attract a diverse array of writers eager to contribute to the evolving discourse on climate change through storytelling. By supporting these narratives, the NRDC and its partners aim to inspire audiences, influence public opinion, and drive meaningful action toward a sustainable future.
For more information on the fellowship and application details, visit the NRDC’s Rewrite the Future program page. (nrdc.org)
The NRDC Climate Storytelling Fellowship, launched by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in partnership with The Black List, CAA Foundation, NBCUniversal, and The Redford Center, is an initiative aimed at encouraging screenwriters to craft narratives that address climate change in compelling and innovative ways. (nrdc.org)
For the 2025 fellowship cycle, the program is offering three fellowships, each providing $20,000 to support the revision of feature screenplays or TV pilots that engage with climate themes. In addition to financial support, fellows will receive six months of mentorship from established screenwriters and climate storytelling experts. At the conclusion of the fellowship, revised scripts will be hosted on The Black List website and may be reviewed for development by prominent studios, agencies, and production companies. (nrdc.org)
The application deadline for the 2025 fellowship is December 5, 2024. Writers are encouraged to submit scripts that depict climate realities beyond dystopian and apocalyptic scenarios, focusing instead on solutions and envisioning a better future. All qualifying scripts submitted before the deadline will receive one script evaluation and one free month of hosting for their scripts via The Black List. (ebs.publicnow.com)
For more information and to apply, visit the NRDC’s Rewrite the Future program page. (nrdc.org)