What happens when a software engineer turned sustainability consultant turns musician decides to use her fan base as a force for climate action?

Vienna Teng — songwriter, performer, McKinsey Sustainability Fellow, and one of Grist's 50 Climate Innovators to Watch in 2025 — joins Zena Harris and Mark Rabin to talk about the unlikely through line connecting all of her careers: empathy-driven problem solving.

Vienna breaks down how she runs climate action workshops inside music venues, why she intentionally keeps the tone hopeful rather than doom-focused, and what it actually looks like to walk a fan from curiosity to real community impact. Including one fan who stopped a solar ban in her township after a single conversation.

She also reflects on her years working in clean energy access and waste diversion systems in the Global South, what she learned that she couldn't have learned from the outside, and why she came back to music as the most powerful tool she had.

Topics: climate action, fan engagement, hope-based climate communication, music and sustainability, artist activism, clean energy, behavior change, climate storytelling, indie music, McKinsey sustainability, Grist 50, community solar, waste diversion, Global South, climate innovation

🎙️ Connect with Vienna:

🌐 viennateng.com

📸 Instagram: @viennatengmusic

🎵 Patreon: patreon.com/viennateng

🎙️ Connect with your hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenaharris/

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabinmark/

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What if the foam, wood, and metal used to build film and TV sets could be replaced with a material that's stronger than it sounds, faster to build with, and goes straight into the blue bin when the shoot wraps?

Karmen Hansen, Owner of Nordwerk Design Inc., joins Zena and Mark to break down how engineered paperboard is replacing virgin, high-emission materials in film, TV, and event production — and why the total cost argument for conventional materials doesn't hold up the way most productions assume.

From building the Echo Probe for the opening scene of Alien: Romulus to engineering the CBC Edmonton news desk — which holds a 211lb tabletop and is still standing after a 4-week stress test — Karmen unpacks how this material works, what it takes to get major clients to trust it, and why the circular economy case for cardboard on set is stronger than anyone expects.

Topics: sustainable set design, circular economy, film production materials, engineered cardboard, Re-board, zero-waste production, sustainable events, trade show design, set builds, sustainable architecture, film industry sustainability, replacing Luon, cardboard furniture, sustainable construction.

🎙️ Connect with Karmen and Nordwerk:

Karmen Hansen, Owner — Nordwerk Design Inc.

🌐 nordwerk.co

📸 Instagram: @nordwerkdesign

🎵 TikTok: @nordwerkdesign

💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nordwerk-design/

🎙️ Connect with your hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zenaharris/

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabinmark/

What does it take to build a thriving community around big ideas — and what does that have to do with sustainability in entertainment? Jenny Stefanotti, founder of Denizen, joins Zena and Mark to talk about how an accidental pandemic-era salon grew into a conversation with an 85,000-person reach on Clubhouse and a global community of leaders at the forefront of systemic change. They dig into AI's disruption of the labor market, the democratizing potential for indie content creators, and why individual agency may be the most underestimated force for change. A wide-ranging conversation about technology, culture, and what it means to build something that lasts.

Connect With Jenny

Jenny's Website

On Instagram

On X/Twitter

On LinkedIn

Connect with our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

Writer, director, and actor Nat Boltt — known for Riverdale and South Africa's Isidingo — joins The Tie In to talk about her debut feature film Holy Days, a comedy starring Miriam Margolyes, Jacki Weave,r and Judy Davis. Nathalie opens up about the realities of sustainable film production, what it takes to make an independent film in Canada and New Zealand, and why the entertainment industry has a responsibility to tell more hopeful stories. If you work in film, care about sustainability, or just want to hear from someone genuinely doing things differently — this one's for you. A Highlight Episode of The Tie-In.

Connect With Our Guests:

Nathalie's Website

On Instagram:

Natt Boltt

Holy Days The Movie

Connect With Our Guests:

Nathalie's Website

Connect with our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

Becky Morrison, founder and CEO of New York and LA production company The Light, joins hosts Mark and Zena on The Tie-In to expose the hidden public health crisis on film and TV sets worldwide. From the Safe Sets documentary to the untold history of Hollywood's military-inspired production model, Becky breaks down why crews are burning out, getting hurt, and why the industry is finally pushing back. Relevant to film workers in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and every major global production hub. Topics include set safety, sleep deprivation, toxic chemicals, psychological safety, healthy production culture, and the fight to bring data and accountability to film worker wellbeing.

Learn more about Safe Sets

Connect With Our Guests:

The Light's Website

Becky's Website

The Light's Instagram

Becky's Instagram

Learn more about Safe Sets: https://www.safesetsmovie.org

Connect with our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

Amanda Smith has spent over two decades as a scenic artist working across theater, theme parks, and film. In 2022 she joined IATSE Local 729, became a Certified California Naturalist through the UC CalNat program, and launched two parallel projects: Los Angeles Is Not A Desert — an art and writing initiative exploring LA's overlooked ecosystems — and the IATSE Local 729 Set Painters and Sign Writers Sustainability Committee.

In this conversation Amanda talks about what sustainability actually looks like inside a paint department, why the Paint Care recycling program is a free and underutilized resource for film lots, how native plants are showing up (and not showing up) on screen, and why she thinks environmental education — not compliance — is the key to lasting change in the industry.

She also shares her artwork live on the show, walking us through a papercut depiction of the LA River's Glendale Narrows and the vision behind it.

Find Amanda at losangelesisnotadesert.com or on Instagram @laisnotadesert. Sign up for her newsletter on the website for upcoming events and community activations.

Keywords/Tags

sustainability, film industry, IATSE, set painting, paint recycling, Paint Care, native plants, Los Angeles, urban ecology, California naturalist, LA River, ecological art, environmental justice, green production, chaparral, biodiversity, entertainment industry

Resources from this episode:

CalNat Course: https://ucanr.edu/program/uc-environmental-stewards/become-certified-naturalist-or-climate-steward

Paint Care Program: https://www.paintcare.org/states/california/

Connect With Our Guests:

losangelesisnotadesert.com

LA Is Not A Desert on Instagram

Sign up for her newsletter on the website for upcoming events and community activations.

Connect With our Hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

What if a QR code at a live show could route thousands of people to exactly the right place to make a difference — based on where they're scanning from?

Pete Kronowitt is "an activist with a music problem" and board member of Music Declares Emergency. He joins Zena and Mark to talk about the organization's Amplify program — a system that gives artists at any level a simple, trackable way to direct their audiences toward high-impact organizations. He breaks down how it works, why it works, and what a small 10-show tour with a 36% conversion rate taught him about human behavior and mobilization.

Also in this episode: how a songwriting workshop produced a track recorded by 2,500 kids worldwide, and how that project evolved into a solar installation program connecting schools across continents.

Topics: fan engagement · artist strategy · music industry · Amplify program · Music Declares Emergency · behavioral mobilization · school solar partnerships

Connect With Our Guests:

Music Declares on Facebook

Music Declares US on Instagram

Music Declares UK on Instagram

Music Declares on TikTok

Peter Kronowitt:

Spotify

Apple Music

Connect With our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn

What does it look like when actors use their power on set to drive real climate action? In this episode of The Tie In, Zena and Mark sit down with Danusia Samal, co-founder of the Green Rider. The Green Rider is a UK-based organization that provides actors, writers, and directors with practical tools to reduce the carbon footprint of film and TV productions. We explore how the Green Rider's "handshake" model is breaking down communication barriers between talent and production, why early conversations are the key to greener sets, and how talent agencies are starting to rethink what they negotiate for their clients. If you work in film, TV, or entertainment and care about sustainability, this episode is for you.

🌱 Connect With Our Guests:

Danusia Samal Instagram

Green Rider Instagram

Green-Rider.org

🎙️Connect with our hosts:

Zena Harris on LinkedIn

Mark Rabin on LinkedIn