Ocean, Impact, and Inspiration. A filmmaker’s journey.

Dana Frankoff is a storyteller with a purpose, and she is quite good at it. While not working her day job at Pixar, she is making films to raise awareness on environmental issues around the globe. Her recent film, Voice Above Water, features the story of a 90 year old fisherman in Bali whose livelihood is deeply impacted by the plastic and trash that has seemingly replaced the fish. The film has won countless awards and is a visual masterpiece. In this episode we explore Dana’s journey as a filmmaker and how each of us can make a positive impact on the world around us. Our conversation left me inspired and I hope it does the same for you.

To see the trailer for Voice Above Water visit: https://vimeo.com/danacfranko

Follow or reach her via Instagram: @turningtidesfilms

Imperfect Show Notes

While these notes are not perfect (computer transcription is still a work in progress), they give you the gist of the conversation. Enjoy!

My conversation with Dana Frankoff:

Morgan Bailey 0:02

Hello, and welcome to the profit meets impact podcast where we explore the intersection of doing well and doing good in the world. I'm your host Morgan Bailey and I'm excited to bring you the wisdom of entrepreneurs and thought leaders, they're using business to create sustainable and meaningful change across the globe. Hello, and welcome back to the profit meets impact podcast. Really excited to launch the first episode of this second season this season. We have a lot of really amazing guests from people who work in 3d printing in a sustainable way to those working with conscious leaders. And in this episode, I'm really excited to interview Dana Frank off a documentary filmmaker. She is the director and producer of the documentary voice above water. She works in production at Pixar Animation. She's a bay area local, she's a surfer, she's a climber, trail runner, overall ocean lover, and we're really going to talk about her work around the documentary voice above water, in which she she really focuses his story around a nine year old man named Wayne in Bali, a fisherman who can no longer fish due to the copious amounts of plastic, plying the waters just around his home. And so it's a really touching story and just amazing and beautiful cinematography. The The film won the Best Short Film at bampfa, which is where I saw it and reached out to Dana to have a conversation around it. It's been featured and won awards in various film festivals from the coast Film Festival, wildlife conservation Film Festival to Santa Monica International Film Festival, the mountain Film Festival, the wild and scenic Film Festival, and I'm sure others that I I am just forgetting. But I really appreciate this conversation with Dana, I mean, we go we go beyond the documentary to really talk about how individuals can lean in to make an impact and how they can take their personal purpose and mission and take small steps to create something greater, as well as really talking about, you know, what is our personal responsibility and making good decisions that really honor ourselves and honor the environment. So it was a really inspiring conversation. I walked away really feeling inspired and appreciative of everything that Dana is doing, and really helping chart out a way that all of us can make a difference really just by starting with incremental change. So let's go ahead and jump into the conversation with Dana. Dana, it's a real pleasure to have you on.

Dana Frankoff 2:35

Thanks, Morgan. It's a big pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for asking me to join.

Morgan Bailey 2:39

Of course, of course, you know, I saw I saw your film and voice above water, and I was immediately drawn to it. And you, you have such an amazing ability to show the landscape and connect to people. And you know, what, I was curious, as you know, in talking to you and and watching that is where did your connection to the water, the environment and the natural world really began?

Dana Frankoff 3:06

Yeah, um, great question. I have always been drawn to the outdoors, especially the water. And I have always loved being in near the ocean. And I learned to surf in my 20s. And I went to Bali and Australia, as soon as I finished college with the sole purpose of learning how to surf, just to really spend more time on the water. And I really haven't left, I've only lived on the coast since then, in California. And for me, it's such a peaceful serenity, lifestyle. Like, I really think that it's something that brings us happiness, to a level that I don't even think we realize sometimes.

Morgan Bailey 3:52

Yeah, I mean, as a as a fellow surfer, and, you know, I spend most of my time outdoors, I can absolutely resonate with that. And so I mean, at what point I can imagine you, you know, just engaging with the water. And yeah, at what point did did you start to connect more with or become more aware of sort of the the risk that our environment is facing?

Dana Frankoff 4:16

Yeah, it was really after traveling to places like Indonesia, Africa, even locally to some of our parks, and just seeing the amount of trash that is really around the world now. And I was really sad about what I would hear about these facts about in 2050. If things don't change, there's gonna be more plastic in the ocean than fish. I remember hearing that for the first time and being struck, being like, how is that possible? And how could humans be doing that to something that is so beautiful and gives us so much and so I really wanted to dig deeper into that. And that's when I really started using my filmmaking experience and my writing experience and thinking okay, well, this is what I I have to offer so I'm going to make a documentary, and hope that it makes people think about these things. And in the end change.

Morgan Bailey 5:10

Amazing. So, you know, and then, you know, so as you're going through this and and, you know, you're you're you're seeing these places, you're seeing the trash you're seeing the film making. what point did did you realize that you wanted to do something?

Dana Frankoff 5:28

Sure. I think it was, when I came home, I spent some time in Africa two years ago, and I came home and something about, you know, there's this, I thought I was going to this place where it was really like the last wild place. And then I got back from there. And I felt like, I would be watching these animals surrounded by humans and cars that were polluting the environment. And they'd be on a chase, and we'd be blocking their route, and it just didn't feel right. And if that was one of the last wild places, and I was like, wow, we really need to get back to a place that we haven't been to for a really long time. And on a personal note, for me, for the reasons that I said earlier, it was the ocean, I was like, I really, you know, protecting the environment is a huge undertaking. But if you focus on the area that really strikes a chord within you, and use your skills and experiences and techniques, then you can start feeling like, okay, there is something I can chip away out here, I could actually do something and may try at least to make a little bit of a difference. So it was after seeing that and being like, Alright, it's time to give back, it's time to really think about what's important and use my creativity to in storytelling to make a difference on something that is so valuable and important to myself.

Morgan Bailey 6:53

Oh, and you've done an amazing job with this film. And, you know, I mean, so a lot of people listening are people who are interested in kind of the mix of, you know, how can we, how can we exist in the world and create some sort of balance with our environment? You know, and I think that's what a lot of social entrepreneurs and social enterprise are doing. And I feel like you fit very, very well into this category. And, you know, it's, it's, it can be a scary trajectory, leaning into this. I mean, you're putting yourself out there, you're putting a film out there. So I'm kind of curious, just on a on a personal level, like, what what did it take for you to develop that courage? Or what was that leap? Like?

Dana Frankoff 7:34

I think it and I'm sure people can relate to this, I think it was like, I felt like there was no other choice. Like, I got to that point where it's like, if I didn't do something, it was going to eat up at me. And if I did do something, it you know, it was my first time directing a film. And if it didn't, if it was only shown in front of my friends and family, that would have been fine. And so realizing that I was like, you know, what do I have to lose here, and but the gain could be so much greater. And it's true. It's like I often get asked in Q and A's and stuff, it's like, well, like, there's so many discouraging things, and how do we know if anything's really gonna change? And the answer that I hear people that have been making documentaries for years, or just big environmental activists is like, we don't know, we're starting to see change, which is great, more people are coming aware. But you don't know. And you just have to rely on hope. Because otherwise, you know, what are you going to do do nothing about it? So it was really just this little inspiration of like, I'm gonna do my best. And I'm gonna put this out there. And my heart and soul were into it, and just, you know, hope for the best.

Morgan Bailey 8:47

Yeah, and I appreciate that sentiment. I mean, and it's something that I resonate with a lot deeply, because I'm always asking myself like, what, what is the cost of doing nothing? Right. And the cost of doing nothing is almost always far greater than the cost of doing something. Absolutely. And I think there are a lot of people out there who do who do want to do something, but you know, it's been pretty easy in our day and age to kind of walk by the trash to walk by the environmental destruction and, and we're starting to see nowadays that that's not possible, right? At least once pristine environments that were untouched, are now polluted. We were starting to see climate change. And so, you know, as you looked at, you know, you've you know, waters kind of your medium film, film is like, your, your way of communicating that. How did you land on, you know, choosing this story, this location and tell us a little bit about that. Just, you know, maybe for listeners who haven't seen it, what, what is the broad overview of voice above water?

Dana Frankoff 9:52

Sure. Yeah. Once I knew I wanted to do something about the ocean. I just started talking to whoever I could sign To us nonprofit organizations, you name it. And it was this organization for ocean, which is a really good organization that hires fishermen to go out and collect trash, using their boats and nets. And I love that idea. I mean, there's a lot of incredible things going on. And but for this story, I loved the vision of it, I loved this man in his little boat in the vast ocean, doing what he could to make a difference. And I was like, that is the story. And then from there, it's just got the ball rolling, I met up with a production company that was in Bali that had worked for for ocean, our dp went on a location scout to find our main subject, why on who is this nine year old man who is using his boat and that to collect trash out of the water, once he saw that he could no longer catch big fish anymore. And I'm like, that's incredible, you know why on was nine years old, he lives in a hut in Nusa penida, Indonesia. And there's a million other things or reactions, you could have had to that. And he doesn't know this fact, and he doesn't have a TV. And he's not thrown into the statistics that we know about, how if we don't do anything different than the oceans really gonna become more trash than it is fist. But he saw something changed in his 90 years, and he went out the next day, and he instead started doing something about it. And I thought, if this one man could use his minimal resources, to make a difference, then it should be able to inspire people to go out and use whatever resources they have to make a difference as well.

Morgan Bailey 11:46

And what I what I think is beautiful about this is I mean, you both made a decision, and, and sort of stars aligned, and you found yourself, you know, collaborating on this, you know, to share it with the world. And I just, I just think that's, that's really beautiful. And I'm curious, so, you know, you know, seeing the film, obviously, you know, it's, it's a rural area, he's a fisherman, and I'm just kind of curious, like, you know, he lives in a completely different context than than we do in California. Yet, he's dealing with similar issues and taking action. What was it like, just to to experience I mean, I guess his way of being his orientation to the world and his actions?

Dana Frankoff 12:31

Yeah. You know, that's a really good question. And I went there being like, Oh, I want to give him so much. She's doing so much for us so much for the film. And it was really fascinating, because when I went there, I realized he's living this insanely rich life of having everything he needs right there. And he's got his family, he's got the village that he always grew up in, he's got his wife of 60 years. And, and he's got his career, which has now changed because of the conditions of the water. But he's still motivated to change. And so I actually feel like it was one of those maybe, you know, typical responses of, I actually feel like I learned a lot more from him. I think for him. It was funny. It's like, Oh, these people are coming, they want to make this movie, and we want to make an impact with it. And to him, it's like, this stuff is obvious. You know, of course, this is what he'd been doing. And of course, this is what's going on in the world. So it was a real good reminder, when I came home that, you know, there's so much more going on at the core than the little things that we get caught up in, in, in the city or just in more urban life, or, you know, he is much less of a consumer than all of us. He lives pretty simply, if anything, because he lives on a small island. And that was also very inspiring.

Morgan Bailey 14:04

What I'm what I'm curious about is, I mean, his What, what, what was he thinking about this? I mean, what was his? And I don't know, I don't know if he had a chance to dive that deep with him. But like, was he experiencing anger, frustration, like he clearly went into action, but what was his viewpoint towards the fact that, you know, his home, his environment was just being polluted with plastic?

Dana Frankoff 14:29

Yeah, well, it's funny, you know, I, we had two and a half days to film it and interview him. And I planned for six months, and I thought about all the questions I wanted to ask him and, and then I go over there, and I realized that I was doing it from such a American Western standpoint. And when it comes down to him, his answers were really simple. You know, I was trying to dig into these deep emotions that he had about what was going on the ocean. for him. It just makes sense. You know, for him, it was like, This is what I do, because this is what's important. And of course, like, there are moments in the film where he talks about who he'd be really sad, if it continued to be the way it is. And that if other people don't often make a difference, and help change that, what he's doing isn't gonna matter. And that was kind of the most, that's even the last sentence of the film, because I, for me, that was the most powerful part because it's like, okay, one person can do this. And it's really inspiring. And it takes all of us together, being inspired to make a change. I think we see that a lot right now, how globally, we've had to act on a large scale to get through this pandemic, you know, and so, he, I love his story, because it's so simple, but it's so grand.

Morgan Bailey 15:58

Yeah, I mean, I mean, I was obviously, you know, you know, quite moved by the film, you know, and as I've mentioned, you know, I've, you know, I've grown up, you know, on the coast, you know, and I remember, there was a moment when I was walking with my friends down the beach, and a crushed styrofoam cooler, which just had was just like, you know, kind of laughing in the waves. And I stopped, and I said, Guys, we need to pick this up. And even some of my friends, like, I don't want to waste my time with that. And I was like, this is our beach. And it was a very simple thing of like, it's like, it's the right thing to do. Like, there's there doesn't have to be a lot of thought, right. And I think that's what I'm hearing in this story is like, we don't have to make this difficult. Like, it's just the right thing to do. Yeah. And so what, like, when you when you think about his story, and his, his sort of his way of living? And his response to this? What are you hoping that viewers are going to connect with? and walk? Yeah,

Dana Frankoff 17:07

yeah. Um, you know, I hope that I like to focus on a personal narrative. And I hope, I think that is the best way to kind of hit people at their emotional core and realize, you know, we're all pretty similar to each other in the end. And I hope it does really motivate people to see what's happening in the ocean, and see that they can make a difference. But I, not only through why on, but I think the most important thing is to like, you know, everyone has that place where they like to go watch the sunset, or their sort of favorite surf break, or some river or lake that they would go to with their family, and some connection to water, and the environment. And really, at the end of the day, I mean, though, that's our resource. So it's also our happiness. So if there's even like a small way within like, I like how you said, you know, with your friends, this is our beach, if there's a way that you can locally, help protect the area that you love, that is kind of all that you can ask for. Right? Just being true to those places. I've been so personal, unkind to you, for ourselves, but then also for future generations.

Morgan Bailey 18:27

Yeah. And I think, I can't imagine there's, there's a person who would be listening who couldn't think of one place like that. And unfortunately, probably couldn't think of one place that's been impacted.

Dana Frankoff 18:40

And, yeah, absolutely. And if they can't, this is the time to go out and be inspired and discover that, you know, I was watching a documentary about somebody who showed these kids the ocean for the first time. And it was like, the most amazing I'm like, How lucky are these kids that they get to see the ocean for the first time, you know? And so yeah, there's definitely a way to connect. Absolutely. And

Morgan Bailey 19:07

you know, I won't go off in too much of philosophical tangent, but you know, that I think we evolved in connection with nature. And I think that is something as society we've, we've, we've leaned away from, particularly in the Western society, and I think people are, as one thing that's happened during the pandemic is people have rediscovered that we need to be outside we've been trapped inside. We need the connection with nature. So that's almost pulling us back to the film really quick, because I mean, it's a stunning film. The visual imagery is stunning. And yeah, I mean, I just there's this especially we have this beautiful clear water and you can so clearly see all of this colorful floating plastic you know, what what did that evoke in you? You know, as you Were as you were filming?

Dana Frankoff 20:02

Yeah, I knew to expect it, I had heard about this area, particularly outside of Nusa penida, where we're going to go film, I was glad we were there, I was glad that we're bringing a camera that we were going to document it, that we're going to expose it to other people. It made me want to get involved in their community, you know, just if you ever go travel to somewhere, and you have an amazing experience, you want to help the people that helped create that experience for you and that landscape. And so I definitely feel a bond to that area of Bali in Indonesia now, and why on, you know, him and his family were so gracious to us, and to let us you know, kinda It's kind of crazy to them, it's like these people come over with this idea, and they want to make a film. And here we are telling him, okay, we got to film you here, and then in your boat, you know, and he was such a good sport about it. And I'm just so grateful, you know, he had a really good sense of humor about it all. So so his kind of perspective on the world would also I think, if I was to take in anything from that was really what inspired me. And I actually think all the time, you know, if I have to go get a cup of coffee or tea, and nowadays, you can't bring your own mugs anymore, because of COVID I get a paper cup instead of a plastic cup, because I think this is going to be one more cup for why on to have to pick up you know, my friends and I have a joke, like one more item for why on and then we reverse what we're about to do. And, you know, and of course why on is a metaphor for all of us, because it's all of our responsibility.

Morgan Bailey 21:47

I appreciate that. And, and I really connect to that. And anytime I go out somewhere, and they're like, do you want the plastic silverware? I'm like, no. And it's hard now in the pandemic, because they just want to give you all of the things and all of the packaging. So you're, you know, I saw I was introduced to your film, you know, because I saw it in the bath Film Festival where it won the Best Short film. But you've mentioned that since then you've also won some some other words can tell us about that.

Dana Frankoff 22:15

Yeah, it's been really fortunate. And my goal for the film was to get it into bands. So winning the Best Short Film Award at Banff is still something I can't even process. But and then even after that we won the environmental filmmaker award at coast Film Festival, which is an incredible Film Festival out of Laguna Beach, and they are very concerned about the environment involved in the arts. And then we also want the Haden Kennedy award at five point which was a huge honor. And then we just got nominated for Best Documentary short, at Oakland Short Film Festival. So a lot of a lot of exciting things have happened with this film.

Morgan Bailey 22:58

Wow, congratulations, that Thank you. That's amazing. And this so this is your first film, correct?

Dana Frankoff 23:04

It is it is I've worked on, you know, I work in production at Pixar Animation Studios. And so obviously, I've been a kind of a small fish in a big sea on many films. But this was my first time directing and producing a film.

Morgan Bailey 23:19

Amazing. I saw an interview we were talking about my story. Yeah, I was like, that's really yeah. So I mean, what's it? What's it like now? I mean, you made this leap where you've produced your, you know, your first film? And, you know, how does that set the stage for you? Looking forward?

Dana Frankoff 23:36

I would say I've caught the bug. I, I don't want to stop. I mean, at first I was concerned, especially when the film when we're done, you know, it's like, we film it, you edit it, it's done. And then I was like, I went through this kind of deep, like, thoughtful time. I was like, is this really gonna make a difference, though? You know, and the conversations I've had it like this is really showing me that it is impacting people. And now I just want to make more. So I'm not going to stop here.

Morgan Bailey 24:08

Well, I appreciate your passion, and I'm excited to watch all of your future films. No, thanks. Now I you know, you also mentioned that, you know, through your film and through some some of your work, you're also working with the Surfrider you're helping support them on a petition. Mm hmm. Tell us about that. Yes.

Dana Frankoff 24:26

Yeah, it was really cool. It actually came out of the coast Film Festival. I was on our oceans panel with the CEO of Surfrider. And he approached me after the film inside, you know, I love what this stands for, let's collaborate. And they have a petition that they support called the break free from plastic Pollution Act. And basically they're working with federal legislation to help break free from these big corporations that are making so many materials every single day. That can keep most of them can even be recycled. So it was really great to team up with them. Because I mean, I love Surfrider as an organization, but also because during the film, I when I was thinking about how is this really going to make a difference, I had conversations with lobbyists and people that were in the environmental field. And what I learned is it is through legislation, and big corporations, and that we have a say, you know, the politics and corporations, they are there to respond to the public demand. And once I really tapped into that, I said, Okay, you know, I want this to kind of connect with something bigger than ourselves, and be a part of something where people can stand up and say, Hey, you know what, this is important, and I'm going to spend my money somewhere else, or I'm going to sign this petition, I'm going to help clean and just get the conversations going. And so yeah, and the collaboration with Surfrider has been great, and just all the all the different organizations that are helping for this cause has been really inspiring.

Morgan Bailey 26:09

Amazing. And, you know, we'll go ahead and we'll put that that link for anyone who's interested in the petition, we'll put that in the show notes. And, you know, you obviously, you just touched on a very big topic for me, obviously, which is around how do we do business in a way that doesn't destroy us? Yes, Cooper, like, we're the only species who actively destroy its habitat consciously. You know, you know, I mean, you know, through through all of your networking through all of these contacts through making this film, you know, how do you see the I mean, you've touched on a little bit in terms of consumer demand, but you know, how do you see the future of business or consumers are? How do we make this all work to keep plastic out of the oceans? Hmm.

Dana Frankoff 26:55

Yeah, I think we just need to keep letting our voices be heard. I mean, you are surprised how many people out now I was sitting on the beach, I think six months ago, and I randomly I think somebody was helping me with my dog. And they were what they had a position at a plastic company. And then we got in this conversation. And I said, Well, I'm making a film on plastic. And so you know, just keeping the word going, and really making your voice be heard. And I think often we don't realize how strong of a role we have on this world, just one person. But it's amazing what I've learned, like, I had this little idea, a little spark in my mind for a film. And now it's leading me to places like this, to have this conversation here with you. So just seeing the power behind that, and having a vision and seeing that it leads to change is something that we can all be really mindful. And and inspired by.

Morgan Bailey 27:58

Yeah, I'm, I'm feeling inspired. You know, and I think that's one thing I felt, you know, when I first saw your film, you know, and, you know, I'll throw this out there and recorded that, you know, it's been my interest to make a documentary. And when I, when I've seen that, you know, for very similar interests, or for very similar reasons that you've done, and I think it's such a potent way to connect that that makes those conversations happen. And I think these are really important conversations to be having. Yes. And so, beyond conversations, and I know, we, you know, you know, prior to recording, we talked a little bit about business and choice, you know, beyond the conversations what, how does our choice and how we live make an impact on our environment?

Dana Frankoff 28:44

Well, I there's a lot of ways there's like we talked about, like the local way where it's like, if you can go be a part or even start a beach or trash pickup, where you live, I mean, that can make a big difference. Now, I've found not only does it obviously pick up trash, but it builds community. And if you ever have a Sunday, where you're having like the Sunday scaries or you're just you know, whatever, I I will go pick up trash, and I can't tell you how much it just lifts my mood and it makes me feel like I'm doing something good. And it brings my head outside of being inside myself and it's for the greater cause. And so there's so many ways I think that within ourselves and then community that when we team together, it just feels good. You know, it makes it feels really nice to think that we're helping this environment that gives us so much I mean, we don't even really think about where our resources come You know, we've been lucky enough or rather not lucky enough to not really be involved in like where we get our water sources and our food and our power. But once you really like are mindful of those things. Like you're saying even the plastic for like, I now think about Okay, well Where did this come from? I'm going to use it for this one meal. And then where's it gonna go? And just being aware of those things changes your perspective, and kind of makes you in tune with this larger picture that actually feels really good.

Morgan Bailey 30:16

Absolutely, I mean, I, I have the same thought, you know, when a plastic fork or a straw and it's like this one single use is now going to be stuck in a landfill for 1000 years. Yes. You know, and I, you know, really resonate with the, you know, the picking up trash. I, you know, when I was living in San Francisco, I got so tired of seeing so much trash my block that I just, I bought when I was trash picker uppers. And you know, when I needed a break from work, I would just go cruise along the block picking up trash, and people look at me a little strange. I just smiled back. And I'm like, all right. And you know, and it felt really good. Yeah. The trash was there the next day. Okay, nonetheless, but not the same trash. Trash. Absolutely. And, you know, and that prevents things from, you know, I mean, again, this prevents trash from going into the ocean. And so it's like, every little bit on sand. You know, and I think for me, what I've realized is, I mean, I think all these conversations, all these things they have, they have impacts. And I think there are a lot of people out there who just don't understand the role that their actions play. I remember one moment, I was sitting in an intersection in California, and the car in front of me, the woman opened her door, and just threw, like, literally, like, threw her her trash out onto the road, and shut the door. And I know, I was angry. And but I realized that like this person, just they didn't understand the connection, right? Not the person, I want to do harm to the environment. And I don't I think they're probably very few people out there who are like, I want to do harm to the environment. They're just so how do you know, from your perspective? How can we continue to increase our consciousness, both within ourselves, but also with others who may not be aware?

Dana Frankoff 32:04

Sure, yeah. I mean, that's a tricky thing, right? You don't want to criticize anyone you know, because as I'm, as you said, like, she didn't know that she's doing anything harmful. She's probably in a rush, you know, needed to get the stuff out of her car, whatever. And I think just leading by example, is what I found, you know, leading, I've a lot of people in my worlds, you know, when I started making this film, I realized they didn't talk about stuff like this, they didn't really care, we're so detached from it. And then once even there, it was, like, oh, wow, Deena is really dedicated to making this film. And then they started looking at it differently. Like, I wonder why it is so important to her about it. And I found a lot of people just for me, putting my actions towards something that I was passionate about, started taking it a lot more seriously. So just really putting it out into the world as something that is important, you know, where we don't have to say, hey, you're doing it, you could do this better, you could do this differently, because we can all do things differently. And I'm aware of this more now than I was before, you know, and there's still things I use, compostable, but still, like a bag, it's three times a day, because of my dog, you know, and I hate it. And there's so many things that, like, still irked me to this day that I'm like, wow, I could be doing something else differently, but I don't know what it is yet. So just looking for those answers, just kind of continuing to be open to learning. And, like arts is a great thing, watching films, reading books, listening to podcasts, I mean, these are all things that open our eyes to things that could make us kind of more informed and feel like we're contributing a little bit more.

Morgan Bailey 33:52

So I, I'm imagining, you know, some of some of the listeners here are, are they want to make a difference? And maybe if they want to play a role in their business, right? Maybe it's their business, maybe it's a business they work for, they're like, Ah, you know, we could reduce our plastic we could reduce our emissions, you know, we could do differently. And, and I've, you know, I've been in that place. And, you know, it took me a while to launch this podcast, you know, because there's, there's fear there. And I feel like sometimes there's fear around doing these things. There's fear around doing the right thing. There's fear around stepping outside the norm. And I'm curious, what advice would you have for people who are really like, Yeah, I do want to lean into this. Yeah. But there's, there's fear there.

Dana Frankoff 34:36

Yeah. I think you'd be surprised. I think there's a lot more people, especially now they're on the same page. And I know Pixar is a great example of that. We have something called the green team. And the amount of progress that they've been able to make just through the studio is incredible. And I've gone to several of the meetings and there's you know, like seven people That are together that care about this, that are bringing awareness to other people having events where we bring in companies that are using more reliable sources for a, you know, and composting and stuff like that. And so, you know, I think just not kind of taking off that barrier and realizing even if you start by doing one little thing, you'll find that other people are, or will connect to it and really want to know more about it and, and kind of just get the ball rolling from there.

Morgan Bailey 35:33

Awesome. Thank you so much. And I'm curious, like, when when you were starting this film, you know, kind of what your experience was with, like, kind of navigating that terrain and what what that first step was for you?

Dana Frankoff 35:45

And I say, yeah, it was, it was kind of, it's hard to even it's like, This film is such a part of my life now that I, it's funny to remember that there was a time where it wasn't, I knew that I had never done something like this before, but I knew I had it in me. And again, it's one of those things where it's like, even if it just there the benefit of you and your friends and family, you know, that's enough. And so I really would, and if anyone out there, like we all do has something that there really has been on their to do list or the tip of their tongue and they want to get it out there, I would say, just take that first step and then keep taking little baby steps forward. And it's crazy. What you will see how the universe responds, once you kind of decide that you're committing to something.

Morgan Bailey 36:38

It's funny, I've given that advice so many times, and it never ceases to get old. It's one thing I know me personally, I have to continue to listen, like just take that first step and then just continue to take smaller steps and iterate along the way. Yes, as a coach, I've said that so many times, and yet, I need to hear it almost daily. Yes, I think we all do. Thank you for that. Again, it's I you know, I feel like I could talk to you for hours on so many different topics. But you know, as we kind of wind down the conversation a little bit, I'm like, I'm curious to know what's inspiring you right now?

Dana Frankoff 37:14

Yes. And that is a great question. I am continuing my, you know, research with ways to help the ocean. And what I found is there's ocean farming, that actually, if we were to focus a lot more into ocean farming than land farming, it could do an incredible amount for climate change and the environment. And I'm planning on my next film, I'm in development right now about some ocean farmer, women in Hawaii. So I'm really inspired and really excited to get going on that. So stay tuned.

Morgan Bailey 37:49

That's really exciting. It's really been a pleasure. I mean, this has been this, this is a really important topic for me. I mean, in graduate school, I studied environment with a focus on water quality, and specifically, you know, nearshore, coastal impacts of pollution. And so this is, this is something that's been really resonant in my life. And, you know, one of the stories I remember from graduate school was a video that one of my professors showed about his trip that he took into the garbage, the garbage patch in the Pacific. And it was a video of a fish inside a container. Now, the fish itself was too large for the entrance to the container. So what had happened is the fish had swam in there when it was a juvenile. And guys, it clan, this container. That sad. And you think about that? Yeah. And I think in some ways, it's analogous for what we're doing to ourselves, right? Where we're growing ourselves in containers in certain ways. Yes, absolutely. That's what we're pushing on to our environment. So I know that that story, always that image really stuck with me. And so I really appreciate what you're doing. I appreciate your dedication, your ability to tell this story and to tell other stories. And I'm really excited to continue to watch your films.

Dana Frankoff 39:06

Oh, thank you. Well, thank you for bringing light to it and watching the film and talking about it. And I really, this is really what has inspired me after making the film is just all the people that you get to communicate and connect with. So thank you so much.

Morgan Bailey 39:21

Absolutely. Now, so if people want to get if people want to learn more about the film, what's what's the best place to direct them

Dana Frankoff 39:27

to? Yeah, so right now, I would say Instagram is probably the best. There's at voice above water. And you can also reach out to me directly Dana at turning tides films, calm, and I love to continue the conversation. So please do

Morgan Bailey 39:45

awesome and I will put all of this in the show notes. So anyone interested can grab those. Dana, such a pleasure. So excited for you. And thank you for our next conversation, you know Yes, indeed. Promise. Awesome, thank you so much. Thanks for listening to another episode of the Prophet meets impact podcast. If you've enjoyed this experience, please subscribe wherever you find your podcast and leave a positive review. You can also find out more about the podcast at www.profitmeetsimpact.com

Transcribed by https://otter.ai