End of Year Blog Post- 2019- Looking Back and Looking Ahead

It’s December, which means it’s time for me, Beth, to look back on the past year and write up our end of year blog post. This year has been a very bittersweet year. Much like current events- there is hope and there are losses- for the world, the environment and business.

I’ll start by mentioning that my friend and business partner, Lisa, will be leaving GPP at the end of January 2020.

She has gradually been reducing her work and duties with GPP this year, and I have been transitioning to sole leader of the company, which I founded in 2011, and we officially launched in 2012.

Lisa is moving on to pursue other interests and we remain the best of friends- sisters almost- and that will never change.

When I was inspired back in 2011, by an online conversation with Morgan Spurlock, to start my company, Lisa was one of the initial people I reached out to partner with me to create and grow Green Product Placement. When she said yes, I knew that I had found an industry powerhouse to be by my side.

Her steadfast contribution to the company has been invaluable to not only its longevity, but its standing in the industry today.

I will miss Lisa as a go-to person and trusted, supportive colleague within the company, as I already have, at certain events the latter part of this year, as she has begun her withdrawal.

There are no hard feelings and she is still keenly interested in seeing GPP succeed and continue its mission.

And although her time with Green Product Placement is drawing to a close, she is still very much a cheerleader for the environment, responsible and sustainable advertising and consumption and seeing the Film and TV production business become a model for transitioning the business to a sustainable future.

We’ve done a lot of good together, these last 7 years, and her presence at GPP will be missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year was also the year that we officially launched our Advisory Board. We also updated our website, to a more modern, user friendly design. The advisory board launch created a lot of buzz, including features in The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, a live Interview on Cheddar, Clean Technica and others. Check out our PRESS PAGE for links to all of the great press we’ve gotten this year and since we launched.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Production placement has been steady throughout the year, placing in around 55+ productions. We added new clients Quorn, Social Sparkling Wine, Elmhurst, Slrrrp and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, among others. Our brands continued to capture onscreen exposure in shows like SMILF, Orange is the New Black, Easy, and Big Little Lies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We attended Natural Products Expo West and Summer Fancy Foods together, and I (Beth) attended Expo East, Reducetarian, and was a panel member and presenter at Sustainatopia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was accepted into the Female Founder Collective and was featured in Champagne Hippies.

For all the triumphs, however, the current environment, for well, the environment- and small sustainably focused brands is having a tough time these days. With the leading political party here in States being one that denies climate change and values profit over planet, people are struggling. Tariffs have taken a toll. Although employment numbers are up, this is only because people are juggling two or more jobs because wages have stagnated.

I was disappointed to find out at Expo East a few months ago, that venerable natural brand, Kiss My Face had gone out of business. They were one of the first natural brands that I had placed in a show, in a manner of speaking. Way back in 1998, when I was assistant set decorator on “Runaway Bride”, my boss, the set decorator, requested we place some natural brands. We had to dress the “Curl Up and Dye” salon, and she hated the smell of conventional products. So we reached out directly and placed Kiss My Face, and Aveda, along with some conventional brands. There weren’t as many natural brands to choose from back then.

We’re both pleased and proud that we’ve been able to get great natural beauty brands like 100% Pure, Blum, Suki, Wedderspoon and so many others, on to sets and into those Hair and Makeup trailers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I write this, Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish Climate Activist has been named “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine. Her amazing story of protesting, alone, in front of Swedish Parliament, just a year and a half ago, to mobilizing the world’s youth (and adults, too), to demand action on climate has been truly remarkable. She’s spoken at Davos and COP 25, met and been admired by the Pope, world leaders, Jane Goodall, Leonardo DiCarprio and so many others.

But we need people like Greta because Climate Change is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, and not enough is being done by government, businesses or consumers. The bushfires in Sydney , the Amazon rainforest (aka “the lungs of the world”) and California this year killed people and wildlife and destroyed homes and habitat. The Amazon and Australia fires, especially, released record amounts of C02 into the atmosphere. The smoke became such a danger in Sydney that schools and business had to close.

In September, just ahead of the UN Climate Summit, leading scientists warned climate change was hitting harder and sooner than what was expected. In just the 7 years that we’ve been in business, climate change and mass extinction have become foremost on the minds of many.

But it’s still not enough. As the largest existential crisis facing humankind and the planet today, action on climate, transitioning energy sources to more sustainable ones, curbing consumption and transitioning our consumption to greener choices must become everyday behavior for everyone.

Imagine a future where humans live in harmony with nature. Where transportation options are run on renewable energy and public transportation options are many.

This GREAT VIDEO, narrated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, imagines a Greener future made possible by the proposed Green New Deal.

As I look ahead to the year 2020, I remain hopeful that small actions will multiply and change the culture and that common sense and empathy will win out over doubt and hopelessness. The 2020 US elections have more at stake than almost any other election in US history. With the current president vowing to withdraw from The Paris Agreement, many other political leaders- senators, congresspeople, governors, mayors and business leaders are determined to hold government and industry to standards in keeping with the agreement’s goals, which many feel aren’t even ambitious enough, to mitigate serious climate catastrophe.

As I write this, an impeachment trial for this climate and science denying president is imminent, and the Democratic field of presidential nominees running against him is still quite large.

There is no telling what the next 12 months will bring, but here at Green Product Placement, I- and currently still “we” will continue to strive for our own little victories for sustainable behavior and green and better brands- by getting them onscreen. This is by normalizing plant based and organic food and health and beauty products, sustainably distilled liquor brands, eco-fashion, re-useable water bottles instead of bottled water, and causes like Human Rights, sustainable forestry, and conservation.

All you can do is what you can do….and as Greta illustrates, even the smallest gesture can ripple and grow around the world. For 2020, we’re going to imagine the state of the world getting better. We’re going to imagine common sense, scientific consensus, compassion and ingenuity being the driving forces to a better future.

And with that, we’re wishing you- our friends, colleagues, studio contacts, clients, and industry contacts our best wishes to for a happy, healthy holiday season and prosperous and sustainable new year!

Check out our HOLIDAY E- CARD HERE.

All my best,

Beth