The Story That Changed Laws in 150 Countries — with Adam Leipzig

About this episode

Adam Leipzig discusses how storytelling through film can influence environmental laws and shares insights for healthcare entrepreneurs.

Adam Leipzig was a senior executive at Walt Disney Studios when Disney was still scrappy. He helped build it into a cultural powerhouse. He went on to become President of National Geographic Films. Across four decades, he has produced over 40 acclaimed films (the likes of Dead Poets Society, March of the Penguins, A Plastic Ocean) that have collectively earned over $2 billion worldwide and picked up Oscars, BAFTAs, Emmys, and Golden Globes along the way. But the reason he's here is one film. A Plastic Ocean has been directly credited with changing environmental laws in over 150 countries. Plastic bag bans. Straw regulations. Manufacturer end-of-life requirements. If you live somewhere those laws exist, there's a real chance this film is part of the reason why. Not a policy paper. Not a lobbying campaign. A story. That's what Adam does. He figures out how to make people care... and then move. In this conversation, Adam and Frank dig into what clinicians and healthcare entrepreneurs can steal from decades at the highest levels of film, theater, and media. If you've ever struggled to articulate what you do, why it matters, or how to get people to actually listen: this one is for…

People in this episode

Host: Frank Benedetto

Guest: Adam Leipzig

Topics covered

• environmental laws
• storytelling
• healthcare entrepreneurship
• film industry
• narrative structure

Keywords

• environmental laws
• storytelling
• A Plastic Ocean
• healthcare
• narrative structure
• film industry
• Adam Leipzig

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Walt Disney Studios, National Geographic Films

Books & works: Dead Poets Society, March of the Penguins, A Plastic Ocean

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