Solving for Zero

Climate documentaries are tricky. Everyone thinks you can scare people into action, but fear rarely motivates people to do anything. When you tell someone the problem is so massive, so sad, so devastating, they shut down. They feel powerless. They change the channel.

We wanted "Solving for Zero" to take a different approach.

Inspired by Bill Gates's book "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," we followed five innovators around the world who are developing real solutions. Wind-powered cargo ships. Sustainable cement. Fusion power. These aren't theoretical concepts. They're tangible progress being made by super smart, determined people.

The creative challenge was finding the right tone. We needed to be honest about the scope of the climate crisis without leaving audiences feeling hopeless. During pandemic restrictions, I was able to interview Bill Gates twice over Zoom. His perspective helped frame these innovations and explain why incremental progress matters.

The innovators themselves deepened this understanding. They shared the belief that brilliant people are working on this challenge, meaningful progress is happening, and there's space for everyone to contribute in their own way.

This project matters deeply to me. My children will inherit this world, and their children and their children after them. We cannot pass this problem to future generations hoping they'll solve what we couldn't. Or franky, chose not to. While not everyone will invent fusion power, we all have something to offer. Sometimes the most important thing storytelling can do is help people believe that their contribution matters.