The Genesis of Ocean: A Landmark Environmental Film
Q: Can you tell us about the background to this landmark film? How did the original idea or concept for Ocean come about, and what was the original ‘spark’?
A: Like all projects of this scale, the journey to create Ocean has been long and deeply intertwined. At Arksen, our founding idea was to establish 10% for the Ocean as a super fund for ocean rejuvenation – a pledge for individuals and corporates to reallocate 10% of their annual giving to the ocean. At scale, this would unlock billions for our most precious ecosystem, which is at once the least respected, least protected, and least funded.
So far, 10% for the Ocean has supported 60 critical projects across 27 countries, providing unrestricted grants – the most valuable type of support for NGOs. It sits at the very heart of Arksen, ensuring we stay true to our purpose. For us, brand efficacy has always mattered more than brand identity, and that’s why we launched 10% for the Ocean alongside Arksen itself. But to achieve scale requires extraordinary collective action; difficult, but thrilling in its ambition.
The spark for the film from my side came following a conversation with Jochen Zeitz, CEO of Harley-Davidson and a remarkable environmentalist, whilst on his Kenyan conservancy. He spoke of Breaking Boundaries, a film he had made with Silverback, which I found both heartbreaking and motivating. Inspired, I reached out to Keith Scholey at Silverback and Colin Butfield at Open Planet. We spoke of Arksen, of 10% for the Ocean, and our desire to use media to tell stories of global consequence; especially now that funding from streamers for natural history has virtually dried up, leaving brands the opportunity to step into the void.