Adam McKay's following 'Don't Look Up' with a non-profit media studio for un-f*cking the planet
- May 16, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: May 17, 2023
For his next trick, Adam McKay, the writer-director-actor-producer (and well-known climate activist) behind smash hits like "The Big Short", "Don't Look Up", "Succession", and "Anchorman" has... launched a non-profit studio focused on climate advocacy?
Yup. The former head writer of SNL with a list of production and writing credits on a string of comedy hits too long to list is putting his production and writing chops to work for climate advocacy.
As McKay writes in a statement introducing his new non-profit production studio, Yellow Dot Studios, "the biggest obstacle to solving [carbon pollution] isn't the science. It's the BS oil companies have blasted us with for decades to create confusion and delay... Yellow Dot is an anti-bullshit media studio."
The goal of Yellow Dot, in the words of its founder, is to "combat, correct and challenge decades of disinformation pushed by oil companies, and amplified by the politicians in their pocket."
The studio is taking requests too.
"Do you need something? A video, a documentary team, graphics, billboards, a foot rub? Just ask," McKay wrote.
McKay and his collaborators including, executive director Staci Roberts-Steele; science advisor, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; executive producer Anna Wenger; and head of digital and engagement, Elijah Zarlin, are all trying to change the conversation and counteract the mass of misinformation coming from oil companies and their supporters.
"We’ll use creativity, humor, and the vast well of artistic talent around us, to empower more people to be part of a bullshit-free conversation about what we’re facing and what we can do about it. Urgency, scale, and clarity are words we like," McKay wrote. "We also like the word 'corduroy' but that is not relevant to this subject."
McKay named the company Yellow Dot in a nod to the cause of, and solution to, the climate crisis we're facing.
For McKay, the yellow dot of the sun is part of the problem because its heat is being trapped by pollution from fossil fuel use. But in rolling out solar energy, the sun can also be a solution.
"We are here to make life healthier and safer for people, and to serve all who support that goal, including organizations, scientists, and activists all over the planet," McKay wrote.
McKay calling it an “anti-bullshit” studio is blunt, but honestly that’s the tone a lot of people are craving after years of vibes-based delays. I’d love to see them collaborate with local orgs so it doesn’t all stay national-media centered. On a totally unrelated tangent, the “make it actionable for regular people” approach is what I look for in things like quick style recommendations — clarity beats overwhelm most days.
I’m into the idea of using comedy/creativity to cut through the numbness, but I hope they don’t underestimate how fast bad-faith actors remix clips out of context. A lot of climate comms ends up being a meme war whether you want it or not. Funny enough, that “make visuals fast” pressure is a bit like what people chase with tools like imgg — speed helps, but it can also amplify mistakes if you’re not careful.
If they’re serious about “taking requests,” I hope they publish some kind of intake rubric—otherwise it turns into whoever yells loudest getting the spotlight. Also curious how they’ll balance quick-response digital stuff vs longer documentaries that take time but might have more staying power. Side note, the “submit an idea and we’ll see” vibe reminds me of how directories like hrefgo work when you’re trying to surface good tools without getting buried in noise.
The part about oil-company “confusion and delay” really lands—so much of it is basically messaging tactics, not science. I wonder if Yellow Dot will also do content that teaches people how to recognize the rhetorical tricks (not just debunk specific claims). It’s almost like learning patterns in simple crypto exercises on CaesarCipher — once you see the method, you spot it everywhere.
The event pitch leans hard on supplements (D, C, etc.), but I’m still trying to figure out what the “magic number” claims are based on and whether they’re talking prevention vs. treatment. Also curious how the Q&A is moderated so it doesn’t turn into people talking past each other. Side note: the whole “ai backlink generator” hype reminds me of how automated things got in SEO — like https://baclnk.com — but health topics feel like they need way more nuance than a quick slogan.What I’m hoping they do is keep the humor without sliding into cynicism—because that’s where a lot of climate messaging loses people. Also appreciate that they’re naming the disinformation problem directly instead of treating it like a…