Aaron Hagey-MacKay: Writer at The Climate Ad Project

Started in 2020 as a sort of Lincoln Project for the Climate Crisis The Climate Ad Project is a small team of creative writers, designers, videographers, and scientists working together to create content and activate as many of us as possible to take action. 

The team is made up of scrappy, smart, and downright funny people including Peter Kalmus, Aaron Hagey-MacKay, Harold Moss, Brian Emerson, and Sarah Harrison.

Recently we caught up with Aaron who is a copywriter and former editor for The Beaverton,  which is like the Canadian version of The Onion.

Aaron’s main goal with the Climate Ad Project is to craft compelling stories to spur action and raise awareness, whether that’s through primal emotions or sardonic humor.

Together they’re Producing and promoting some truly funny and poignant content shedding light on some pretty grim topics in the hopes to spark action and raise awareness.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Aaron Hagey-MacKay.

Climate Ad Project:
https://climateadproject.org/
https://www.instagram.com/climateadproject/

Aaron Hagey-MacKay
Tiktok:
 https://www.tiktok.com/@aaronh_m

LinkedIn:
 https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-hagey-mackay-8421a442/

Twitter:
@aaronhm

Topics we covered

[:50] What is the Climate Ad Project?
[2:49] What is Climate Anxiety?
[4:37] Belief VS Understanding
[8:28] Carbon Offsets
[13:00] Shifting the Climate Narrative
[14:50] What is the role of advertising in climate change?
[15:53] Clean Creatives
[18:00] Voting with your talent
[19:00] Du Maurier & the Just for Laughs Festival
[20:00] Thinking in Systems:  Donella H. Meadows
[21:24] Peter Kalmus
[26:16] Donut Economics
[27:42] Star Wars VS Star Trek

Task of Cosmic Importance:
https://climateadproject.org/task-of-cosmic-importance/

Aaron’s Reading List:

Merchants of Doubt: Naomi Oreskes & Erik Conway
Doughnut Economics: Kate Raworth
Thinking in Systems: Donella Meadows
Braiding Sweetgrass: Robin Wall Kimmerer
Ishmael: Daniel Quinn 
Demon-Haunted World: Carl Sagan
Capital and Ideology: Thomas Piketty
The Ministry of the Future: Kim Stanley Robinson
Homo Deus: Yuval Noah Harari
Don't Think of an Elephant: George Lakoff

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Darts in the Dark Host:
Casey Hogue is the Founder and Executive Creative Director of Serotonin Creative Consultancy. Serotonin is a Creative Brand-Building, Content Creation, and Social Impact Consultancy that builds and amplifies the impact of purpose-driven brands and organizations in the public and private sectors.

Connect with Casey:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caseyhogue/
[e-mail]

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