Darts in the Dark Produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy

My guest today is Dena Prastos

A Waterfront architect, civil engineer, futurist, climate adaptation expert, and entrepreneur,

She is also the Founder and CEO of Indigo River a women-owned transdisciplinary architectural and design firm.

At Indigo River they are transforming the built world at the water's edge.

I learned a lot throughout our talk about the interconnectedness of design, technology, community, and nature.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with
Dena Prastos

Reference Links:
Indigo River
https://www.indigoriver.com/
Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved

Inspired by the increasing ‘Paradox of Choice’ burden on consumers, and the ever-increasing dispersion of goods and services, my guest on this episode founded a company to satisfy the basic needs of our daily lives.

She believes there needs to be a clear choice for consumers, who are tired of marketing gimmicks, intrusive promotions, and endless variants when selecting and buying basic, everyday products.

The personal care industry is primed for disruption. For too long, the major players have stifled competition by acquiring new brands to control or eliminate them.   

However, people are waking up to the unsustainable nature of this sector and the ever-increasing number of products driving up unnecessary, meaningless consumption.   

That's where TAKK comes in, offering an 'Essential Only' philosophy to disrupt the industry to build a purposeful one instead.

My guest today is Pinar Akiskalioglu.

Pinar is the founder of TAKK, an anti-brand personal care company that promises to sell people only what they need, only when they need it.

Educated at the University of Oxford and Harvard Business School, Pınar has a clear understanding of the rules of the current economic structure, yet she is an optimist and believes humanity can build new systems that privilege wider society rather than the few.   

Pınar is also the founder of Punk Business School, working hard to put humanity at the heart of business education.

We discussed the business philosophy, sustainability, circular economy, and the triple-bottom-line business model.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Pinar Akiskalioglu.

Reference Links:
TAKK
https://takk.co.uk/

Punk Business School:
https://www.punkbusinessschool.com/

Reading List:
Marcus Aurelius: Meditations
Jonatha Livingston Seagull
Bertrand Russell: The Conquest of Happiness
School of Life
On the nature of things




Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved

Guest: Duncan Meisel
Executive Director, Clean Creatives.
 
 A big part of running a branding and marketing firm focused on social & environmental impact is evaluating who we work with.
 
 I get asked a lot about what types of clients and projects we will or will not take on. And, yeah Serotonin Creative Consultancy won’t just work on any job that doesn’t have some true impact component to it.
A few ways we stick to that is through organizations like1% for the planet, B-Corp (which we’re in the process of getting certified) and the Clean Creatives Pledge which we took a while ago because ultimately SUSTAINABILITY IS ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS and the people we do business with, NOT just what we do internally.

As creatives and leaders of agencies, the Clean Creatives pledge says that you will decline contracts specifically with the fossil fuel industry.
Today on the show is Duncan Meisel who is the Executive Director of Clean Creatives which is a campaign to end the advertising and PR industry's work with fossil fuels.

We’re at a watershed moment for climate activism in marketing & advertising.
As communicators continuing to work for fossil fuel companies pose risks to agencies’ reputation, recruitment, and retention.

Sustainable brands need clean agencies in order to grow.  
Named as one of Adweek's Sustainability Leaders, and Campaign's Top 10 Trailblazers for 2022 Duncan is Bringing together leading agencies, creatives, and clients to end their support for the fossil fuel industry's misinformation campaigns. 
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Duncan Meisel.

~Casey Hogue


Resources:

Duncan Meisel:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-meisel-8aa904158/

Clean Creatives:
https://cleancreatives.org/

Fossil Free Media:
https://fossilfree.media/
Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved

With summer in full swing, I’ve recently had a trip to the beach to get away from work and soak up some sun. 
Hanging out in the sand and seeing the homes, businesses, and infrastructure on the coastline it really hit home how climate change is affecting not only sea level rise but the lively hoods of millions of people living on and near the coasts.
 
 Sea level rise and the solutions to mitigate it are not just an environmental threat but a social one as well. 
 
To dig into the interconnectedness and impact global warming has on our coastlines and the people that live around them I spoke to someone on the forefront of their solutions.
 
Janelle Kellman is a global leader in climate resilience and has spent the last two decades working on challenges that define the 21st Century, from climate change and energy usage to housing, homelessness, economic development, and equity and inclusion. 


She is an attorney, former mayor of Sausalito California, and Founder / CEO of The Center for Sea Rise Solutions. 

She’s also a badass athlete whose varied background in spots, law, entrepreneurship, and expertise in coastal resilience made her the perfect person to reach out to on this topic.

 
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Janelle Kellman.

Janelle Kellman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelle-kellman-esq-she-her-86021a4/

Center for Searise Solutions:
https://www.searisesolutions.org/



Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved

Weldon Kenedy is a social change campaigner and entrepreneur who has worked in the US, Europe, and Africa. He’s been the managing director for Change.org in Europe and co-founded Enda - the first running shoes made in Kenya. 
Now, back in the Bay Area, Weldon is co-founder and CMO for Channing Street Copper Company which produces the world's first energy storage-equipped induction electric range.

Resources below:

Weldon Kennedy:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/weldonkennedy/

Channing St. Copper Co.:
https://www.channingcopper.com/

One Campaign:
https://www.one.org/us/

Enda:
https://www.endasportswear.com/

Other Lab:
https://www.otherlab.com/




Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved

Thanks for tuning in to a special live recording episode of Darts in the Dark. I recently sat down with a panel during the first-ever San Francisco Climate Week to host a conversation about evolving the climate narrative. 
I invited a stacked panel of climate communicators including documentary film director Richard Yelled, Co-Founder of Climate Designers.org Marc O’Brien, and Cynthia Lohr, Co-owner and Chief Brand Officer of J. Lohr Vineyard and Wines.

It was such an honor not only have such outstanding guests but also to have the opportunity to be a part of SF Climate Week.
 
 I hope you enjoy our first-ever live recording of Darts in the Dark.
~Casey Hogue


Panelists:

Cynthia Lohr: Co-Owner and Chief Brand Officer of J. Johr Vineyards and Wine
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-lohr-b767677/
https://www.jlohr.com/growingsustainability


Marc O'Brien: Co-Founder of ClimateDeisgners.org, Designer, Strategist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcmobrien/
https://www.marcobrien.net/
https://www.climatedesigners.org/

Richard Yelland: Chief Creative Officer at Curtis Birch & Director, Producer & Writer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardyelland/
https://curtisbirch.com/


Event Host:
Wefunder
https://wefunder.com/

Event Sponsors:
J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines
https://www.jlohr.com/

SF Climate Week
https://www.sfclimateweek.org/

101 Cider House
https://101cider.com/



____________________________
Please reach out to us via email for feedback, suggestions for future topics, or guest recommendations. hello@serotonincreative.com


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/
casey@serotonincreative.com

Key Art Illustrations: Morgan Buschman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-buschman-896045169/
https://www.morganbuschman.com/

Post Production: Justin Mills
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mills-030090159/
https://www.justinmillsvideo.com/


Darts in the Dark is produced by Serotonin Creative Consultancy
2023 all rights reserved