Inside the ESG Film Festival: The power of storytelling Episode 28
Episode Summary
This week InvestmentNews put on its annual ESG Film Festival alongside its ESG Summit. We created this film festival to bring to life the impact that sustainable investing can create for people around the world. I wanted to explore the power of storytelling in this episode, so I brought on one of the storytellers I know, and my former boss, Matt Ackermann. We talk about the genesis of the festival, what makes good storytelling, and why it’s so critical for our industry.
Episode Notes
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The genesis for the film festival.
- The story of making our first Impact documentary in 2018.
- The mark the production of that documentary left on both Matt and me.
- About the first ESG Film Festival.
- The power of storytelling.
- Why storytelling matters so much for our industry.
- How and why advisers need to tell stories to win.
Impact: Investing with a Purpose documentary
Related Article: Helping investors cut through the noise of ESG investing
Related Article: Experts downplay need for universal ESG standards
Guest Bio: Matt Ackermann: I’ve spent the past 20 years working for various wealth management media outlets to create content that really stands apart. For the past eight years, I was director of multimedia at InvestmentNews, where I was honored with 15 ASPBE awards for digital content creation, including our work on Practice Makeover, a reality series about helping financial advisers jump-start their business, and a documentary on impact investing that debuted at the United Nations. Before working at InvestmentNews, I worked at Financial Planning, American Banker, and the New Jersey Law Journal, where I was honored with the New Jersey Press Association’s “Rookie of the Year” Award in 1997.
Most people would be surprised to discover that I have coached semi-pro baseball for the past 25 years, accumulating over 600 wins, three New Jersey state titles, and the 2019 Metropolitan Baseball League Title. When I’m not coaching baseball, I’m spending time with my wife Marisa, who is a counseling director at a high school in Union County, N.J., and our two sons, CJ (9) and Ryan (3). CJ, who is already smarter than his Dad, has an encyclopedic knowledge of Harry Potter, and I’m hoping Ryan will someday be a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles.