Member Stories
Stephanie Shires: Leverage Point

Based in the heart of the coworking space at The Old Church School, Leverage Point Entertainment is helping to reshape how film and television productions think about their environmental impact. Working across the UK and Europe, the sustainability agency partners with productions, studios and suppliers to embed greener practices into every stage of the filmmaking process, from power and transport to costumes, sets and storytelling itself.

We caught up with Steph Shires, one of our coworkers here at The Old Church School, to talk about her journey into sustainability, the challenges of changing an industry built around fast-moving productions, and why the screen sector has a unique opportunity to lead by example when it comes to protecting the planet.

For anyone new to Leverage Point, can you tell us a bit about what the company does?

Leverage Point Entertainment is a Sustainability Agency, specialising in the screen sector across the UK and Europe. Essentially that means we work with Film & Television productions, studios or suppliers to help create a greener and more sustainable industry!

To achieve this, we offer lots of services. For example, we provide training and workshops to educate the industry on our impacts and how to make improvements, but we also love getting ‘hands on’ too. This can take the form of script consultation which embeds sustainably storytelling on screen, or it can be on the ground implementation of sustainability plans – developing and managing sustainable initiatives such diesel free productions, circular design within costumes and construction, or engaging with cast members to create behind the scenes content.

How did you get involved in sustainability within the film and entertainment industry and what’s your role at Leverage Point?

Nature and sustainability have always been a passion of mine since a young age. Our family holidays usually consisted of walks where we would look for cool bugs amongst the plants and my grandad would tell me all about them. But on the other hand I always wanted to work within the film and TV industry, and actually started with the dream of being an executive producer – although at the time I had no clue what that really entailed, and just thought it sounded cool.

I was lucky enough to study a BSc in Film and Television production at the University of York, and it was during that time that I first became aware of the issues surrounding sustainability in filmmaking. From there, I began seeing how I could combine my two passions and as part of one of my first jobs in the industry I took on the responsibility of completing the production’s carbon footprint and creating a sustainability report. That love for carbon footprints and sustainability then grew and grew, until I eventually left the production department to pursue sustainability as a full time role.

I know most people say no two days are the same in their job, but I really don’t think that could be more true than it is for my role. One day I could be giving a talk to a cinema full of people or attending a glamorous event, and the next I might be digging through bins to separate the recycling! Essentially my role is to oversee our slate of current and upcoming projects and productions, but in practice that means a lot of different things – conducting research and carbon calculations, doing talks and training, or it could mean being on set to collect data and implement our sustainability plans.

The entertainment industry isn’t necessarily known for its environmental credentials – what are some of the main challenges when it comes to making productions more sustainable?

There is so much going on behind the scenes and big productions are essentially mini cities which are moved from location to location while we film. But that being said, even smaller productions have a big impact too! Whether it’s the carbon emitted from our crew catering, the waste generated when we strike a set, or the impact we have on the environment we film in – there is so much to think about.

Some of the main challenges we are facing at the moment come in the form of power and fuel. Our industry has traditionally had a strong reliance on fossil fuel and diesel generators, and switching to renewables comes with big challenges when we need to move lots of equipment on a regular basis and the locations we are working in can be quite remote. In addition, circularity is another big challenge. Our industry is predominantly freelance and people move from project to project very quickly, so embedding re-use and circular practices is very tricky. That being said, there are lots of amazing people out there who are doing great work in these areas – and many others – in order to create real difference.

How do you help productions reduce their environmental impact in practical terms?

If you had a venn diagram of all the industries in the world and where they overlap I think that Film & TV, alongside many other creative industries, would fall right in the middle. We may be looking to reduce the impact of Film and TV specifically, but as part of that we are working with each department – and they all come from their own industries. With that in mind, there is so much we can tackle to reduce our impact – because we are tackling so many areas! From introducing fabric recycling for scraps in the costume department to engaging with ecologists out on location to put in place guidance on SFX usage to protect local flora and fauna.

Recently we have worked with various major productions that were leading the way with ambitious Diesel Free Objectives, alongside a whole host of other initiatives such as mandated reusables, specialised material recycling, and food donation partnerships to name just a few. For example, a switch to electric, hybrid and alternatively fuelled vehicles led to a reduction in unit fleet emissions by 95% on one production, and through extensive crew engagement we managed to achieve recycling rates which exceeded the national average!

What kind of progress have you seen across the industry in the past few years? Are attitudes towards sustainability starting to shift?

100% yes! Sustainability in our industry is still considered as a new area, but there is very much a growing drive towards creating a sustainable future – and not just amongst sustainability professionals but amongst wider crews too. When I began working in the industry and focussing on sustainability most crew had never thought of it before and didn’t really know how to engage with it, but now lots of crew will bring ideas to me themselves and are suggesting solutions without me even prompting it. Alongside that cultural shift, technology and infrastructure has also come a long way too, and things that once seemed like a distant future are now becoming more and more possible for productions to achieve – especially when it comes to power and fuel.

Do you think audiences are beginning to care more about how their favourite films and shows are made – not just what’s on screen?

I think there is definitely some increasing audience awareness about the impact behind the scenes, but we still have a way to go! In fact – this is a big passion of mine and I love talking to audiences to educate them about what happens behind the scenes. I think this audience awareness is a big piece of the puzzle for us in creating lasting change for the industry!

Some great things to take a look at if you are interested in this area are the case studies on the albert website, or these playlists of behind the scenes sustainability content from Universal and Netflix.

What drew you to base yourself at The Old Church School?

Both me and my partner were working from home after we moved to the area, and as we are based quite rurally it meant that we were feeling quite isolated – which is what initially led us to look for a coworking space. (Plus working from home meant we kept getting sidetracked by wanting to play with our cat which was making us much less productive!)

Being at TOCs means that my partner is able to have his own desk for all his kit and I can have a flexible coworking tariff that allows me to come and go as I need – but we both get the benefit of being able to commute together and meet new people. As another bonus, I often need to take confidential calls about projects and the private phone booths are perfect for exactly that.

What’s next for Leverage Point – any exciting initiatives or partnerships in the pipeline?

Many exciting things, but sadly none that I can tell you about just yet – I suppose you’ll just have to follow our social media and keep an eye out 👀

What’s your hope for the future of sustainability in the entertainment world?

I really believe that we can create an industry that not only embraces sustainability behind the scenes, but that can use its reach to inspire others in our fight against climate change. We are very honoured in our industry that we are able to tell our stories with huge audiences, but that also comes with a big responsibility to tell ones that inspire kindness to our planet and to others.

I don’t think the road to sustainable production will necessarily be a smooth one, but our industry is full of creative people who are brilliant at coming up with creative solutions to tricky problems – so I have no doubt we will figure it out. A future where productions not only look after the environment and the communities around us, but one where we actively work to protect and support it – leaving a legacy of positive impacts. After all, sustainability isn’t just about doing what’s best for the current generation, it’s about doing what’s best for future generations too!

What was the last movie you saw and would you recommend it?

The last film I watched was actually a documentary called ‘The Perfect Neighbour’ which was recently released on Netflix about the shooting of a woman in Florida a couple of years ago. It’s an incredibly powerful film and a brilliant piece of filmmaking.

Maybe not the ideal choice for a family movie night, but if you love documentaries or true crime then I would certainly recommend it!