A Lifelong Passion

Around the same time I picked up my first camera as a kid, I was getting enrolled in Boy Scouts of America. It’s no exaggeration to say I spent half of my youth with cameras, computers, and scripts, and the other half climbing trees, telling stories around the campfire, and hiking trails in the Appalachian Mountains.

This experience left me with a strong conviction to “Leave it Better Than We Found it,” which I have carried into my career as a filmmaker.

Philosophy

The work you and I do has an impact on people, planet, and our collective future, and we want that impact to be positive. Since your work and mine wouldn’t be possible without healthy ecosystems and communities, I believe kindness and sustainability are essential to the long-term health of our businesses. I’m always looking for new ways to maximize the impact of our work together, and I love the challenge.

Earth Care, People Care, and Future Care.

What is sustainable production?

This looks different on every project, but some of our strategies include making routine meetings virtual, carpooling crew, avoiding unnecessary printed documents, and choosing reusable water bottles instead of single-use plastics.

Our work sometimes takes us into wild spaces, where we strive to be minimally disruptive to the plant and animal life calling that location home. We definitely avoid leaving trash behind… but you know, that’s a good policy on indoor shoots too! When a production requires catering, we prefer silverware to disposables, and have a preference for vendors who offer plant-based menu items and compostable containers.

In addition to reducing material waste on location, we make direct contributions to organizations protecting wildlife, ecosystems, and communities through responsible stewardship.

Since 2020, Aaron Pate Media LLC has contributed over 1% of all revenue to nonprofit organizations including these:

To those that know me well, this sustainable production initiative is no surprise.

Off the set, I spend my free time planting trees, tending my garden, and collecting and documenting litter. Explore the South Carolina Litter Journal here: https://www.anecdata.org/projects/view/122/about

If you’ve read this far, I hope you’re as excited about the possibilities as I am. Let’s build a sustainable future together.

-Aaron

aaron planting tree