Biography
Aria McKenna is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker and Al Gore trained climate impact strategist who works to build bridges between climate scientists, policy makers, media and the public. Born in Miami - ground zero for sea level rise in the United States, her brand is "Saving Planet Us". Her mission is to use storytelling to break down the cultural barriers that keep us from restoring a safe climate.
With roots as a film producer/writer/director, voice-over artist, and award winning actress, Aria's experience has run the gamut from appearing on screen at The Rhode Island International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and more - to organizing a Scientific Advisory Panel for director/producer Adam McKay's Hyperobject Industries, lobbying senators in and out of Washington DC with Citizens Climate Lobby, and helping to co-found the Healthy Planet Action Coalition with climate scientists and policy experts around the world to restore a safe climate through the holistic "climate triad". She's also created both short and long form environmentally driven content through Global Cooling Productions and the Sierra Club, produced political ads for NY candidates through Quantum Surge Media, was part of the narrative division of the Healthy Climate Alliance, and on-camera host for GreenTV and Long Island International Film Expo. She's also been keynote speaker for Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, helped produce American Renewable Energy Institute's AREDay Summit hosting Tom Steyer, on the Climate and Energy Working Group for the American Sustainable Business Council, on the advisory board for Love the Wild Foundation and active with Aspen Ideas Climate and Covering Climate Now.
Having finished High School in Rome, Italy, Aria speaks fluent Italian and a smattering of French and Spanish. In Rome, she got her first taste of theater acting and her first glimpse into the impact culture plays on beliefs and behavior. Then, after graduating The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, she performed in musicals at Shakespeare Santa Cruz before beginning her legit acting career on stage with Paul Rudd and Adam Scott in Bloody Poetry, which Paul produced. After a summer waiting tables on the Italian seaside, she moved to NY, where she ran The New York Voice Over Success Program and Voice Tree Productions for almost two decades. She trained actors and produced and directed countless voice over demos while acting in supporting and starring roles in theater, film, TV, commercials and audio-books.
But after the BP Oil Spill devastated The Gulf of Mexico, Aria's favorite swimming spot as a teenager, she felt increasingly concerned about her daughter's future and compelled to find more purpose in her work. So she co-created the TV series, REVOLUTION EARTH with Golden Globe, People's Choice Award winner Jeff Abugov (Roseanne/Cheers/Two and a Half Men). Then, while getting more insight into the movement, Aria took the reins and began her deep dive into the environmental community.
Aria believes that stories can help bring out the best in our humanity, and that love of water and of family can help unite us to save what we love.
