A talk with Brita from Tangrystan - Winners of the Green Production of the year

Green Producers Club is the proud sponsors of the new Green Production Award at the 10th anniversary Gullbranson Award Show. Gullbranson is the Norwegian advertising film industry's own annual award show.??

The Green Production award goes to the production company that has done as much as possible to secure a green production. We had a talk with the winner, Brita Synn?ve Holt Vistnes from Tangrystan about the award and the future of green productions.?

Congratulations, how are you feeling??

Great, thank you!

Winning the prize was a surprise and an honour. I was unsure if we were going to win, our competitors had innovative solutions and our production was more “normal”. In retrospect we can see why we won, the production was extremely stripped down and we made a lot of right decisions when it came to keeping the emissions as low as possible.?

This award definitely gave us an extra boost to double down on our commitment to green production. At the moment I am in the middle of my first project since winning the award, and green production has been a frequent talking point.

Our current client is aware of the award and I’ve been getting a very positive response from them when I’ve brought up the subject. Some crew members have even brought up sustainability themselves, how they can be more environmentally friendly in their department, on their own initiative.

After years of attempting to motivate the crew, I have to admit that this was a huge moment for me. They voluntarily took responsibility for their department and the choices they made.

The industry is changing, and more companies are joining the movement. At Tangrystan Productions AS we have focused on green productions for some years now, but initiatives like Green Producers Club and the Green Production Award are driving awareness in the industry and putting the spotlight on green productions. The effect we see is that everyone is taking this whole issue more seriously, and that's amazing!??

In addition to being a Production Manager, you are also Klimaansvarlig (Chief Sustainability Officer) at Tangrystan. Could you tell us a bit about that role??

Growing up, I was an active member of NATUR OG UNGDOM (the largest Norwegian youth environment protection organisation). So when we first got contacted by the Green Producers Club to join, I got really excited.???

There was no plan to have the CSO role at our company when we started Tangrystan. But as we grew, it became evident that we needed an internal resource to motivate, inform and guide the rest of the team. This is something that anyone can do, but it does help to have a personal drive and interest in the green movement.

When we first talked to the Green Producers Club in 2019, we had already started to implement measures like recycling and vegetarian food in our productions. But the framework and list of specific measures that Green Producers Club provided us with made it a lot easier for us to structure our productions and reach our goals.?

We have absolutely changed the way we work, becoming much more critical and fearless when it comes to questioning our decisions. This creates a more dynamic workflow but also a more environmentally friendly place to work.?

In my opinion, all companies should have a CSO, this creates commitment across the company to a green approach as the employees will have a designated person to come to. The fact that this is an important job at our company shows our employees that we are really committed to change and it helps us steer in the right direction.?

What are your best tips to producers who want to go green???

First and foremost you need to have the mindset that this is NOT a choice - all productions have to be as environmentally friendly as possible, even if they include travel like flying. With this mentality, changes that you at first might perceive as a burden will over time become a natural part of any production.

The second tip is to introduce the concept of green productions as early as possible. It should be a part of the treatment - we see this as a positive attribute of the product we sell and our clients agree with that. At Tangrystan, this is an important part of our pre-production meetings with the customer and agency we are working with.

We are so grateful to be working with clients and agencies that are team players when it comes to green productions - so far we have not experienced any resistance against it. Anorak / NoA , the agency that we won the award together with, is also a member of the Green Producers Club. The fact that they are so committed to change makes our job so much easier.?

You should also give yourself room to make mistakes. Green habits are not built in a day. Start with recycling and when you get a handle on that, move on to always booking electrical vehicles when possible. Small steps will take you all the direction.?

Finally, like in all other situations, communication is key! If you can communicate your demands, needs, wishes and expectations to your staff and clients, you will be able to make a change.?

What do you hope to see from future winners of the prize??

More innovative solutions, but also “normal” productions, made as simple and sustainable as possible. I hope the industry makes it as hard as possible for the jury to pick a winner due to the sheer number of fantastically green productions.

It would also be very interesting to see a future winner who can document how they changed a production from worst to best in class. Showing how they took an idea and reworked it to be produced in a green manner without compromising on quality or storytelling.

We asked the founder of the Green Producers Club, Mads Astrup R?nning , about the Award. What do you think of this year's winner?

First of all, Tangrystan and Brita are worthy winners of this year's award. They have been working sustainably for a long time, and are an inspiration for all of us. Well done!

It is vital for the Green Producers Club to have members like Tangrystan, with a lot of know-how and experience. Their input helps form and improve the Tool, our Production Guides and the Crew Guides, so that even more members can become best in class when it comes to sustainable production.?

The award is meant to inspire the industry to produce as sustainably as possible.

It raises awareness and motivation, and most importantly a reward for your efforts. We hope the Green Production Award soon will be the most prestigious award in our industry.

If you are interested in joining the Green Producers Club go to: https://www.greenproducers.club