Jane and David’s Starter Guide to Saving the World

J.J. Johnson is the creative force and founding partner of Sinking Ship Entertainment. He is a four-time Emmy-winning executive producer, three-time Emmy-winning director, CSA and WGC award-winning writer, and best-selling author. J.J. has created over 17 series including Dino Dana and Annedroids (Amazon Prime), Endlings (Hulu), and the Ghostwriter reboot (AppleTV+). Most recently he created Lockdown (YouTube Originals), a teen mystery series which was shot exclusively on webcams and cell phones during the Covid-19 crisis. Upcoming originals include Jane (AppleTV+), an environmental action-adventure series produced alongside the Jane Goodall Institute. J.J. actively lends his perspective within the media industry, academia, and beyond. He has co-authored multiple academic papers, and has been a guest speaker at organizations such as the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the International Communication Association, and the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva. He is also the co-chair of the Youth Media Alliance. Christin Simms is an Emmy Award-winning producer and Emmy nominated writer. She has written and executive produced multiple exceptional kids and family programs for Sinking Ship Entertainment including Dino Dana and Annedroids (Amazon/TVO), Endlings (Hulu/CBC), Ghostwriter (Apple TV+), and most recently Lockdown (YouTube Originals). Christin’s talents and contribution to the industry have been awarded with two Canadian Screen Awards, two Canadian Screenwriting Awards, and the Youth Media Alliance’s Emerging Talent Award. She was named one of Playback Magazine’s Top Ten to Watch, and has recently become a best-selling author. Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson is the Chief Scientist and co-founder of the OK Play app, a creative community where every kid can create, play and share content. As a developmental psychologist with an expertise in children’s media and technology, Colleen serves as an adjunct professor at Ryerson University and co-founder of the Ryerson Children’s Media Lab. She is also an education and research advisor to Sinking Ship Entertainment, advisor to OneFish TwoFish Consulting, and co-author of the bestselling children’s books, Dino Dana: Dino Field Guide Volume 1 and Volume 2. Colleen is passionate about applying best practices from science into tech and media products to enhance the lives of families everywhere. She holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University as a National Science Foundation graduate fellow. Alexis Grieve is an Emmy award-nominated television producer who joined Sinking Ship Entertainment in 2016 after spending 5 years developing and producing indie films, including When Jews Were Funny (Winner - Best Canadian Feature TIFF 2013). More recently she has been a producer on multiple projects in the children’s television space including Dino Dana The Movie (Amazon/TVO), Endlings (Hulu/CBC), Ghostwriter (Apple), Lockdown (YouTube Originals). Alexis is the Director of Partnerships for Sinking Ship Entertainment and one of the authors of the upcoming Dino Dana Activity Guide.

Contents


Introduction from Jane, and David!

A response from Dr. Goodall

Profiles on Ten Animal Experts

What You Can Do to Help Right Now!

About the Authors