Ocean Impact Storytelling | Coffee & Conversation
The most important stories on the planet are so often the ones no one can see.
There is more capital, better science, and more determined people working on the ocean than at any point in history. The work is moving faster than the stories of it can travel, and a story that doesn't travel can't do its job.
Closing that gap is what this coffee is about.
When? Come before the day starts. No panel, no pitch deck, no icebreaker. Just two hours with the people building things worth telling stories about, and the people who know how to tell them. Drop in any time between 7am and 9am. Grab a coffee, join a conversation. Bring a friend/colleague.
Where? ☕ A coffee shop near Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Exact location shared with registrants a few days before.
You'll fit right in if you're a...
Founder, engineer and scientist across ocean tech, aquaculture, decarbonization and conservation: people doing work that deserves a wider audience
Filmmaker, journalist, writer and photographer covering the blue economy
Funder, foundation and investor who understand the power of narrative infrastructure
Anyone who has watched a project they loved go unseen
Your hosts
Ricky Rhodes is a Los Angeles-based director, producer, and communications strategist working across narrative, documentary, branded, and political film. He directed the United Nations' ocean treaty series, an eight-film body of work that helped carry the BBNJ agreement into international law, and currently serves as a communications strategist with the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, promoting the World Ocean Assessment. His documentary series Impossible Cleanups, extreme engineering at the ends of the earth featuring Plastic Odyssey, is pre-sold internationally. His branded and political films have been seen tens of millions of times, and his award-winning narrative work includes an Oscar-qualifying short.
A lifelong surfer, Ricky is drawn to the most important stories on the planet, which are so often the ones no one can see. His films make them visible, because the impossible only becomes possible when people can feel it.
Ricky will also be leading a panel and a hands-on storytelling workshop for founders and change-makers during the summit. Details to be announced here and on the One Ocean Week calendar.
Leon Wang is the Blue Ventures Program Manager at Maritime Blue. The Blue Ventures program works to source and support global sustainable ocean and maritime innovation to accelerate adoption by our members and the market. Leon activates our ecosystem of mentors, partners, and investors to provide best-in-class programming and support for innovators.
Leon is a connector focused on architecting, curating and delivering on programs, platforms and resources that grow and catalyze sustainability change-agents. They spent the last five years at Sustainable Ocean Alliance, working closely with organizations across the globe furthering innovation and youth leadership for ocean health and restoration. Prior to that, they worked in the makerspace lab at Singularity University, demystifying emerging technologies for executives and empowering them to solve intractable problems and address humanity’s grand challenges. As a certified Biomimicry Professional, Leon brings their expertise in life-centered design, nature-inspired creativity, and emerging technologies to help drive climate solutions forward. Leon is also the Operations Advisor for Zebras Unite - a founder-led, cooperatively owned movement creating the culture, capital & community for the next economy. They thrive in the connective tissue that bridges sectors and stakeholders, bringing alignment and operational efficiency to collaborative impact.
Leon holds a M.S. in Biomimicry from Arizona State University and a B.S. in Bioengineering from University of California, San Diego. In their free time you might find them hiking with their dogs (Turkey and Goose), volunteering at land rematriation projects, learning a new game, or scouting their next diving opportunity.