New docuseries podcast Gridlocked focuses on big issues causing societal ‘gridlock’ and launches in February 2023 with first season tackling energy crisis
SANTA MONICA, Calif., December 7, 2022 -- Gridlocked, the new docuseries podcast exploring ‘why the 21st Century is broken and how to fix it,’ today announced that its first season, which tackles the energy crisis, will be available from February 2023. The show provides listeners with episodes seeking to move debate beyond current division, bringing together experts with real-world solutions to create a larger conversation on issues above and beyond politics.
The Gridlocked podcast is created by Mark Havenner and Nick O’Hara, co-founders of global thought leadership consultancy Renovata. The first season on energy has been produced in association with the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), led by Professor Jacopo Buongiorno.
Gridlocked producer Nick O’Hara said, “Many of us feel a sense of despair right now. We can see things are broken, but it seems nobody can fix them… or that those who can are not being given the air time their ideas deserve.”
“If you feel confounded by challenges seemingly much bigger than ourselves, with society unable to move forward while we are left as bystanders, then you should tune in to Gridlocked,” he added.
Gridlocked Season 1: Energy, will air in February 2023 with weekly episodes releasing through to late April 2023. Amidst the documentary-style episodes, the podcast also features panel discussions.
Podcast director Mark Havenner said, “Rather than facilitate superficial interviews with surface-level or canned responses, Gridlocked gets to the truth of things with global leaders in their fields,”
“We take listeners on a journey to a place where any of us, whoever we are, can feel a sense of agency—that we can make meaningful contributions to solving the problems we face,” he added.
Gridlocked gives voice to those with the ideas and solutions to deliver change, starting in Season 1 with the one issue underpinning so many others today: energy. The season shifts the conversation away from the current debates about ‘net zero’ and examines perceptions about what ‘energy mixes’ involving clean technologies like nuclear and renewables can achieve.”
Nick O’Hara said that one of the things setting Gridlocked apart from other podcasts was the calibre of its contributors: "Our shows feature the planet’s most prominent living architect, a world-leading atmospheric scientist and a designer for the International Space Station, covering how innovative design can help us combat the climate emergency, and get real about decarbonization,” he said.
Jacopo Buongiorno, MIT Professor of Nuclear Science said, “I’m excited to be a part of the Gridlocked project. I hope we can provide listeners with the knowledge needed to combat misinformation, political stalemate and outdated thinking.”
Season 1 contributors alongside Buongiorno include world-renowned architect, Lord Norman Foster and Dava Newman, Director of MIT Media Lab. They are joined, amongst others, by space-architect Guillermo Trotti and Joshua Goldstein, co-author of A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow, who recently collaborated with Director Oliver Stone on the forthcoming film NUCLEAR.
“The beauty of Gridlocked is that it provides a platform to address key public policy issues in an engaging way that reaches out beyond the policy and academic realms– connecting intellectual content to a wider mainstream audience,” Buongiorno said.
And Buongiorno had a direct message for listeners, “After listening to Gridlocked, we hope you feel better-placed to drive change in your community, and empowered to connect more effectively with the leaders representing you.”
Listeners can tune into the Gridlocked podcast at: https://gridlockedpodcast.com/
NOTES TO EDITORS:
For more information, including details of guest contributors and panelists, and for the latest updates on Gridlocked, please visit the website or follow on LinkedIn and Facebook.
About Jacopo Buongiorno
Jacopo Buongiorno is Professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Director of the Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES). More information on Jacopo, including how to request an interview, can be found at jacopo.bio
About Renovata
Renovata is a global strategic communications and thought leadership consultancy co-founded by Nick O’Hara and Mark Havenner. Renovata helps visionary leaders define and deliver on their purpose, whether they are individuals of influence, businesses, or non-profits. To own your purpose, please visit renovata.vision or follow us on LinkedIn.