Two images of a of the same university building with a man before and after graduation, kneeling in both pictures.

Four people posing for a photo indoors, smiling and standing close together.

Climate Town started as one man’s side hustle.

Founded by Rollie Williams, a comedian turned Columbia master’s-degree-haver, Climate Town has always aimed to jumpstart the important climate conversations we aren’t having enough.

Today, we’re a bonafide independent media company supported by a small full-time staff and a gaggle of independent contractors churning out high quality content across a broad stream of platforms and formats.

Our small but mighty team boasts decades of experience in documentary filmmaking, television production, investigative journalism, and comedy writing and performance.

Meet the Climate Town Team

Rollie Williams

Creator, Executive Producer, Host, Head Writer & Editor
Rollie is a comedian, writer, and billiards enthusiast with a Master’s degree in Climate Science & Policy from Columbia University.
Matt Nelsen

Director, Writer & Researcher, Executive Producer
Matt is an award-winning comedy director, producer, and screenwriter with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University.
Ben Boult

Executive Producer, Operations Director, Cinematographer
Ben is an award-winning documentary film producer, director, and cinematographer with a degree in Film Production from Yale University.
Daniella Phillipson

Producer, Operations & Communications Manager
Daniella is a producer who’s worked on Apple TV’s The Problem with Jon Stewart and TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. She has a degree in English Literature from Barnard College.
Nicole Conlan

Creative Producer, Writer, Podcast Co-Host
Nicole is a Peabody Award-winning writer forThe Daily Show & The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from University of Southern California.

Our Theory of Change

People avoid thinking about climate change because it’s overwhelming, technical, and depressing.

Our work at Climate Town is about rethinking how climate-related stories are communicated. We use humor to make climate change more approachable so people who might otherwise tune out can let down their guard, learn vitally important information, and feel comfortable engaging with a subject and political moment that can often feel unapproachable and inaccessible (inapprochessible™). This isn’t just a creative choice, it’s evidence-based. A large body of research shows that humor improves learning outcomes by increasing attention, comprehension, and recall. For example:

A study in the Journal of Communication found that people who learned about science through satire and humor showed greater knowledge retention and engagement compared to traditional news formats (Boukes et al., 2021).

Controlled experiments on the “humor effect” in memory research show that humorous information is more likely to be recalled than non-humorous information (Schmidt, 1994).

Instructional research has found that relevant, content-linked humor not only captures attention but also promotes deeper cognitive processing and comprehension (Wanzer et al., 2009).

In short: humor isn’t a gimmick. It’s a proven way to help people learn and remember.

But our theory of change doesn’t end with learning. Awareness alone is not enough. That’s why we partner with climate organizations, nonprofits, and NGOs to pair our content with specific and approachable calls to action. When someone watches a Climate Town video, they aren’t just entertained and informed, they’re also given a breakdown on how we can go about solving the issue, as well as some low-friction steps they themselves can take to get involved.

Not only does this help our viewers recognize their own ability to participate in the climate movement, but it can also lead to people making climate action a major part of their lives in ways we never dreamed of. We’ve received countless messages from viewers who’ve been inspired to switch careers, go to town council meetings, adjust the way their business operates, run for public office, and a myriad of other positive changes.

The result is not just a more informed audience, but a growing community of people who are ready and equipped to act. Over time, that community will contribute meaningfully to the sustained grassroots movement needed to push for systemic change at the scale this crisis demands.