On a perfectly clear evening last Thursday on the grounds of Trammell S. Crow’s Dallas home, EarthX celebrated what it called ‘Half-Earth Day’ with a preview of its 2024 Congress of Congresses and a deep dive into major moves at EarthxTV.

Crow, the founder and CEO of EarthX and EarthX Media, was the host for an evening of awareness, education, networking, and EarthX announcements. The event attracted chief sustainability officers, conservationists, green builders, green energy executives, volunteers, and others to “toast Mother Earth, Texas Style.”

As a clip from EarthxTV’s “Wild Wonders with Brooke” plays in the background, EarthX Founder Trammell S. Crow (with bag strap on shoulder) greets attendees at the Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

Half-Earth Day was far from the organization’s only event last week. It was held on the eve of the 2023 EarthX Film & Music Festival, which took over Oak Cliff this past weekend with documentaries and live music performances at the historic Texas Theater, the restored Arts Mission Oak Cliff, and the Kessler Theater.

The festival opened with the feature-length documentary “Common Ground,” which took a deep dive into the regenerative farming movement with narration from Rosario Dawson, Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, and others.

EarthxTV a key focus of the Half-Earth Day event

EarthxTV’s Rajan Singh and Dan Russell speak at the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

Still, much of what was announced during the Half-Earth Day event focused on EarthX Media and, in particular, EarthxTV, an ad-supported, linear entertainment network dedicated to environmental sustainability 24/7. EarthxTV’s programming includes hundreds of hours of original and acquired series, along with short films and feature-length documentaries spotlighting “stories that matter.”

A year ago, Dallas Innovates wrote about EarthxTV’s launch and rapidly growing distribution. In August 2022, the network launched on Sky and Freeview in the U.K. In October 2022, it announced its availability across the U.S. to millions of subscribers to Charter’s Spectrum TV Select video package as part of the Spectrum Select entertainment package, as well as through the network’s NCTC affiliation agreement. The network was also slated to hit TV screens across Europe before the end of 2022 through its partnership with M7.

Drone photo of the EarthX Half-Earth Day celebration grounds as guests begin to arrive. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

Network now available in 60 million homes in 70-plus countries

Dan Russell—who was recently promoted to CEO of EarthX Media in addition to his role as president and GM of EarthxTV—spoke at the Half-Earth Day event and noted more ways to watch the network.

“You can watch us on Direct TV channel 267,” Russell said. “You can watch us on Spectrum on channel 139. You can watch us on AT&T U-Verse on channel 1267. And if you don’t have cable or satellite, you can download the Fubo app and just hit on the Earth X TV app.”

Rajan Singh, the EVP of global distribution at EarthxTV, introduced Russell and teased the live auction and live entertainment coming up later in the evening, with representatives of the Dallas Mavericks on hand to offer some of the auction items. 

Singh also drew the crowd’s attention to video monitors positioned all over the grounds, which were playing EarthxTV content, EarthX videos, and more.

But the big news was left for Russell to drop—including the fact that EarthxTV is now available in 60 million homes in 70 plus-countries around the world. The CEO said the network is available in North America, Europe, and the U.K., “and soon we’re hoping to actually conquer all of the western hemisphere.”

“In our first year we’ve produced 12 really high-quality original series. We’ve got 500 to 600 total hours [of programming] that includes some really strategic acquisitions that we’ve done. We’ve introduced some of the best characters that TV has to offer in the form of Lance the Killer Bee Catcher, Reverend Gadget’s Garage, a heavy metal marine biologist known as The Blowfish [who hosts Ocean Wonders], and just a bunch of amazing characters that are authentic, that are dedicated and committed to bringing the issues related to the environment to the masses.”

“But fundamentally because it’s television, they are fun,” Russell said of the talent on his network. 

Russell also highlighted the recent launch of EarthX News, “the world’s only full-fledged news series” that’s  100% focused on environmental news.

The CEO said the network’s “scrappy and lean and mean team” of 20 to 25 people are creating something “very special that’s going to be around for a long, long time.” One way they’re doing that is by creating signature events.

“We’ve introduced stunt weeks that [have gotten] some of our highest ratings, including Snake Week, Wild Weather Week, and Oceans Week. And we have a bunch more coming.”

A scene from the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

EarthxTV series renewals

A network isn’t a network without something to watch on it, so the EarthxTV team has been busy lately re-signing series. In August, the network inked three series renewals, according to Deadline.com, recommissioning Wild Wonders with Brooke, Defenders of the Wildand Ocean Wonders, Those new programming seasons will be launching in 2023 and 2024, with the first two shows appearing in all EarthxTV global markets and Ocean Wonders available for U.S. viewers.

Stephen Evans, director of partnerships and sponsor development at EarthxTV, says the network is growing fast—and is “the world’s only entertainment network devoted to the environment and sustainability.”

“EarthxTV is a startup basically, and as a TV network it’s growing at a hockey-stick kind of very steep curve,” Evans told Dallas Innovates the day after Half-Earth Day. He noted that people from the TV industry have described as “remarkable” the network’s distribution and viewership gained “just in our first year.”

Evans noted that the network’s programming is being broadcast to the world “right here from Dallas, Texas,” offering “a robust library of unique, exclusive, character-driven shows.”

One production Evans is particularly excited about is EarthX News.

“We’re very proud of it. It’s produced in New York City, and we’ve now had four episodes,” Evans said. “It airs every Monday evening.” The news program is viewable in primetime on its initial airing, and is then played eight or 10 other times during the week throughout the network schedule.

Film and television a longtime focus for Trammell S. Crow

EarthX Founder Trammell S. Crow, left, at the Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

Evans pointed out that film and television were a big focus for Trammell S. Crow long before the launch of EarthxTV.

“I like to point out to people that when he worked for Crow Holdings, he built two buildings: He built the Studios at Las Colinas. And he built the Infomart,” Evans said.

“When [Crow] built the Studios at Las Colinas, he was trying to bring make Dallas the third coast of movie production. He’s always had that media bug. He’s been on these two courses that have now come together.”

Evans noted that the Half-Earth Day event “was broadly attended by the leaders of the North Texas environmental community,” including Dallas City Council members, representatives from The Trust for Public Land, the Sierra Club, and many more organizations.

He said the evening’s attendees came with a variety of environmental concerns at heart.

“It’s great to see people because everybody’s coming at it from a different direction,” Evans said. “Sometimes it’s wildlife conservation. Sometimes it’s parks. Sometimes it’s the Trinity Forest. It’s different people working on different things.” With everyone gathered together at the EarthX event, they were able to “trade some notes and figure out ways they can work together,” he added.

More announcements

Other key headlines from Thursday’s Half-Earth Day event:

• The annual EarthX Expo will not be held in 2024 due to renovations taking place at Fair Park.
• The 2024 EarthX Congress of Conferences event will still be held, however, and will take place at Dallas’ Hilton Anatole Hotel April 22-26, 2024, with registration already available here.
• The next EarthX Expo will be held in April 2025 in Dallas.

GALLERY
Scenes from the event

A scene from the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

A scene from the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

A scene from the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

A scene from the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

Auction items at the EarthX Half-Earth Day event. [Photo: Rick Baraff]

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