The Cost of Silence National Action Campaign
Empowering Communities to Protect Ocean and Human Health
As climate impacts are approaching irreversible thresholds, the Trump administration has announced plans to open all federal waters off the California coast, meaning the entire California coastline, as well as Alaska and Florida, to new offshore oil development. This expansion threatens human health, coastal communities and ocean ecosystems, and would lock the country into fossil-fuel production for decades.
In response, we are developing The Cost of Silence National Action Campaign. The campaign unites film screenings, custom impact technology and community engagement forums to drive large-scale public action, connect frontline communities and present human health as a catalyst for sustained public engagement, narrative change and effective policy pressure.
Central California Coast - open to offshore oil lease sales in 2027
Beginning in the Newly Opened Drilling States
The city-to-city tour will begin in the states the administration has opened for new drilling, California, Alaska and Florida, and then spread to frontline communities nationwide. Each stop will feature a screening of The Cost of Silence film and a community action forum created to bring awareness to the hidden health dangers of offshore oil and connect at-risk residents with NGOs, medical and science experts and frontline communities that have won hard-earned victories and can share what works.
This approach brings together local leaders, student groups, NGOs, scientists, faith communities, business owners and everyday citizens in one centralized hub for coordinated action.
New Technology Built to Drive Sustained Impact
Our custom-built impact platform, ENGAGESTREAM, will serve as the central issue and action hub. Built to support community engagement, the platform will provide constant issue updates, educational resources, health surveys and effective CTAs. Engineered to sustain engagement, the platform will enable participants to join forces, build community and stay involved in actions as the campaign moves from state to state. Real-time issue and action tracking will provide participants with impact reports that support long-term engagement. Users will be connected to breaking developments, policy shifts, next steps and each other, building a dynamic community of engaged changemakers.
A Film That Drives Inspiration to Act
The Cost of Silence - Trailer 3min
The campaign is anchored by the Sundance documentary The Cost of Silence, one of the few films to fully document the catastrophic human-health consequences of oil spills. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. I made the film over ten years, and as an oil-field insider, I was able to expose how the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster unleashed a long-term public-health crisis that was systematically hidden from the American public.
The film shows how exposure to the spill left tens of thousands sick while government and industry coordinated to silence the victims. Importantly, it highlights the hidden health threat now facing every coastal community under the new drilling plans.
“Those who ignore the film’s message do so at their own peril.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“Revealing, thoroughly researched, and enraging.” — Variety
Where the Project Stands Now
We are currently raising the funds required to launch the national tour. Once the budget is met, we will begin the rollout in early 2026 to build momentum and push back on the drilling plans before they advance too far. Contact me here if you can help get this campaign launched.
We are building coalitions, bringing on essential staff and advancing the engagement technology. A pilot screening and action forum was launched in Santa Barbara in September and is serving as a real-world testbed, collecting insights and analytics that are informing national strategy.
Pilot Screening Video
Readers can stay tuned for updates, follow the development of the tour, send comments or find out how to help by joining our mailing list.
Team Background and Experience
This campaign team is grounded in decades of cross-sector experience, including oil industry experts, filmmakers, media strategists and impact and technology leaders. My own background as a former oil-field diver provides firsthand understanding of offshore operations and the risks faced by workers and coastal residents.
A Final Note
I have seen firsthand what a large-scale oil disaster does to the sea, its creatures and the people living nearby. It broke my heart to witness the generational damage that the DeepWater Horizon disaster inflicted on the Gulf and the people who call it home. Many are gone, and many will never fully recover.
One thing we learned is this: the only time to act is before a spill, before drilling begins. That time is now.
Mark Manning - 12/03/25
Founder, ConceptionMedia Films
Director, The Cost Of Silence