Justin Cook

About Justin Cook

I’m Justin and I have nearly 20 years of experience in journalism reporting on and photographing longform stories about how rural communities are adapting to climate change, and how those changes are psychologically affecting their sense of home. I believe that regular people need to see themselves in the climate fight for a livable future, and the more personal a story, the more universal it is to people. Over the course of years, I use my journalism and research skills to tell stories about ordinary people who are being impacted by climate change, and, to make this crisis more relatable to audiences, I connect climate change to things that they are passionate about: their homes, sacred places and history. I explain complex science to regular people and help them see themselves in the fight for a livable future. I show how they are responding with their own community solutions.I am passionate about climate change after seeing first-hand what sea level rise and hurricane flooding can do to North Carolina’s coastal and coastal plain communities like Princeville, the oldest town in America chartered by formerly enslaved Black people. I also became immersed in climate change and climate science through fossil hunting in the creeks and rivers of eastern NC, which was once an ocean three million years ago. I am interested in climate justice, climate psychology, and how prehistoric climates drove evolution and what they can tell us about our climate future. I am neurodivergent, and I use my non-linear outside-the-box thinking to connect ideas and create innovative story forms. I use my deep listening skills and sense of humor to build genuine relationships with sources over long periods of time. In my free time you can find me hunting for fossil shark’s teeth in the creeks of eastern North Carolina.I am looking for roles in climate communications, climate visuals editing and other roles that support journalism and climate storytelling because I want to tell stories about climate solutions, counter oil company disinformation, support climate storytellers and democracy. If you are interested in climate justice and climate solutions message me.

Experience

1. Certified Solutions Journalism Trainer - Climate Solutions

   Solutions Journalism Network

   May 2024 — Present · Durham, NC, US

   Certified to teach solutions journalism to newsrooms groups and classes, in person or remote. Specializes in climate solutions and helped develop climate visuals best practices and training for solutions journalism.

Education

• East Carolina University

  Art, Journalism, US History

  2001 — 2003

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Journalism and Mass Communication, Photojournalism

  2003 — 2006

• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Bachelor of Arts, Journalism and Mass Communications

  2003 — 2006

Skills

• Final Cut Pro
• Video
• Publications
• Documentary Storytelling
• Graphic Design
• Sound Design
• Video Editing
• Videographer
• Photojournalism
• Documentary Photography
• Journalism
• Editing
• Audio Editing
• Videography
• Newspapers
• Photoshop
• Editorial
• Storytelling
• Wedding Photojournalism
• North Carolina Wedding Photographer
• Documentaries
• Multimedia
• Journalist
• Video Production
• Digital Photography
• Photos