Veteran investigative producer to lead Floodlight’s video initiative

Floodlight is excited to announce the hiring of award-winning investigative broadcast journalist Evan Simon to the Floodlight team. Simon most recently worked as a member of the ABC News Investigative Unit. 

A recent study found many consumers prefer to get their climate news in video. Simon’s role at Floodlight will be investigative producer, aiming to bring video-based climate accountability reporting to broadcast, cable and online formats, including media partners with which Floodlight collaborates. 

“Simon’s talent and expertise will help Floodlight stories reach and engage more people in more formats, combining visually rich storytelling with our hard-hitting investigations,” Floodlight Executive Director Emily Holden said. 

Simon has won some of the most prestigious awards in broadcast journalism, including the Edward R. Murrow, duPont-Columbia, Overseas Press Club and two National Emmys. His acclaimed environmental reporting has seen him embedded with indigenous land defenders patrolling the Amazon rainforest, accompanying marine scientists to the warming Antarctic and exposing child labor practices on ethically certified coffee farms in southern Mexico.

This year, Simon’s investigation into abandoned oil and gas wells was recognized with a Peabody Award nomination. In that report, which involved collaborating with local ABC News stations around the country, Simon led a nationwide effort to hunt down and test more than 70 abandoned wells for dangerous leaks — locating 40 leaking wells across five states. 

He also earned an Emmy nomination for his second investigation into the false promise of plastic bag recycling. In that series, another collaboration with local ABC News stations, Simon used trackers placed in bags destined for recycling that instead often ended up in landfills, incinerators or were shipped across the globe to controversial facilities in Southeast Asia.

Investigative Reporters and Editors board member Cindy Galli, former executive producer of ABC’s investigative unit, described Simon as a visionary journalist.

“Evan is the gold standard, and you’re going to learn from Evan,” said Galli, Simon’s former supervisor. 

Prior to his time on the investigative unit, Simon was a producer for ABC News Nightline and a digital producer for ABC News. Before joining ABC News, Simon worked as a multimedia producer for The Wall Street Journal and as a video editor for Audubon Magazine.

Simon said he is “deeply honored to join Floodlight's groundbreaking collaborative model to investigate what I consider to be the most important journalistic challenge of our time.”

He added, “Having admired Floodlight's stellar journalism ever since its inception, it's an absolute thrill to be a part of this innovative and tenacious newsroom. Joining a team like this is sure to deliver some of the most fulfilling experiences of my career, and I will work tirelessly to contribute to the eye-opening and impact-driven reporting that Floodlight and its partners consistently provide the public." 

Simon joined Floodlight on June 9. If you have a story idea or partnership pitch for Simon or any other member of the Floodlight team, please fill out this short form and we’ll get back to you!