I realized that my ultimate attraction was story, not merely format. I began teaching around the same time and in recognizing the three dominant learning styles — visual, auditory, and kinesthetic — it became clear why some people wanted to consume stories on a big screen, some on a small screen. Some people wanted to hear their stories and others wanted to directly participate. I became open to the possibilities of story and how it can be used to reach people.

pride collaborative focuses exactly on that — using strategic storytelling to help organizations deepen their relationships with communities and audiences. By using strategic storytelling as our foundation, we’re able to create campaigns and media projects that focus on genuine relationship building, achieve specific goals and that utilize a range of activities including narrative development, content creation, digital media making, and live experiences.

Storytelling is getting a lot of attention these days and rightfully so. We are all storytellers. It is one of the most effective ways that we communicate with one another. Consider the past week alone: how many stories have you told friends, family, or coworkers?

In my young storytelling days, we didn’t have terms and tools like transmedia or Zeega. Technology has changed the way in which our stories are collected, shared, and measured.

But with great power, comes great responsibility.

The most innovative and effective storytelling adheres to traditional techniques; the core of what makes a good story is not sacrificed for the sake of technology or novelty.

So, before developing that digital story or transmedia campaign, ask the following:

What is your goal? 
Too often, storytelling and media projects are developed without a clear goal in mind beyond, “we have something to share.” Go deeper. Consider, what change do you want to make? This is also the why question. Why are we doing this? Don’t be afraid to change course if the answer isn’t sufficient.

What is the story?
What are the elements – message, plot, conflict, characters – of this story?

Who is your audience and what do you want them to do?
Specifically define your audience and consider what you want them to do after they engage with your story. Also define the role you want them to play in your story. Think: call to actions and participation.

How will you tell the story? Which tools/platforms will you use?
There are so many ways to tell a story and platforms to use, including many emerging storytelling tools that are both creative and low cost. These considerations also impact the length of your story.

How will you share this story?
Often this question is considered too late in the process or is simply answered by, “we’ll upload it on YouTube.” Or, “We’ll tweet about it.” Not good enough. Instead, think through a distribution plan.

How will you measure impact?
Measuring impact is something that should be thought about at conception. And this is a concept that Jessica Clark, AIR media strategist and StoriesLab speaker focuses on in her work. Often, we think about impact too late or we use metrics and data that don’t align with our goals.

How will you continue the story?
If this is a discreet story project, how does it fit within your organization’s overall narrative? Connect the dots and look at the dots as ways to build, nurture and deepen relationships with stakeholders so that they are motivated to take the actions that will help your organization advance its goals.

 This article appeared as part of NAMAC’s ArtsEngage Blog Series.

Even if we’re not consciously telling a story—one that’s well-crafted and propels our mission forward—we’re still telling a story. And more often than not, because of the busy day-to-day that we encounter in today’s landscape, that story isn’t strategic, but rather, disjointed, confusing, and inconsistent.

But when we do consciously tell a well-crafted story, the benefits are immense: increased engagement with stakeholders, funders, supporters, and community members; increased publicity and visibility; increased exposure and connection with causes, and more.

And whether we’re a filmmaker or communications professional at a large nonprofit, great stories share a few key characteristics:

There is a moral or underlying message.
What message are you trying to convey? Once that’s decided, this message helps to provide a focus for your story.

There are characters and these characters are compelling.
The best stories are powered by characters that we care about. That’s not to say that we like these characters, but we do become invested in what happens to them. Think about the characters in your overall story – the various stakeholders and beyond – that are involved in your work. How can you bring them into your story?

Something happens.
We often like to explain something versus show action. My high school writing teacher, always reminded me, “show, not tell.” You show action through a plot that moves forwards and prompts audiences to continuously wonder, what happens next?

This something involves conflict
What is the problem? Something that your characters have to solve, overcome, change? It’s conflict that drives action.

It evokes emotion.
You can decide the types of emotions you hope to elicit – be it anger, compassion, or empathy. As a result, audiences often tap into their own personal experiences and feel more connected to your story.

Bottom line: great stories keep our attention. The message, compelling characters, forward-moving action, and conflict, work together to craft a story that is memorable and helps to connect audiences, communities, and stakeholders to our mission.

This article originally appeared as part of NAMAC’s ArtsEngage Blog Series.

And now we’re hosting our first StoriesLab, a half-day event that’s dedicated to the exploration into the possibility of story.

StoriesLab takes place on Saturday, May 4 at American University. The event is co-presented with the Center for Social Media.

And the speaker lineup? Awesome (and no I’m not just saying it).

Bottom line: I want you there.

Registration is open now: http://storieslab.eventbrite.com/.

Here’s more info:

Ancient storytellers captured narrative in paintings on cave walls or sustained them through the oral tradition. But modern technology has significantly enhanced the way in which our stories are told, collected, shared, and measured.

We want to highlight the advancements that the digital and technological landscape has brought to the art of storytelling, while also recognizing the importance of strong narrative.

Enter StoriesLab. A half-day interactive exploration into the possibilities of story to entertain, inform connect, and engage.

StoriesLab is a project of StoriesLead and co-presented by Pride Collaborative and the Center for Social Media.

Meet the Speakers

James Carter, Experience Designer Playwright, Transmedia Producer & creator of NY_Hearts
Talk: Transmedia Storytelling for Audience Engagement

Ever feel like online engagement is a multi-headed Hydra that, after you’ve conquered one social platform, another pops up to rear an uglier and more complex visage? Using tenants of transmedia storytelling, experience designer James Carter offers ways of wrangling this beast for your organization or project. Carter will share his own creative work and offer successful case studies of transmedia storytelling to engage audiences. By focusing your story and framing the pieces as chapters that unfold over several platforms with unique voices, the job of managing engagement won’t seem so Herculean.

Workshop: Mini Story Hackathon

Combine cross-platform storytelling, compressed timeframes, minimum-viable product approach, with loads of Red Bull and what do you get?  A Story Hackathon, and they are taking off. Take a deep dive in this new way to create immersive media projects from StoryCode. In addition to discussion, you’ll get an opportunity to experience a sample Story Hackathon.

Jessica Clark, Media Strategist, AIR
Workshop: Measuring the Impact of Cross Media Projects

Too often as creators, we develop and implement media projects without thoroughly considering our impact goals, strategy, and measurement. Using examples from Localore, an AIR project that birthed an inspiring array of “full spectrum” media formats–from immersive documentaries, to tools for crowd-sourcing the daily news agenda, to distributed transmedia production technology that supports a new generation of 21st century makers, media strategist Jessica Clark will lead a discussion and workshop about measuring impact, from conception through evaluation, for cross-media projects.

I’ve just been selected as a media fellow at the Center for Social Media at American University. I’ve been a fan of the Center’s work for years now. Their Media that Matters conference is a must-attend, and the resources that they provide media makers are invaluable.

I really look forward to working with the great team there. Stay tuned for updates on some great media initiatives deriving from my fellowship.

And in the spirit of not wasting time, we’ve already partnered to co-present a StoriesLead event entitled StoriesLab.

StoriesLab is a half-day event dedicated to exploring the possibility of story.

The speaker lineup is beyond steller. Topics? Transmedia storytelling. Story hackathons. Measuring impact. The new terrain of story.

The event takes place on Saturday, May 4 at American University. Registration is open now.

This year started out much the same. I wanted to go, but predetermined that it would be too costly and the timing wasn’t great. But that gnawing feeling—you know, the one that says if you don’t go you’ll seriously regret it—kept haunting me. It didn’t help that everywhere I turned—on the internet, in meetings, in magazines—people were talking about it.

One day, only a few weeks before the festival, I gave in to my inner voice. “I’m going,” I declared aloud to myself (for dramatic effect). It’s amazing what happens when you share a desire. Within three days, I had booked a flight, and found both a place to stay and a registration badge via Facebook.

I read a few articles about surviving SXSW and the best piece of advice I learned was to go with the flow. I arrived in Austin with that nugget in the back of my mind. As a result of going with the flow, I:

•    Downed a shot under the persuasion of Mark Cuban (yes that Mark Cuban).
•    Listened to publishing figure Jane Pratt dish secrets about the biz.
•    Stayed in a room with four strangers who I laughed with like we were old friends.
•    Hung out with an Australian Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer and his incredibly funny business partner.
•    Attended a Passion Pit concert (I had never heard of the band before).
•    Became incredibly inspired by designer and entrepreneur Tina Roth Eisenberg’s life lessons.
•    Danced to Michael Jackson like I hadn’t moved in years.
•    Attended a mentoring session that produced light bulbs for my startup.
•    Had an amazingly real conversation with a colleague that probably wouldn’t have happened elsewhere.
•    Swayed to a jazz band in the airport as I waited to board my return flight.

The list goes on. At SXSW, I felt alive. I felt energized and inspired. I felt young and creative. And I felt weird and completely comfortable.

I returned to D.C. wanting to retain those feelings and to give a piece of the SXSW spirit to everyone I encountered.

After some decompressing and talking with others who attended, here’s what I gathered about why SXSW made me feel so damn good. So…me.

Consider the following tips for introducing a little SXSW into your life:

Stumble into the Unknown (AKA Ditch Your Plan)

The best way to find out what is going on at SXSW, beyond the public schedule, is to stumble into stuff. Walk into places that seemed strange, fun, or interesting. Follow a group of people headed in a different direction than you originally intended. You never know where stumbling may take you.

Blur the Lines Between Passion and Play 

The networking at SXSW is crazy. So are the parties. So are the happy hours. So are many of the panels. So is the random conversation with people on the shuttle. SXSW blurs the lines between business and play in a way that seems so natural, where one isn’t fighting for attention and you’re not chasing the elusive concept of balance. Let it all blend.

Experience Life like You Only Have a Week to Do So

I was at SXSW for five days. And because of this limited time, I wanted to do as much as I possibly could. Not in a way where I completely exhausted myself, but in a way that was meaningful. I wanted the moments to count; I didn’t want to waste any. And “waste” took on a new meaning. Sometimes standing in a long line wasn’t a waste at all; it was an opportunity to stumble. More so, at SXSW, it was easy for me to measure the quality of my time there in experiences versus the default: money and material things.

Lose Some of the Limitations 

Being at SXSW helped me see how often I put limits on myself in my normal day-to-day. How often I stopped myself from striking conversation with a stranger or stayed at home instead of attending an event alone. I let go of normal modes of operation and loosened up limitations. In the process, I allowed more of me to surface.

SXSW, just like life, is what you make it. So the question becomes: how can you introduce a little SXSW into your life today?

This article appeared on GOOD.

Landing in D.C., I was desperate to find a similar ecosystem. Of course this was the wrong approach, trying to fit the city into a New York box, without embracing its individuality. So when I removed unfounded expectations, I found talented storytellers producing highly creative projects, progressive institutions using media to engage audiences in fresh ways, and more.

I wanted others to see the great work being produced in the nation’s capital. I wanted to gather creators in one space. I wanted to exchange ideas. I wanted to meet folks. So instead of waiting for all my wants and desires to materialize like magic, I decided to do something.

Last November, I organized an event called Story Innovation as part of Digital Capital Week, a brilliant festival that’s driven by tons of community events. Story Innovation featured local storytellers and architects from the worlds of theater, film, academia, and business who shared transmedia, web cinema, and participatory storytelling projects.

The response was overwhelming—standing room only. Who would have known that there were so many people like me, from varied fields—creative to nonprofit—interested in advances in storytelling?

This first event prompted me to launch StoriesLead, an initiative to help others tell great stories. In addition to plans for recurring events, StoriesLead will provide resources and educational opportunities while nurturing a local and global community interested in producing stories that rock.

This week, StoriesLead is hosting ‘When Story Turned Social,’ our second event, as part ofSocial Media Week DC, which takes place February 18 – 22. SMWWDC is a chapter of Social Media Week, a global platform that operates in 26 cities around the world and encourages people to come together to share and collaborate. Talk about a great opportunity for anyone to put together an event that gathers, stirs and inspires. After this experience mobilizing community to put on an event, I wanted to share what I’ve learned so that you too can bring a powerful event to your own community.

Here are some thoughts for getting started:

1. Tap into your existing network. I’m always surprised by who knows whom. Little miracles happen when you ask for what you need. I did a lot of asking of my D.C. network and beyond: ‘Hey, do you know any innovative creators who’d like to talk about their project?’

2. Connect with other communities. D.C. has a very strong tech and startup community. By attending events and joining listservs, I met more people (who knew more people), became aware of additional places to spread the word about my event, and learned more about the diverse happenings around the city.

3. Provide value. You can rarely go wrong when you provide value. The content of the event was incredibly important to me. I wanted to make sure that attendees would leave feeling like they gained something.

4. Get organized. Even small events have little details attached. Create a checklist for logistical matters like AV equipment, securing speaker bios, and sending reminders to registered attendees, to make sure nothing slips through the cracks (although something probably will).

5. Follow-up. After the event, be sure to keep in touch with attendees who welcome it. Have in mind how you’d like to continue to share, collaborate and provide value in the future.

Events are just one possibility. If you want to see something, start it. You’ll meet people doing what you are doing. You’ll connect folk. You’ll learn. You’ll share. You’ll provide value.

What can you start today?

This piece appeared on GOOD.

If you haven’t already heard, this massive, multi-event, event has quickly become the authority on the social media terrain. Their mission? To help people and organizations connect through collaboration, learning and the sharing of ideas and information.

The week-long affair, whose bragging rights claim 100k members in 26 cities across the globe, will offer a smörgåsbord of events for attendees to sink their teeth into. My agency Pride Collaborative is stoked to organize one of the events for the DC-based conference through our StoriesLead project.  We invite you to come join the party at what we’ve titled: When Story Turned Social: At the Intersection of Story and Social Media.

You’ll get the chance to hear from savvy speakers who’ll give you the scoop on the newest trends and projects that occupy the space where storytelling and social media converge. These awesome storytellers and advocates will impart their creative expertise:

• Rob Shore, a filmmaker and Digital Media Director at the FrameWorks Institute
• Kelli Anderson, Interactive Media Strategist & New Media Instructor at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts
• Angelica Das, Associate Director for Center for Social Media at American University
• Misha Leybovich, Founder and CEO of Meograph

Check the important deets below:

Social Media Week – When Story Turned Social: At the Intersection of Storytelling and Social Media

Who: Pride Collaborative/StoriesLead

When: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 from 7:30pm – 9:00pm (EST)

Where: The SMWWDC Hub at The Powerhouse in Georgetown, 3255 Grace St. NW Washington, DC 20007

Seats are filling up fast so click here to register for this free event. Hope to see your face in the place!

Before you could even finish the foolishness that was coming out of your mouth, she asked sternly, in a way that only mothers can, “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Those of us who wanted to be spared any repercussions from an incorrect answer either remained silent, uttered “no one,” under our breath, or mumbled a quick apology. Certainly we weren’t talking to our mother in that way.

Hopefully we learned from our erring ways.

But the question remains an important one. A precursor if you will.

If you’re trying to connect with an audience, be it to amplify a message or get to know them better or encourage them to take action, it is important to first ask: Who do you think you’re talking to? Then, if necessary, follow-up with: Who are (currently) you talking to?

See there’s a slight but very important differentiation.  Who do you think you’re talking to is where most organizations, campaigns, and brands fall short. For instance, they think that they’re talking to teens, but in actuality, they’re talking to adults, or even worse, no one at all. Often this question uncovers the desired audience, but who you’re talking to uncovers the actual audience.

The goal is to ensure that these two audiences are the same.

This means that brands and organizations have to be honest – possibly admitting that their communications and engagement efforts may be misdirected. Such introspection provides an opportunity to change course and develop a truly targeted strategy.

So before opening your mouth, posting a Facebook update, scheduling a tweet, or developing a multi-platform campaign, remember Momma, her poignant question, and fix your response.

1. Rebranded and relaunched my business. It’s now Pride Collaborative. We connect the dots between storytelling, digital media, content strategy, and offline engagement to help amplify messages, broaden audiences, and affect meaningful change. Secured some stellar clients.

2. Pride Collaborative launched a storytelling initiative for social change agents called StoriesLead. Held first webinar. Got some nice attention for it.

3. Finished a standards-based curriculum for the NPR radio show State of the Re:Union.

4. Traveled around the country facilitating digital storytelling workshops for teachers as part of Slavery by Another Name, a PBS documentary for which I co-developed an entire, multimedia education component.

5. Worked with the wonderful Ava DuVernay again. This time by creating community/educational materials for her acclaimed film, Middle of Nowhere. Much more to come on that front in 2013.

6. Moved to New York. Moved out of New York. Now claim Washington, DC and love it.

7. Hosted my first event in DC as part of DC Week. The event, Story Innovation, was standing-room only and featured six innovative storytellers/creators.

8. Launched The Create Daily, a daily resource for content creators. Helped some talented folk advance their careers. Planning to do more in 2013.

9. NBC Publishing (yep, the media giant) republished my baby The Message. Chuck D blessed me with a foreword. Michael Eric Dyson praised it. Decided that I wanted to do more with The Message the second time around. Launched The Message Project and released The Educator’s Guide to The Message, a free resource for teachers.

10. Collected many of the interviews I’ve conducted over the years with black storytellers, filmmakers, and artists and connected with Agate Publishing to release them as a book called To Create.

11. Presented at DIY Days. Was selected to speak at Confab London for 2013. Yeah, baby.

12. Triumphed through personal ish; watched my sister kick cancer’s ass.

13. Found true happiness and continue to bask in it.

Crazy excited about 2013.

You?

Yet, still, I knew writers at the time who wrote books for a living. That’s it. Career authors who weren’t cut from the same cloth as brand James Patterson or renowned writer Maya Angelou or self-publishing marketing phenom Amanda Hocking. They were what the industry considers mid-list writers — talented, consistent, thoughtful, between brands and one-hit wonders, but a necessary piece of America’s literary tradition all the same. A great novel still had the power to trump the number of Twitter followers an author had. Well, Twitter had not yet existed.

These days, however, I know literary mid-list writers who are self-publishing because, while their work has been celebrated, book sales haven’t kept up and their longtime publishers no longer have a place for them on their front lists. Some are excited to take control of their work into their own hands but are simultaneously overwhelmed by the prospect. A number of them, however, are resentful, tired and defeated. They aren’t, understandably so, marketing gurus or on the pulse of the e-book evolution. They are, simply, writers.

The future of books is certainly not a new conversation. But what’s often left out of the discussion is what is to become of the author — the consummate writer who made her living by writing books. The young man who dreams of being a novelist in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway. What will become of him?

The effort vs. compensation split

Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry recently put their writing careers on hold because of the pressures of the new publishing world.

When we talk about the future for books, what role will the author play? And will that role be significant enough to support her craft? Or will craft become a smaller and smaller aspect of a career that will become increasingly driven by technological forces? Is it possible that authors will assume a lofty position of storyteller where story trumps format?

If bestselling writing team Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry is any example, that role will continue to diminish. The duo has written several novels together, spanning two decades. They officially put their writing careers on hold through an announcement on their blog.

An excerpt:

We are stepping back, down, out — for now. We’ve been in the publishing business for more than 20 years and we’ve had a great ride, but the business has changed…in ways not necessarily to our liking. And we have changed. For more than half of those 20 years, we were lucky enough to write full time and support ourselves (TWO OF US) from our novels!! This is something we know not many authors get to say — and we are hugely grateful to all of you who have supported our work — and those who will continue to buy and read our books, because they aren’t going anywhere.

But we now find that is no longer the case, nor is it likely to be that way again. Back when we started this journey we were 20 years younger and working full time and writing full time seemed doable — because it was. It isn’t any more. Period. As any of you who’ve ever written or attempted to write a novel know, it is so much more than a notion. It is an all consuming undertaking.

We are not the kinds of writers who can pump out a book every six months — we think and plot and outline and think and plan and think and write. Every single solitary word we put down is important. We have spent tens of thousands of hours working on our novels — probably somewhere around 5,000 hours a book. We have missed holidays and family vacations because of deadlines. Despite all that, it used to be fantastic. It used to be fun. We were doing what we loved. We got to travel far and wide. We got to hang out together all the time. And we got paid!! How cool was that?! But these days the publishing industry requires authors to do WAY more work, for WAY less money. Write a book (or more) a year. Tweet, Facebook, Blog, Tour, Skype, Pinterest, YouTube without ceasing.

The Internet and the ease of self-publishing have been both a curse and a blessing. For us the business of writing has become a grind. To be successful these days being a good writer is not enough. You must become a brand, a salesman, marketer, publicist, travel agent and a friend to all! Great books are written. Bestsellers are manufactured. It’s exhausting and at the moment, we don’t want to do it any more.

Over the years, since the days of Maxwell Perkins to now, the position and expectations of authors have evolved in ways that make it difficult to sustain what it means to write books for a living, including as Grant and DeBerry point out, the effort vs. compensation split.

The reasons for this shift are immense, and there have been many changes, large and small. Publishing has held onto legacy ideals in a new-media world. The art of selling books has become more science. The process to buy books transitioned online significantly. The idea of a book got remixed and electronic.

Then there’s the advent of the Internet and social media as connectors, finally giving authors what old-school marketing 101 calls DTC, direct-to-consumer access. Authors can connect with readers and have a direct impact on growing their readership — a notion that I champion as both author and reader, but which has proven to be both a blessing and curse to writers.

What about the non-interactive writer?

As things seem to become more social, more interactive, more participatory, and as the book publishing industry continues to scramble, searching for big hits and writers with bigger Klout, where do these changes and advances leave the author — a storyteller whose medium is by tradition non-interactive?

I cannot ignore the fact that many writers write books precisely because it is a form that doesn’t require a direct, active relationship between storyteller and reader. And that many writers, while once upon a time forced onto tours to read from their books and connect with readers (some love it, others loathe it), would much rather be at home writing, alone.

This isn’t to say that authors don’t appreciate the passion of their readers and the opportunity to connect with them and be opened up to the spectrum of interpretations their writing presents. Or that all writers hate both the idea and reality of social media. (Have you ever read Colson Whitehead’s Twitter feed? It’s comedic, inside-his-head brilliance.) But writing books is a solitaire activity, one that can be easily corrupted by the pressure to be socially, technologically, and marketing savvy.

Reconciling Literature with Tech

I’m torn. I’ve written several books and actually enjoy when the harder work begins — connecting those books with audiences, a task that I’ve had to assume on my own several times without significant support from my publishers. They just didn’t have a marketing budget for my work.

I still have a sweeping novel in me and look forward to holding its hardcover edition in my hands.

I’m a proponent of content and do believe that she is queen. I think that book publishing would be a lot better off if they too believed this.

I am excited by new technologies and PBS Mediashift.