Storytelling
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Stop Making Media. Start Making Stories.
Why does some content capture our attention, change our minds, and move us to act—while millions of others go unnoticed? The answer isn’t necessarily better content, bigger budgets, or more sophisticated technology. It’s storytelling. And in a world where nearly anyone can create and distribute media, understanding how to tell a meaningful story may be more important than ever. The problem isn’t content. It’s connection. We live in an era of constant media creation. The barriers to production and distribution have never been lower. But more content doesn’t mean more value. Consider podcasting. According to research from September 2026, there were approximately 4.4 million indexed podcasts worldwide, yet fewer than…
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Every story is a ghost story
We’re all haunted by emotional ghosts of the past, present, and, future… The older I get, the more I realize I’m surrounded and consumed by ghosts. There are obvious ghosts of the past, sure, like my deceased mom and grandmother. But then there are the more insidious and illusive ghosts in everyday life like people known, places lived, and stories — both mine and others. Of course, not all of these subconscious influences are harmful. They’re human. But without awareness some ghosts can be quite powerful. Plus, next to each type of ghost — ghosts of the body and blood; ghosts of the mind; ghosts in the language; ghosts of…
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Brand Storytelling: Your Customer Is the Hero. Be the Guide.
Stop having heroes. Be one. For someone else. I want to dispel a myth about heroes. Heroes aren’t necessarily super. They’re people. People like you and me. And this matters because the way we think about heroes shapes the stories we tell—and the roles we ask other people to play in them. The hero isn’t you. It’s them. Heroes are often thought of as courageous, strong, and exceptional. That isn’t wrong. But for those of us raised on Hollywood superheroes, this is only one version of the story. The extraordinary, deeply flawed hero—Batman, Supergirl, or the protagonist of the latest Marvel movie—takes it upon themselves, sometimes with the help of…
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The calm before the story
The power of storytelling Everything is a story. The “self” is a story. The past, the world, thinking, the internet, and even your family are all stories, also. Some stories are more concrete. Others theoretical. Some stories span the test of time. Others ephemeral. You get the idea. The point is this: the capacity for storytelling makes us human. (Second source: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Are you familiar? More on this later…). In fact, it’s this power of storytelling that enable humans to work together (again, see Harari). It’s also this capacity for storytelling that enables us to think in terms of “us vs. them.”…
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The gift of grief
Lessons from Grief: What My Mother’s Death Helped Me Understand About Living Just over two years ago, my mom died. Hard to believe it’s been that long. If you’d like, you can read more about it here. And yet, on the anniversary of her passing, I found myself feeling…good. Though odd, this seemed positive. Acceptance, of course, is the final stage of grief (but grief is neither resolute nor conclusive). Yet for me, acceptance wasn’t just about my mom’s death; it was about my life. Since her passing, I find myself saying more and more: “I’m so happy to be here.” Why this matters: it’s easy to be negative. In fact, it’s…
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Through my mother’s eyes: the October Personas Project revisited
Sons and Mothers And here now is a twist to the October Personas Project: it was, in more ways than one, about my mother. Save the few sports, school, or recent photos, my mom was often the one behind the lens, snapping thousands of candid pictures. But pictures weren’t her only medium. My mom was crafty and very good with many things. Professionally, she was a recreational therapist who worked with the developmentally disabled. Personally, she was an exceptional seamstress who made quilts, scarves, and costumes (see the scarecrow image below, a personal favorite). Plus, when she lived in Germany I’m told she began making leather purses and belts. My…
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The October past personas project
Awkward Sam-ily Photos: October past personas A lot has happened in 2023. My daughter was born. My mom and dog died. Outside of my personal sphere, I also witnessed many other entrances and exits with friends, family, and former college classmates. In total, a significant year of death and (re) birth. And what a time to acknowledge this: October, the month of Halloween – a time of disguises, the living dead, and changing personas. In October, we’re given license to be someone else. But if adding a dash of makeup and a dark outfit is all one needs to be someone else, it makes me wonder – how solid was…
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How to improve your content strategy
One tweak to improve your content strategy Many companies send emails as a piece of their content strategy. But many of these same companies don’t seem to consider their content strategy before marketing. Marketing, unfortunately, tends to come first – and then sales quickly thereafter. Of course, these two strategies aren’t mutually exclusive. They go hand-in-hand. But tell me, is your content strategy playing third-string to your marketing and sales efforts? I’m wiling to bet that without a clear content strategy, your engagement rate is lower than you’d like. And if your numbers are low, here’s a quick way to improve them. Take Amazon Prime Video’s content, for example… When…
