What Normally Takes Three Months Happened in One Afternoon
Our son, Parker Howell, runs Howell XR, and he needed to clarify his brand story
He has built one of the leading virtual, augmented, and mixed reality production companies in the United States (we’re pretty proud).
His Howell XR client list reads like a who’s who of brands that don’t mess around: the NFL, Cognizant, Axon, major network TV game shows.
He also created Monkey Tower, a popular VR game, and won a $50,000 prize from Meta for best implementation of passthrough camera access with his language learning augmented reality app called Language (IRL) In Real Life.
His work is exceptional. His credentials are impressive.
But people didn’t really understand what he does, so he told me.
Parker had been so busy producing amazing projects that he hadn’t taken time to dial in his brand story for Howell XR.
Growing up in the advertising world, he knew that kind of strategic branding work typically takes three to four months and tens of thousands of dollars. (That costs a lot when you’re running a production company.)
The Early Adopter Advantage
Parker’s been an early adopter of AI. Started five years ago.
He’d watched us build the StoryCycle Genie®. Seen what it was doing for other brands.
So he decided to subscribe and see if he could clarify his brand storytelling, develop his marketing strategy, and start creating on-brand content.
Without the three-month timeline.
Without the massive consulting fees.
The Collaborative Discovery Process
Parker started simple.
Gave the Genie his website and some of his writings.
The AI created this initial positioning statement, which read inpart: “Howell XR delivers amazing XR experiences.”
Parker looked at it and realized something important.
“A lot of companies can do that. We can’t really claim that we’re the only one that can do it.”
See, the positioning was too general because Parker’s website was pretty general about what he does.
When you’re busy delivering for the NFL and Fortune 500 clients, sometimes you don’t take time to articulate what makes you genuinely different.
That’s when we discussed the polymath and Renaissance approach that was unique to him and Howell XR.
From Hollywood-level production design to game development to language learning apps to circus performance artistry.
Parker fed that insight back to the AI.
And the Genie® came back with this:
“Howell XR is the only full-service XR production company that brings a renaissance polymath approach to vision realization. Drawing from Hollywood production design, circus performance, artistry, game development, innovation, and technical invention to transform concepts into unforgettable experiences that transcend single-discipline limitations.”
“When you read that,” Parker says, “you’re just like, wow, that’s it. That’s what we do.”
And the StoryCycle Genie® created Howell XR’s unique value proposition: “Complete XR Vision Realization.”
The Gap He Hadn’t Fully Seen
But the process revealed something Parker hadn’t articulated yet.
“I realized what I was missing—my story wasn’t talking about creativity enough.”
His clients want technical expertise. Absolutely.
They’re hiring Howell XR to pull off complex VR/AR/MR productions that can’t fail.
But they also need creative flair.
The ability to think outside the box. To make ideas that challenge conventions and bring them to life in ways that make people stop and stare.
So Parker told the AI exactly that.
“It takes that all, it reformulates everything, and what it kicked out was just amazing.”
What Two Hours Actually Delivers
Watch Parker walk through the outputs in the video.
You’ll see how the Genie helped him get crystal clear on his audiences.
Two distinct segments emerged.
Enterprise tech companies wanting solid technical execution. Marketing and creative companies needing innovative thinking.
But both share something deeper—they want a partner who’s both technically reliable AND creatively bold.
“Getting really clear about what it is they want, what it is they’re afraid of,” Parker explains, “really gives you a very straightforward outline on how to talk to them.”
And of course, the Genie delivers that in ABT—the and, but, therefore narrative framework I’ve been teaching for 15 years.
The platform identified “empowerment” as Howell XR’s emotional promise.
“It started at first with confidence,” Parker explains. “We were like, it needs to have a little bit more creativity into it. That’s where confidence turned into empowerment. And at that point, we just felt like the AI totally nailed it.”
The physical gift?
“Wonder.”
“Wonder represents both the creative experience Howell XR delivers and the emotional outcomes audiences feel when engaging with those experiences.”
God, that’s good.
Strategy to Content—Same Afternoon
By the end of the session, Parker didn’t just have strategic clarity.
He had actual content.
Watch him share the landing page copy created that same afternoon. Complete with compelling headlines, audience-focused messaging, and a brand narrative that positions Howell XR as pioneers building better tomorrows through transformative experiences.
“In less than half a day, we’re already creating good content that really feels like it understands where we’re going and what our clients want from us.”
Half a day.
From strategic foundation to publishable content.
Your Turn
If the StoryCycle Genie® delivered this level of strategic clarity for Howell XR, what could it reveal about your brand?
You don’t need three months.
You don’t need tens of thousands of dollars.
You need a couple of hours and the willingness to collaborate with Artful Intelligence that asks the right questions.
Ready to build your brand brain?
Test the strength of your brand story for FREE!
See what Parker discovered: the fastest path to strategic clarity is the one that respects your expertise while challenging you to articulate what makes you genuinely different.
Story on!
The StoryCycle Genie® combines the proven Story Cycle System™ frameworks with collaborative AI to help you build your brand brain, develop brilliant marketing strategy, and create captivating content that converts—all in a fraction of the time traditional processes require.
