McKee Monday’s Part 2: “Our Mind is a Story-Making Machine”
We have to have the numbers and the information to give us a sense of our business’ vital signs. But it takes narrative to allow people to wrap their minds…
How storytelling can make even the most repulsive creatures downright cuddly
Ever hear of the Aye Aye? I’m sure if you ever saw one you’d remember. This fascinatingly disgusting little creature is just one of the weird stars in the animal…
How the purpose told story can ignite people, organizations and business
Michele and I were in Hollywood over the Father’s Day weekend to celebrate the premieres of two short films created by our son. We stayed at the Historic Hollywood Hotel,…
McKee Mondays: The Business of Storytelling
I had the rare honor of interviewing a storytelling legend the other day. Robert McKee, arguably the world’s top screenwriting coach with nearly 50 of his students earning Academy Awards,…
Matt Damon’s potty humor pushes movement
There is nothing funny about 780 million people without clean drinking water. Or 2.5 billion people that lack access to a toilet or proper sanitation. So it may surprise you…
A double shot of brand storytelling at Creative Mornings in Scottsdale
I recently spoke at our local Creative Mornings, the monthly breakfast lecture series hosted in cities around the nation. The theme was “Reuse in Creativity.” No, it wasn’t a celebration of plagiarism.…
Facebook memes and their message to brand storytellers
Seven years ago, I committed myself to understanding story structure and how we can use storytelling to nudge the world in any direction we choose. I’ve studied what Hollywood knows…
What chief sustainability officers can learn from screenwriting
(The following article appeared today on the Sustainable Brands website.) If all the world’s a stage, according to Bill Shakespeare, then one needs to look no further than the c-suite…
Hell on wheels: How a disabled traveler turned a bad hotel experience in San Francisco into a business
Toward the end of my storytelling workshop at Seed Spot, an incubator for early stage social entrepreneurs in Phoenix, AZ, Brett Heising rolled in. Literally. Brett is confined to a…
Are your presentations flicking them off or turning them on?
When given the honor to command an audience, most presenters default to binary facts, figures, features and benefits. The trouble is that your audience’s light switch of interest can just…
