Still Storytelling
an inner-focused, aligned, and empowered approach to helping artists heal through creating
my “still storytelling” approach
I love helping artists tell authentic stories in their own unique way because I always learn something from their journeys into themselves and love watching them uncover through the act of creating. As a photographer, turned politico (now recovering politico), turned U.S. Diplomat, turned academic (now recovering academic), who became a film producer and started a storytelling institute at one of the world’s top-ranked universities…then left academia to go off into Nature…my path to storytelling has been unconventional and full of unique experiences. I never set out to make movies, and I still feel making movies is a lot like making cars — both take an enormous amount of energy, time, and resources and most probably aren’t so good for the planet.
Despite the creation challenges, we humans (myself included) love and rely on our cars and stories daily. And a good story, told well, has the power to spur change and inspire unlike anything else I’ve encountered (especially in the political or policy-making arenas). I also find the act of storytelling through creative expression to be a powerful form of healing, which is my ultimate intention with Still Storytelling – to help artists get still enough and clear enough in themselves to tell their story with authentic resonance. Healing is challenging and usually uncomfortable, but I believe it is worth it.
As a creative mentor, I see my job is to ask questions when I sense a lack of clarity or confidence, and act as a mirror to reflect back the inner guidance and needs of the artist. This typically involves moving cyclically (not linearly) through phases of Clarifying Intentions, Removing Fears, Finding Inner Alignment, and Surrendering to naturally find creative flow.
creative experience
While shooting my first documentary Better to Live (Tribeca 2015), I also co-founded an experiential film-making institute at New York University, where I had the honor of helping advise and produce the next generation of storytellers. Working with literally thousands of emerging filmmakers filled me with hope and inspiration on a daily basis, and constantly reiterated that each film is a unique journey. It was an honor to support (and learn from) diverse stories and storytellers, from those that never quite made it “in the can” to those that made it to the red carpet of Cannes and Sundance and into homes across the globe on platforms like Netflix and Amazon.
In over a decade of advising artists; reading hundreds of scripts; programming and enjoying industry expert panel conversations; attending “top” film festivals; negotiating film investment contracts; working with terrific entertainment lawyers; monitoring trends and shifts in content acquisitions; and building and executing tailored film distribution strategies, I learned a lot about storytelling and the business of storytelling (two very distinct, but often conflated things). Mostly because the Universe keeps guiding filmmakers to my doorstep, I now share what I’ve learned with aspiring storytellers as a story consultant and creative mentor.
I especially enjoy working with first-feature filmmakers, under-represented storytellers, people who found their creative permission slip later in life, and passionate documentary teams.
some of my favorite creative resources
BOOKS ON CREATIVE LIVING
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life
- Finding Me
- Greenlights
FOR DEVELOPMENT
- Creative Spark: Dustin Lance Black’s writing process
FOR PRODUCERS
- Dear Producer
- Stephen Follows Film Data
- Wrapbook: Production Payroll Services and More
- Sundance Distribution Case Studies