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

Dan Sonnett, Writer, Producer, Owner of Sonnett Media Group, LLC
Kickoff: The Evolution of Story

Digital technologies have given storytellers unprecedented access to audiences and have allowed innovative creators to expand the scope and scale of the storyworlds they create. But how can the ancient craft of storytelling be adapted to fully realize the potential of these dynamic new mediums? Writer and producer Dan Sonnett will lead a journey through the history of one of humanity’s most enduring art forms to discover how a new generation of practitioners combine narrative with user experience, Big Data, the social web, crowdsourcing, augmented reality and much more to create transmedia experiences that engage, enlighten and entertain audiences. 

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.

Who Should Attend?

The possibilities are endless, but here are a few: activists, nonprofit professionals, communication professionals, media makers, writers, filmmakers, technologists, storytellers, strategists, engagement specialists, educators, journalists, artists, administrators, funders and you.  

Note: Unfortunately, we are unable to issue refunds.