Strategic Storytelling
A partner called. She was speaking in bursts.
The court just approved her request for funding. She was going to create two short films. They’d be part of a presentation to convince the US Attorney not to seek the death penalty against her client. Would I collaborate with her on the scripts?
She knew I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to tell a story with stakes.
Each strategically told story is an expression of unique DNA – audience, motivation, outcome, arena, medium, and more.
What unites these projects is their purpose: to seize a strategic opportunity by inspiring a particular audience to do something specific. Support. Oppose. Show up. And occasionally: don’t charge a death penalty case you’ll lose. (The US Attorney didn’t seek death and later dropped the murder charge entirely.)
In this work, we distill an opportunity into the simple truth that lives inside it. Then we share that truth to inspire a specific audience to help you succeed.
Q: What’s this work?
A: Moving a specific audience to take a specific action that supports a partner’s success.
Clear purpose drives these projects. We identify a strategic outcome and the person or people who can make it happen. Then we find their shared interest in that outcome and carefully tell a story to bring that interest to life.
This work is read on the page or screen or delivered in live presentations or by voice talent.
Q: Who’s it for?
A: For leaders with a strategic opportunity that requires a specific audience to take a specific action.
Q: How does it happen?
A: My partners introduce me to their project, we build a plan together, and we jump in. On some projects, a copywriter helps us with an initial draft.
These projects take time, even when the final product is brief. I can rarely support any strategic storytelling project with fewer than six weeks’ notice. Major projects require more time.
Q: What’s it done for your partners?
A: Our documents, presentations, short films, and other projects have defended human rights in legal and public policy battles. They’ve also produced winning advocacy tools, position statements, expert testimony on issues for Congressional committees, and more.
Q: What can it do for individuals?
A: This work makes a difference for people who need to tell an important story with precision and care as is often the case for individuals pursuing specific personal, legal, creative, and professional goals.
When a partner entrusts me to help them tell their story, I accept with a commitment to do it justice. For me, there’s no greater honor.