Everybody loves a good story

When I was a kiddo, I knew for sure that I wanted to tell stories for a living.

There was only one problem: I had no idea how I was going to make that happen.

My big break came a few years after college when a local studio needed a writer for their latest project. It was Girl Talk - the virtual slumber-party game. For girls!

Of all the people who applied for the position, I was the only one who had ever BEEN to a slumber party. I was a subject-matter expert, so I got the job.

I spent my days writing stories about cootie catchers and hidden kingdoms and rascally pirates with huge handlebar mustaches. It was so ridiculous and fun.

Then a few years went by, the industry exploded, and the next thing I knew, I was working on massive, high-profile projects, writing scripts about African mercenaries and intergalactic bounty hunters and bohunk space marines with chainsaws at the end of their machine guns.

"Huh," I said to myself, "I did not think Girl Talk was going to lead to this."

I never became a fan of the space marines. But the medium itself was exciting, uncharted territory. This was a new way to tell stories - a new way to connect with people and move them into action. (Deranged action, maybe, but action nevertheless.)

I love adventure stories, and these were definitely adventures.

A lot happened over the course of a few years. I contributed to a Microsoft title that launched a franchise, selling over 20 million copies. I collaborated on a project for 2K that sold 4 million units, earned critical acclaim and started yet another franchise. A Square Enix title in my portfolio has sold 8 million copies. Our projects won awards - Best Narrative, Best Writing, Best Character. I was named one of the top writers working in the industry.

But as time passed, I saw more and more warning signs - signs that I was working behind enemy lines. Eventually, I had to admit that it was time for me to move on.

But I've never lost my passion for the kind of storytelling that helps people make sense of things - that helps people feel seen, and heard, and understood.

It turns out that what's true for virtual worlds - full of people yearning for meaning and connection and maybe a laugh once in a while - is true for the real world, too.

And I knew that what I had learned about storytelling in the digital age went well beyond games, and could help other people.

So I'm expanding my reach. I'm taking what I've learned about persuasive storytelling, and sharing those insights with other creative teams and groups that want to make a difference.

Want to find out more? Let's talk.