Episode Details

If you do creative work for a living, you’re a storyteller.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a film editor like me working in scripted television, maybe you work in online marketing, you are a director, writer, graphic designer, composer, or anything else creative: You tell stories. Whether it’s with a single image, a specific font choice on a poster, a music cue to increase emotional impact in a scene, or any other decision that impacts how someone perceives your work - you must understand how to make sure the story you’re telling has maximum impact.

Even beyond telling stories in your work, the most important story that you need to be able to tell if you intend to be successful is your own story.

If you tell other people’s stories for a living with ease but you have no idea how to translate your storytelling abilities into crafting your own story, it’s a good thing there’s now a place for that: Story Greenlight.

Story Greenlight is the brainchild of Jeff Bartsch who is a multi-faceted author, teacher, and television editor based out of Los Angeles. He is the author of “Edit Better: Hollywood-Tested Strategies for Powerful Video Editing” and built his career editing television for ABC, NBC, Universal, Disney, Apple, and many others. (As a side note, Jeff edits American Ninja Warrior, so I might just be a tad bit biased!)

Jeff is the founder of Story Greenlight, a virtual community that helps online video creators connect with their audience, turn up the impact of their message, and change people’s lives.

Whether you create online content, you just want to perfect your elevator pitch or the about page on your website, or if you just want to better understand the fundamental building blocks of good storytelling, this episode is a must-listen.

And after listening if you want to dive even deeper into the power of story, specifically understanding how to make a living telling stories that you are proud of and overcoming the psychological barriers that might be holding you back in your career, I recommend sticking around for part 2 in my “Storytelling” series with Robert Hardy, the founder of Filmmaker Freedom.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• Learning how storytelling defines everything we experience and create
• Structuring your origin story
• What does storytelling look like in a reality show like American Ninja Warrior?
• Jeff Bartch's guide to telling compelling stories
• Understanding the most basic elements of story and their ubiquity in art
• You can't NOT tell a story, so learn how to do it engagingly
• The dangers of comparing your story to others instead of living your own
• If you're struggling, remind yourself that you are at the beginning of your story
• Stop making excuses and turn your problems into obstacles to be surmounted
• Don't worry about being original, learn to be authentic

Useful Resources Mentioned:

Edit Better: Hollywood-Tested Strategies for Powerful Video Editing

Story Greenlight

Our Generous Sponsors:

This episode is made possible by Ergodriven, the makers of the Topo Mat, my #1 recommendation for anyone interested in mov