Creative ID: 670
My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths):
I spent seven years in the United States learning and teaching the craft of true, first-person storytelling, with an international arts organisation. I helped develop an international story slam series (live storytelling) and acted as a story coach for schools, businesses, and a wide range of communities. Since moving to New Zealand, I’ve been producing storytelling events around Auckland.
I have also facilitated story-crafting workshops with local businesses and organisations. The workshops I teach are ideal for people aged 15 and older, and involve finding a significant, personal story to develop for live presentation. With a focus on the key outcome becoming a final show, the workshops are eight sessions that start with an introduction to the craft, learning the principals of the craft, developing a 7 to 10-minute story based on those principles, workshopping it with peers, refining the story, and final presentations.
I attended regular story slams in New York City and presented over 30 stories in cities around the US, based on their storytelling principles. The content that is developed allows people to take ownership of their most significant, life-changing moments, by transforming the ‘personal’ into ‘universal’/relatable experiences at their core. I also managed the development of a story slam programme from seven to 27 cities around the world. I’ve helped with the curatorial process for radio and podcast, and I’ve worked with media partners to promote the content from the shows around the world.
My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with:
- 2009 – graduated with a B.A. in Theatre and Art History
- 2010 Work Office Two: Storyteller and Tour Guide for Psychogeography (interception of psychology and geography)
- 2011–2018 – New York NY, manager of the story slam series, managed overall production of national and international storytelling series
- Managed media sponsorship relationships in 25 slam markets
- Identified and trained regional story slam producers and their teams
- Produced 20+ live events per season throughout the world
- Scouted and negotiated contracts for venues
- Collaborated with Senior Production Team to identify hosts and talent
- Managed a three-person team of producers in the story slam programme
- Assessed and nominated stories to pass on for Radio and Podcast
- Collaborated with Executive Team to identify strategic national story slam partnerships
- Coached community and business workshops
- 2014-2015 – Producer of a solo piece by a prominent story slam storyteller
- 2017 – storyteller and production manager for the High Focus Institute: co-created characters for digital, immersive experience
- 2018 – present, Auckland NZ: Created and developed a monthly storytelling event and coaching platform. I’ve offered a range of online and face-to-face workshops for a variety of organisations and festivals.
Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes:
I participated in the slam story telling programme, as a coach, from its earliest stages to the development of a high school story slam and teacher institute. Our teacher education for story coaches was built out of our story-directing model for main stage events. Recognising that developing true, first-person narrative requires a more delicate and respectful editorial process – we worked with counsellors, therapists, and other mental health industry professionals to make sure that the story-mining and development process acknowledged how to handle sensitive and triggering content.
Specifically, part of the job is to ensure that people feel comfortable with the personal narratives that they are developing, making sure to establish a safe space, and being armed with support resources should that need come up. I have worked with people, 13 and older, in schools, immigrant groups, prisons, LGBTQIA organisations, adoptees, and the list goes on. More information about my previous experience with the youngest age is available on request.
Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice:
Since I moved to New Zealand, I have been continuing my story slams and workshops as a passion project. From what I’ve done, I see so much enthusiasm from participants to see this art form scale out in Aotearoa. The storytelling programmes were an all-encompassing part of my life when I was living in the US and coming here, I explored a variety of avenues of art (drag, fashion, collaborative art projects, and maker spaces) but I continue to find myself drawn back to the simple and powerful effect of teaching story craft. We have so few opportunities to not only connect but to listen to each other.
And part of the fun of working on public speaking/personal narrative is not just working up the confidence but developing our life-changing experiences so that we can share them in a ‘rock star’ moment. Owning our past is an art form and a stepping-stone into building authentic relationships with all kinds of communities who don’t begin as shared comfort zones. I am so passionate about the power of storytelling, and I want to see it integrating into the curriculum of students.