Future of StoryTelling

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Founded in 2012 by Charles Melcher, Founder and CEO of Melcher Media, Future of StoryTelling (FoST) is a community of people from the worlds of media, technology, and communications who are exploring how storytelling is evolving in the digital age.^[1] FoST produces content throughout the year, including the two-day, invitation-only FoST Summit; storytelling workshops; curated exhibitions with local and international organizations; a monthly newsletter, FoST in Thought, and the bi-weekly FoST Podcast. FoST also teaches, consults, and helps with storytelling for companies such as NBCUniversal, Microsoft, Ford, and others.

FoST Summit[]

Launched in 2012 as a one-day, invitation-only Summit for 300 people, the FoST Summit has since expanded to a two-day event for 600 people. The event draws a mix of thinkers and practitioners from diverse fields who are shaping the art, science, and business of storytelling in the twenty-first century. The event encourages attendee participation via small roundtable discussions led by experts from the worlds of business, technology, marketing, academics, and other fields; hands-on creative workshops; immersive performances; and exhibitions of the latest storytelling projects and technologies.^[2] Past FoST Summit speakers, workshop leaders, and performers have included former Vice President Al Gore; Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda; Disney animator and director Glen Keane; Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Retail at Apple; author Margaret Atwood; filmmaker Darren Aronofsky; choreographer Bill T. Jones; Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud; and Todd Yellin, VP of Product at Netflix.

The FoST summit takes place at Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, an architecturally and historically significant site that was built in the mid-1800s as a home for retired sailors. Attendees meet in lower Manhattan and are transported by private ferry across New York Harbor to the 83-acre waterfront campus.

FoST Prize[]

Awarded each year at the FoST Summit, the FoST Prize’s stated goal is to cultivate the talents of those pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a storyteller in the digital age, and to help shape the future of entertainment, technology, art, and communication. FoST seeks out the most innovative narrative-driven projects from around the world, including virtual, mixed, and augmented reality; web-based, audio, and data-driven works; mobile apps; narrative games; multimedia installations; and multi-platform projects. Three finalists are chosen, each of whom has the opportunity to showcase their work at the FoST Summit. The grand prize winner is awarded from the main stage at the Summit and receives a cash prize.^[3]

FoST Podcast[]

Launched in 2020 and hosted by FoST founder and CEO Charles Melcher, the bi-weekly FoST Podcast features conversations with some of the world’s most notable storytellers from diverse backgrounds. Past guests have included former Vice President Al Gore, author Margaret Atwood, actor Neil Patrick Harris, musician Jacob Collier, political commentator and activist Van Jones, writer and producer Wendy Calhoun, actor Rainn Wilson, and Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater.^[4]

FoST in Thought Newsletter[]

FoST produces a monthly digital newsletter, FoST in Thought, which features articles on trends and breakthroughs in the storytelling world, as well as news from FoST and its community members and a calendar of immersive storytelling events taking place around the world.^[5]

FoST Curriculum[]

Building on its experience curating the Future of StoryTelling Summit, in 2018 FoST built and began to teach the FoST Curriculum, a new interactive methodology for story education. The FoST Curriculum teaches the skills required of the twenty-first-century storyteller, with a specific focus on helping businesses craft customer-centric stories for impact. Called “Storytelling in Digital Age” and taught by industry leaders, the three-day course gives participants insights into the fundamentals of storytelling, how stories affect people’s brains, the importance of truly getting to know one’s audience, an understanding of today’s evolving media landscape, and how to make use of the many platforms available to storytellers and brands.^[6] FoST has taught the course both in person and virtually at companies such as Microsoft and Ford.

FoST Films[]

Since its founding, FoST has produced an ongoing series of short films featuring its Summit speakers and other leaders from the storytelling world speaking about their areas of interest, such as interactive theater, immersive journalist, artificial intelligence, and the neuroscience of empathy. Past subjects have included Disney animator Glen Keane, former GE Vice Chair Beth Comstock, architect Bjarke Ingels, filmmaker Chris Milk, Niantic CEO John Hanke, journalism pioneer Nonny de la Peña, and Scott Trowbridge, Portfolio Creative Executive for Disney Imagineering. In 2021, FoST also launched a new series of short films highlighting the work of master storytellers around the world and giving viewers a look at their creative spaced. Subjects include Cofounder and Director Vince Kadlubek and Senior Creative Producer Marsi Gray of Meow Wolf; Global Brand Director Takashi Kudo and Social Branding Lead Michaela Kane of teamLab; Founder and Creator Director Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop; and Artistic Director Felix Barrett of Punchdrunk.

Consulting and Content Creation[]

FoST’s sister company, Melcher Media, has produced original narrative-driven content for more than 25 years, including illustrated books and other print materials, apps, videos, websites, and interactive media. The company has worked with many of the world’s leading brands to help tell their stories, including Microsoft, Amazon, PepsiCo, Harley-Davidson, Nike, L.L. Bean, and Lexus, as well as media properties like HBO, Condé Nast, NBCUniversal, USA, MTV, and Netflix, and authors including Oprah Winfrey, Al Gore, Martha Stewart, Eminem, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.^[7]

FoST’s reputation as experience designers and storytellers has also led the company to deliver bespoke story-based solutions for clients. Starting with a thorough research, the company immerses itself in a company’s brand, then works to surface compelling brand storytelling opportunities and recommend specific approaches, such as content or live event strategies that can be produced across platforms and in various media.^[8]

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library[]

In 2019, FoST was engaged as the official Executive Storytellers for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, which is currently scheduled to open to the public in 2025.^[9] In this role, FoST runs all aspects of the institution's storytelling. In addition to managing the exhibits inside of the building, FoST also oversees all of the programming and activities emanating from the Library. FoST has also produced several pieces of print collateral for the Library, including a "Request for Qualifications," which was sent to select firms who were being considered for the Library's international architecture competition. Subsequently, FoST produced a digital “Request for Proposal” for the same competition as well as an extensive “Story Guide”—a reference book, onboarding tool, and style guide for current and future Library collaborators. The Guide not only summarizes the Library’s history, founding mission, and principles, it also includes resources such as essential artifacts and reading materials, advice on voice and tone, and stories and images from T.R.’s life that can be used for inspiration or repurposed.

References[]

External References[]

Future of StoryTelling Website

Melcher Media Website