How Nelson Mandela Leveraged the Power of Storytelling

One of my favorite sites, Big Think, did a fantastic interview series with the author of the power of storytelling in all areas of life, Tell to Win, by the outspokenly brilliant Peter Gruber.

One of the videos really stood out to me.  In this little over three minutes video, Gruber relays his experience with the amazing Nelson Mandela. It was interesting to hear an account of a person who teaches the power of storytelling talk about how masterfully, eloquently, and powerfully Mandela's story about all the time he spent in prison caused him and many others to act, and to act exactly the way Mandela instructed them to.

Nelson Mandela, Prolific former President of South Africa, Magnanimous Reformer, Long-term Political Prisoner, and Master Storyteller

Most people think of storytelling as only being in novels, screenplays, or even songs.  But Gruber contends that story is how we evolved as human beings, and I tend to agree with him. All anyone has to do is research ancient hieroglyphs.  Humans have been telling stories in every arena of life, for as long as recorded history.  Every single person's life is a story, complete with acts, characters, scenes, and chapters. Story knows no bounds, not even a 29-year prison cell. Inside of each of us is at least one incredibly great and potent story: the story of life itself.

The advent of technology has now created an unprecedented arena for storytellers across all genres to express themselves, their ideas, and possibly even revolutionary stories that affect an entire country, a continent, or even the world, like Nelson Mandela.

Social media, digital content (rich media), mobile media, gaming technology, ease in developing mobile applications, advances in music creation and distribution, advances in screenwriting, and in getting novels digitally published...all have one thing in common: they are roads to convey powerful storytelling, and to get those stories in front of the exact people who would love them. 

Story begins in the human experience. It begins in the heart.

What is in your heart to tell?

We're all waiting for YOUR story...

Ah...the Possibilites...

Welcome to the blog for Foxy Cole Productions, your one-stop shop for all things storytelling related across all media.

QUESTIONS:

• Do you have a great story to tell, but have no idea in which media to tell it, or even how to get it known? 
• Have you always dreamed of being in the entertainment industry, but were discouraged by the traditional "move to Hollywood, get an agent, starving artist" dilemma? 
• Did you know that storytelling is one skill that crosses any and all forms of media? 
• Did you know that you can tell great stories in ways other than by writing books? Stories can be told via music, images, animation, advertising campaigns, and even video games. 

 Well this is your lucky day!

Because now, more than ever, exciting possibilities exist for all creatives of any kind of media to digitally express themselves, get seen, get known, and even get paid. Superstars are created every day. 

Even Wikipedia has a massive page of ever-evolving list of internet phenomena, across all media, including advertising, animation, e-mail, films, games, images, music, trading, videos, and more.

Why? Because people will FIND a way to tell and share their stories with each other! And the digital age combined with the wide word web, are making success stories every single day.

Source: Wikipedia Search for Internet Phenomena

From the Wikipedia article: This is a list of phenomena specific to the Internet, such as popular themes and catchphrases, images, viral videos and more. Such fads and sensations grow rapidly on the Internet because its instant communication facilitates word of mouth. In the early days of the Internet, phenomena were primarily spread via email or Usenet discussion communities. Today, many of these phenomena are also spread via popular, user-based or social networking web sites, including (but not limited to) 4chan, Newgrounds, Reddit, Facebook, Fark, Flickr, Myspace, Slashdot, Something Awful, YouTube, or YTMND. Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing may also amplify the propagation of these phenomena.

Fascinating, isn't it?  Every day people are experiencing the joy of creating and sharing their stories, regardless of where they live, what their financial situation is, if they have agents or not, or what side of the tracks they come from.

This list link above encompasses nearly all forms of media. Many internet personalities have been created overnight.

In today's digital world, the possibilities are endless. Social media sites like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn have played a huge role in these phenomena, as well as the human desire to connect. 

Do you have a novel in you? Now is your time to shine! Novel writers of all flavors now have unprecedented ways to market themselves, even completely eliminating the need for a publisher, and keeping all the profits!

For example, check out Amanda Hocking, a young writer who could not seem to get her books moved by her publisher. She took her rights back and published them herself on Amazon, Kindle, and Nook, and nearly became a millionaire her very first year!

Amanda's story is now one of countless similar success stories that are pouring in every single month, with the revolution of digital self publishing. From the Huffington Post article:

Unknown, living paycheck to paycheck in Austin, Minnesota, rejected by publishers all over New York, Amanda Hocking decided to self-publish on ebook platforms only. She sold 100,000 of her works in December, and over 10 months she's more than 900,000. She's 26 and is now making enough money to quit her day job and become a full time writer, in fact she's a millionaire.

Source: 2011 Article on Amanda Hocking from Huffington Post

New, completely digital film studios are opening all the time, giving creatives of all kinds of abilities to produce great projects on limited budgets, even without a Hollywood set. 

Yes, times are changing, and for the best. And Foxy Cole Productions, and Stacie "Foxy" Cole will be right in the thick of it, seizing opportunities to create and collaborate on new and exciting ventures that keep people entertained for years to come.

It all begins with authenticity. Each of us has a vivid imagination, unique experiences, education, and wonderful stories to tell. However, many of us have forgotten about that, or gotten lost in a fog of too many conflicting interests. There is a way to stabilize all of your interests into who you really are. 

Highly suggested is our sister site, also created by Stacie "Foxy" Cole, as a means to help people get in touch with themselves, the earth, each other, and their own inner superstar...with compassion and authenticity. You will discover the greatest story you have to tell...is your own.

Becoming a Master Storyteller increases a person's confidence in the world, in interacting with others, as well as building critical mental skills. You can tie pretty much anything into a great story, for whatever purposes you desire. Now, tapping into stories that people WANT to hear is important as well, so it's important to use your new found abilities with common sense and intuition, and BAM...you've got Star quality!

Source: srcole.com

FoxyColeProductions will explore these themes in great detail, and the possibilities and promise that can come about when people join forces to create powerful stories that the world can enjoy. This blog will explore themes like:

• Types of emerging Digital Media, and how some or all of them can be used to express an idea
• Storytelling in different types of digital media
• Storytelling basics, tips, and advanced techniques
• Social Media sites and how to use them to spread word of your creations
• How people are succeeding in various Digital Media forms
• What educational institutions offer in these emerging fields
• Resources to explore and research
• Up and coming new Production Studios (even if they are 1 person with a computer)! 
• Producing great media on a budget
• Success Stories of everyday people, complete with resource links

The FoxyColeProductions blog will be your one-stop-shop for all things storytelling related. The Entertainment Industry is evolving in leaps and bounds, and now like no other time in history are incredibly unique opportunities for creative people at every level to make a difference in the world, to share stories, even to create...a legacy.


It's your turn now...finally. :-)


Ready, set, go...let's DO this! 





Sources: (links open in a new, separate window)

Massive list of Internet Phenomena on Wikipedia
2011 Article on Amanda Hocking from Huffington Post
Complete lists of related blog posts on our Sister Site srcole.com