Victoria, BC — This fall, an audience of technology, media and communications visionaries will meet in New York City to discuss the Future of Storytelling. This invite-only event, headlined by Al Gore and Margaret Atwood, will feature a workshop delivered by Jordan Bower, Victoria’s Digital Storyteller.
“Digital Storytelling is a philosophical approach to strategic communications,” says Bower. “Society has been changed by how the Internet pervades our lives. Smart communicators are becoming more thoughtful about how to create meaningful connections through story.”
The Future of Storytelling Summit is an annual event designed to put participants in contact with the most vital ideas, people and technologies shaping the way we tell stories. At this year’s conference, held on October 7 and 8, Bower will deliver a workshop titled The Digital Storyteller’s Journey: Feeling is Believing.
“We’re just starting to realize that the Internet is about emotions,” says Bower. “Successful campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and the WestJet Christmas Miracle show us that audiences respond positively to emotionally meaningful narratives. Though most organizations hear the call for authentic storytelling, many communicators are still struggling with execution.”
Events like the Future of Storytelling Summit have grown out of a worldwide trend for ideas festivals, catalyzed by the TED conferences. Locally, events like Social Media Camp, TEDxVictoria and Thinklandia have created vibrant spaces that attract divergent perspectives.
According to Bower, these experiences are in themselves stories.
“At its best, storytelling sets the stage for shared experience. Great stories are participatory, compelling and meaningful. By virtue of all that creative energy, participants — and host cities — can’t help but be inspired and transformed.”
Bower’s work as a Digital Storyteller began in 2010, when he set off on a 316 day walking journey down the West Coast, from Canada to Mexico. Along the way, he found himself speaking with thousands of people about how their lives had changed as a result of technology.
“Story can be the bridge that humanizes technology,” says Bower. “No matter what comes next, there will never be a more powerful form of communication than storytelling.”
About the Future of Storytelling Summit:
The Future of Storytelling Summit is an invitation-only event designed to further our understanding of the art, science, and business of communication in the twenty-first century and beyond. The inaugural summit took place on October 5, 2012.
FoST brings together top executives, creative talent, and technologists with the vision and influence to change the way that stories will be told tomorrow and beyond.
About Jordan Bower
Digital Storyteller Jordan Bower helps brands, organizations and individuals create evocative, cross-media stories. He consults on brand strategy and leads workshops at venues like Hollyhock, VIATEC, Tourism Victoria and Pacific Rim College.
This fall, Bower will release The Temple of Momentum, a 28 episode podcast that chronicles his walk from Canada to Mexico.
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