Story World Explorers Frank & Jack Konrath

Join us and transmedia producer Houston Howard as we explore the ever-expanding world of NFTs!  This is the second time we’ve had Houston on the podcast talking about transmedia and story worlds from an educational standpoint.  As it becomes more and more apparent that NFTs are becoming a new and exciting way to expand story worlds of all sizes, we felt we had to get an expert on to talk about it, and talk we did!
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Os8o7fAgDTg
From the metaverse to the undeniable value of digital assets and nonfungible tokens, we explored strategies of starting or integrating NFTs into your own story world coupled with real life stories of how people are employing them.  
It’s a great, enlightening, and encouraging conversation!
#houstonhoward #nft #nfts #nonfungibletokens #catalystfestival #CatalystFestival2021 #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)

Join us, writer/creator Justin Burns, and actress Ireon Roach as we explore their story world of The Come Up!  Winner of best dramatic pilot and best dramatic actress at Catalyst Content Festival, The Come Up is a unique limited series following three Chicago high schoolers who use slam poetry to navigate their increasingly complicated lives. Inspired by the creator and cast's time going to high school together in Chicago Public Schools, this inspiring character study offers a glimpse into the mental states of teenagers struggling to find themselves in a city where it's easy to be lost.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1DSUHacpMYI 
The power of this story is in how this group of friends band together through tragedy, finding their strength in their voices through slam poetry.  We often forget the stress there is on a high schooler, especially one who is under constant threat of school closings, teacher walk outs, and other budgetary issues that have nothing to do with them.  As we dove into the world, we were able to identify mental health and communities in Chicago already engaged in slam poetry went hand in hand in building their audience.
 It was a great, Chicago-focused episode!
Follow them:
Socials: @thecomeupchi
#TheComeUp #CPS #highschool #drama #awardwinning #catalystfestival #CatalystFestival2021 #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)

Join us and transmedia producer, Jeff Gomez as we explore the story world of Ultraman!  An IP that has existed since the 1960’s, Ultraman has gone through 3 generations with 16 total Ultraman reincarnations.  Ultraman is the Japanese Superman, hailing from Nebula M78, who defend humanity against a legion of destructive giant monsters and scheming aliens called Kaiju.  
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/akL0hZCHhvc
While we spoke on some of the lore and current storylines of Ultraman, we primarily focused on the backend of transmedia (Jeff Gomez doesn’t need our help with content) and all the great things his company, Starlight Runner, are doing to engage American audiences with an iconic Japanese IP.  They are developing an audience building platform, Iceberg Theory, that creates an interactive live streaming experience, which has grown their audience during the pandemic.  Soon to be available to all creators, the goal of the platform is to help creators build audiences with new IP. 
In addition to Ultraman and its transmedia workings, we spoke about how any story world needs to find its Apostles and the potential of the metaverse.
Take a listen with a notepad, you’ll want it!
#ultraman #jeffgomez #starlightrunner #icebergtheory #kaiju #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)

Join us and creators Dominique Jenssen, Sara Jumper, and Sarah White as we explore their story world, 1332 and the Lake Effect Collab!  1332 isn’t an obscure reference to the medieval times, but of the amazing depth of the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior as well as the collab’s first film project.  The group are all dancers for the Duluth Ballet, and the connection Duluthians have with the lake is deep.
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3XprxudBIcI
A combination of trying to expand dance to new mediums, highlight the lake’s importance to Duluth, and to put Duluth’s thriving art scene in the limelight, the Lake Effect Collab aims to start their journey with a three-part dance film.  This film will be a collaborative effort with Duluthian artists, and they plan on expanding into an amazing summer festival where they can show the country and world what Duluth has been up to.  
We spoke about paganizing the summer festival to honor the lake, dance’s uphill battle with availability, and a podcast idea connecting Duluth artists to the lake.

Follow the Lake Effect Collab: https://www.instagram.com/lakeeffectmovementcollab/ 
#lakeeffectcollab #lakesuperior #duluth #film #dance #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)

Join us and creator Anthony E. Williams in exploring his story world of F.A.M.!  F.A.M. stands for family always matters.  It’s a touching show centered around fatherhood and co-parenting in today's ever-changing times.  
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TigKK68XE7Q
Closely based off of Anthony’s own life, F.A.M. explores the themes of being a father to a daughter questioning her sexuality, the difficulties of parenting in a blended family, and the toughness of being a stepparent. 
Another conversation born from networking at Catalyst Content Festival!
We discovered three amazing audiences for F.A.M., spoke about new content types to engage those audiences, and even helped Anthony change his pitch to highlight the new discoveries! 
Watch the Trailer:
https://vimeo.com/447998213
#fam #family #familtalwaysmatters #pilot #catalyst #catalystcontent #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)

Join us and creator Zack Morrison as we explore his story world, Canusa Street! Canusa Street is a 30-minute comedy series written specifically for network tv, much like a Parks and Rec.  The story takes place in an absurd small town cut in half by the Vermont/Quebec border following a jaded US Border Patrol attempts to solve local cases while maintaining a fierce rivalry with her twin sister in the Canadian Mounties.
This pilot explores the absurdity of the small town which is split in half by the Canada/US border.  Throughout much of its history the border didn’t matter, but after the 9/11 attacks the border began to be enforced.  This forcibly highlighted the differences between being an American and Canadian in a town where your neighbors, even half of your house, may be on the other side of the border.  Cansua Street aims to showcase the small differences between everyone that we take such pride in, but ultimately don’t mean anything.
We spoke about these strange hills we choose to die on, came up with Zack’s TikTok and podcast strategy, and had a bunch of laughs about an underground poutine speakeasy. 
Follow Zack: 
Website: https://www.zackmorrison.com
Previous work: Everything's Fine: A Panic Attack in D Major - https://vimeo.com/342875021 
Canusa Poster Art designed by Connor Simpson
 
#canusastreet #comedy #border #pilot #catalyst #catalystcontent #storyworld #storytelling #transmedia #collectivejourney #artists #creatives #worldbuilder #producers #indie #newconcepts #storyworldexplorers
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/storyworldexplorers)