Future of StoryTelling (FoST)

Latest Episodes:

"Silo" and Disrupting Entertainment — Hugh Howey May 18, 2023

Show notes

A true disruptor, Hugh Howey turned his sci-fi novella series Silo from a self-published ebook into a bestseller and now an acclaimed streaming series. On the occasion of Silo’s release on Apple TV+, Hugh talks about changing the traditional model of publishing, adapting his work to television, and the creative revolution he sees on the horizon.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Hugh Howey, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Story Living with Industrial Light & Magic — Rob Bredow and Vicki Dobbs Beck May 09, 2023

Show notes

Industrial Light & Magic sets the gold standard for visual effects and immersive storytelling in collaboration with some of the world's most popular IPs. On today’s episode of the FoST podcast, ILM’s SVP, Chief Creative Officer Rob Bredow and VP of Immersive Content Vicki Dobbs Beck discuss the work of ILMxLAB and the exciting ways that storytelling is becoming more immersive than ever with AR, AI, and other next-generation technologies.

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Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Rob Bredow, Vicki Dobbs Beck, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Behind the Mask with Punchdrunk — Felix Barrett Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

With critically acclaimed shows worldwide, Punchdrunk is the company that put immersive theater on the map. On today’s episode of the FoST Podcast, Punchdrunk’s founder and artistic director Felix Barrett gives us a very special “one-on-one”– he’ll take us through their iconic production Sleep No More from beginning to end, illuminating the creative process behind it all along the way.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Felix Barrett, Izzy Stargardter, Meghal Janardan, Bonnie Eldon, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Get Your Art Rate Up — Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

In their new book Your Brain on Art, VP of Hardware Design at Google Ivy Ross and Founder and Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Susan Magsamen show that great art and stories are not just enjoyable, but necessary for us to flourish as humans. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, they discuss the neuroscience supporting their hypothesis and the culture shift needed to help us live fuller, more artistic lives.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Ivy Ross, Susan Magsamen, Meghal Janardan, Bonnie Eldon, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Burning Man and Radical Self-Expression — Marian Goodell Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

Burning Man is much more than an event– it’s a co-created immersive world. Marian Goodell, the CEO of Burning Man Project, has helped the community grow while maintaining its culture, spirit, and collaborative ethos. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, Marian talks about what makes Burning Man such a fertile ground for creativity.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Marian Goodell, Meghal Janardan, Bonnie Eldon, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Where Physical and Digital Merge — Cathy Hackl Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

Chief Metaverse Officer at Journey and “Godmother of the Metaverse” Cathy Hackl is paying close attention to the metaverse– and if you’re a creator or an entrepreneur, you should be too. On this episode of the FoST Podcast, Cathy shares how she defines the metaverse, what opportunities it’s creating for commerce and creativity, and how she’s working towards a protopian world both physical and virtual.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Cathy Hackl, Meghal Janardan, Bonnie Eldon, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

How to Design an Escape Room — Victor van Doorn Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

Escape rooms give audiences the opportunity to use their minds and bodies in an exciting, participatory experience. Victor van Doorn and his company Sherlocked are taking that offering to the next level by integrating deep storytelling into their rooms for an altogether more immersive experience. Hear Victor talk about how Sherlocked designs with an eye towards narrative and flow on today’s episode of the FoST podcast.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Victor van Doorn, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, Megan Worman, and Laura Cray.

Pursuing Fan Joy at Scale — Greg Lombardo Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Fans dream of living in their favorite storyworlds, and as Head of Experiences at Netflix, Greg Lombardo is helping make those dreams come true for lovers of shows like Stranger Things and Bridgerton. What's more, he and his team are bringing shows to people in cities across the globe, producing immersive experiences at incredible scale. In this episode, Greg discusses the strategy behind these experiences and what makes them special.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Greg Lombardo, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, Megan Worman, and Laura Cray.

Emerging Tech, Education, and Empowerment — Alton Glass Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

As new technology arises, so do new opportunities for expression, empathy, and empowerment. Our guest today, Alton Glass of GRX Immersive, shares how he’s making the most of these opportunities and helping others do the same through educational programs designed to help diverse creators take advantage of virtual reality and other emerging forms.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Alton Glass, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

LARP and Co-Created Reality — Sarah Lynne Bowman Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

We all play roles in our day-to-day lives– but we don’t always have a choice in them. Roleplaying games, and particularly live action roleplays (aka “LARP”), allow us to reclaim the ability to decide who we’re going to be, both within the game and beyond. On today’s episode of the FoST Podcast, Dr. Sarah Lynne Bowman shares her learnings on how roleplaying games work and why they’re becoming more and more popular.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Sarah Lynne Bowman, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, Megan Worman, and Laura Cray.