The Starfish Storytellers

Interested in creating your own podcast? Contact Bedford TV’s Programming Coordinator, Marc Gustafson, at marc@bedford.tv to get started.

Season 2/Episode 8

Social impact storytelling and donor stories help organizations that are seeking to inspire donors while standing out to touch hearts and evoke empathy. Fundraising storytelling especially fosters connections and drives impactful contributions.

In this episode, we welcomed Mary Lyman, Director of Community Relations, and Julie Bloise, Communications and Marketing Director, from the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They shared how they leverage social impact storytelling to support this innovative medical center’s mission of improving the health of the population they serve by providing high-quality, comprehensive services.

Through storytelling, we also got the opportunity to illustrate the impact their donors make each year by highlighting their upcoming ‘Making a Difference’ Gala, a main fundraiser for this non-profit organization that serves 68,000 patients across the region.

To learn more about GLFHC, visit https://glfhc.org/

Season 2/Episode 7

This fast-paced episode is about the many nuances of sports storytelling, through the lens of a Correspondent for the talented Boston Bruins NHL hockey team.

Our friend, Shawn Hutcheon, a correspondent of the Boston Bruins Media Program for The Fourth Period Magazine, a sports radio commentator, a member of the Professional Hockey Writer’s Association, and a hockey player rep and skills coach, takes us through a day-in-the-life of a sports writer who spends many hours in the Bruins locker room and on the ice coaching future professional players.

Shawn points out how writing longer features, where he gets to expand beyond last night’s score, gives the reader a more complete picture of the how and why to an athlete’s style of play. He shares what it’s like to get up close to one’s heroes and how important it is – as a fan – to remember these players are just people too.

Season 2/Episode 6

Having a place to share your stories, especially where you can get feedback, makes you a proficient storyteller.  This can happen at live events, online in communities, or with story coaches.

In this episode, writer, storyteller, and toastmaster Peter Ash stops by to tell us all about the story communities and events he’s been a part of  – such as NEST, Story Space, and Sharing the Fire – and why it’s important to join one. Each one offers the storyteller a different experience but above all, the more you tell your story to an audience, the better you are.

Season 2/Episode 5

Storytelling in content marketing transforms marketing collateral into effective brand tools. It allows businesses to engage emotionally with their target audience by creating a more memorable customer experience.

In this episode, we welcomed Becki Harrington-Davis, Brand Storyteller, Executive Ghostwriter,  and Corporate Comms Professional, who outlines for us the ways that content marketing boosts all types of campaigns. We chat about the power of customer testimonials, why video production is a critical skill for marketers, the best ways to bring storytelling into the typical case study, and how she incorporates AI responsibly into her work.

Season 2/Episode 4

Journalists and public relations professionals take us on a journey when they tell a story. To be a good storyteller across the media, you have to be able to get close and convey that. In doing so, you’ll connect with the reader in a memorable way.

In this episode, we welcomed our friend Tom Zuppa,  PR Practitioner from John Guilfoil Public Relations and former Managing Editor for The Sun of Lowell.  After an attention-grabbing story he shared (that you’ll want to get lost in), he shared his expertise in storytelling, both as a journalist and in public relations.  Curiosity is # 1 as a journalist and effective communications are key. PR is about reputation management and brand awareness so convey the impact and results.

Storytelling across the media may not always be easy, but when you focus on character, dramatic arc, and a sense of place, you can make your stories truly transportive.

Season 2/Episode 3

It is really important to know what our predecessors faced in order for us to live the life we have today. Through historical narratives, those of us in the here and now have a way to organize and frame everyday life from a historical orientation to give people a way to situate themselves.

Sharon McDonald, the Historian for Bedford Massachusetts, sat down with us to share how she and the local historical society have been collecting and sharing the stories of Bedford and its residents since 1893.

In this episode, she shares what a Historian does, some interesting moments in Bedford history, how the local historical society collects the artifacts and stories of this town, and what goes into researching historical narratives.

Season 2/Episode 2

In this second episode of our second season, we meet Delaney Gembis, a Social Media Manager at a local Biometrics company and a volunteer social media manager for an animal rescue.

When she is not developing organic social media content to build a trustworthy brand image for the company, she’s using her storytelling skills to build engagement for the rescue’s social media community. From content calendars to when NOT to use memes to our opinions about the move to rebrand Twitter to X (and the tumult that followed), Delaney and I talk shop to highlight the ins and outs of corporate storytelling.

Season 2/Episode 1

When you put a visionary, a problem solver, an organizer, and a creative together, what do you get? Well, our talented core team, of course!

In this kick-off episode for 2024, the team at The Black Dog Group sat down to share stories about our first year in business – what challenged us, what we achieved, and what were a few of our favorite things. We make predictions for 2024 in our respective areas, share our feelings about the latest technological boom – AI – and share our goals for the company this year.

Episode 15

Examining our own narratives can help us grow personally, spiritually, or professionally. Sometimes we can get there on our own, but sometimes we need the assistance of a Life Guidance Coach.

In this episode, we chat with Jude Mullins, a Reiki Healer, Evidential Medium, and Life Guidance Coach who helps her clients become more attuned and balanced by excavating and examining their own deeply layered stories. By taking all the pieces from all the areas of their lives that may be of concern, Jude helps people release the narratives that can be self-limiting and will often employ the help of loved ones who passed on by sharing their encouraging, loving messages.

Episode 14

In this episode, we welcome Dale Grenfell, Storytelling instructor, presenter, and facilitator who has taken her storytelling skills to the classroom and the stage. She has used storytelling in peace circles and within restorative justice programs both in classrooms and prisons to demonstrate the power of storytelling to heal harm. Storytelling connects when there is discord by bringing vulnerability, forgiveness, and transparency to the table.

Through sharing her own memorable stories of the Red Shawl and the Listener on the Train, she takes us on a journey of understanding that drives home why opening space for people to tell their stories is so important to re-establishing balance and peace.

Episode 13

In this episode, we welcomed Elena Ulanovsky, award-winning author, screenwriter, and independent movie producer from Ukraine, who emigrated to Israel and later moved to the US. Elena shared summaries about each book she penned, what she learned along the way, and how some of her fiction was a premonition of the war in Ukraine today. Elena has found that the storytelling in her books and screenplays was the best way for her to express her beliefs and not stay silent about the injustice happening in her country of origin.

Episode 12

In this episode, we welcomed Alison Cservenschi, the Director of the Council on Aging in Bedford, Massachusetts to chat about senior stories and celebrating lives well-lived. Seniors have made decisions that have shaped our lives and communities, and listening to their journeys informs us about the world around us. We talked about how seniors benefit from connecting with each other, the heartfelt stories she hears all day, how the center’s connection with the Veteran’s Administration opens doors to hearing Veteran’s stories, and why taking the time to listen to these stories is an important priority for all of us.

To learn more about what Councils on Aging do, visit https://www.ncoa.org/ .

To see all of the great programming coming from Bedford, MA, visit https://www.bedfordma.gov/518/Council-on-Aging.

Episode 11

In this special episode we are calling a ‘CEO’s Cut’, I talk about The Superpower of Storytelling, Moth Style. I did this podcast solo to talk about this amazing organization and its concise story framework which I know our listeners would find helpful for telling better stories. As you listen, you’ll hear all the steps you’ll need to get yourself Moth-stage ready. From mining for memories to rehearsing tips, to the power of authentic transformational narratives, Moth stories promote the art and craft of storytelling, by honoring the diversity and commonality of the human experience on a stage built of civility and respect.

Episode 10

In this episode, Awilda Irizzary, Senior Business Advisor at the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center, outlines what three things all small businesses must have in order to get started, why so many fail within the first five years, and how brand storytelling is critical to connecting with your target audience. By telling your company story in all the right places, you will evoke emotion, motivate people to act, and build brand loyalty.

Episode 9

In this episode about public speaking, we welcomed long-time Toastmaster Bob Avallone who shared tips for creating memorable speeches and presentations by using storytelling. He walks us through his speech-writing process, encouraging practice, practice, and more practice in a variety of ways – by speaking it, writing it, and recording it. Some of the most noteworthy speeches have stories at their core and, the ones that sound more conversational, will grab and hold your audience’s attention.

Episode 8

In this episode on Social Impact Storytelling, we welcomed two guests – Rev. Annie Gonzalez & Rev. Megan Lynes, First Parish Unitarian and Universalist Pastors in Bedford, Massachusetts. They shared social justice stories about the many ways the congregation is effecting change. From using resources to help other congregations on the front lines of such social issues as climate change, transgender legislation, and immigration to supporting local art programs and empowering youth groups, these two women challenge us to remember – if you can do something, you should do something. To get involved, visit https://www.uua.org/. To learn more about the Bedford First Parish Church, visit https://www.uubedford.org/

Episode 7

In this episode, I welcome my friend and award-winning graphic designer Jeff Surette who drives home how important collaboration is when working with a copywriter. Visuals need to be adapted to complement the message but be sure to not make it all about the artwork. He explains his process for visual flow in order to enhance a story and encourages new designers to just look at the things around them to help them become strong visual communicators. You can learn more about Jeff and his visual wizardry at http://surette.biz/web.php

Episode 6

In this episode, we welcome award-winning journalist, poet, and fiction author Meg Smith who takes us through her passion for writing. Her brilliance and expertise as a journalist shine through as she shares the importance of exploring all sides of an issue, how covering challenging stories is the best teacher, and how the community’s trust in their beat journalist is sacred. Meg lets us in on her poetry publishing process and how an epidemic of medieval times became the relevant backdrop for her fiction collection ‘The Plague Confessor’ – which was published in 2020 – that challenges the reader to examine their own judgments and biases. You can learn more about Meg Smith and purchase one of her poetry books or her short story collection, ‘The Plague Confessor’ at: http://megsmithwriter.com/index.htm

Episode 5

In this episode, we explore the world of voiceover work and taking listeners on an audio adventure. I got the chance to flip the script and interview award-winning journalist, writer, on-air personality, voice talent, emcee – and my mentor – Max Bowen. Max shares his remarkable story of how he got started in storytelling as a newspaper journalist, but then pivoted to become an internet radio host. A host who took his love of the arts and his talent as an interviewer to overcome his limitations with a speech impediment. Max also shares the fun he has with voiceovers, working with horror genre authors, and getting to create the different voices of all the characters.You can learn more about Max and his voiceover work athttps://maxbowenspeaks.com/ or his podcast, Citywide Blackout athttps://citywideblackout.podbean.com/Hide

Episode 4

In our next episode, we sat down with our friend Colleen Sgroi, Award-Winning Children’s Book Illustrator and New England hometown favorite Folk Artist and Watercolor Instructor. Colleen shares her journey through book illustration and how a well written story inspires and sparks her memorable designs that help readers better understand what they are reading. We take a nostalgic walk through some classic colonial communities as we hear how her Americana Folk Art comes to life (sometimes in unusual ways). Then we close with her encouragement to budding artists and illustrators to know your worth and don’t sell yourself short. You can learn more about Colleen’s art and illustration at her website: https://www.colleensgroi.com/

Episode 3

In this episode, we welcome Rachel McLean, technology product manager and active member of a professional women’s group. Rachel shares her story and how she went on to land the career she always wanted through sheer determination, perseverance, and a whole lot of smarts. She encourages listeners on a professional path to find a mentor, have clear goals, and rely on other women as their allies.

Episode 2

In this episode, we welcome Leslie Baker, LGBTQ+ advocate and chair of an LGBTQ+ employee group. Leslie shares her own coming out experience, how the current political environment is impacting the LGBTQ+ community, and how important it is – especially for young people – to have a support network behind you when deciding to share your own LGBTQ+ stories.

Episode 1

In our first episode, we welcome Phillip Henry, COO of The Black Dog Group and author of ‘Hunter, Hunted’ – an urban fantasy thriller story. Phillip shares an excerpt of Michael Mahoney’s transfiguration and walks our listeners through storyboarding. He lets us in on the secret that characters create the relationship with you (more often than the other way around), not to rely on flashbacks as a crutch, and why being edited is paramount to your best work.

Trailer

In this trailer, host and CEO of The Black Dog Group, Liana Henry, shares her own background as a storyteller and why geeking out on story formats is fun, tells her favorite story – The Starfish Story – and reminds listeners about the importance of the ‘Power of One’ when telling their own stories.

Thank you to the Bedford Cultural Council for making Bedford TV podcasts possible.