The Story Hour Podcast: Recent Episodes
Alison Norrington & Brian Seth Hurst
Entertaining, downright fun and informative interviews with storytellers from around the world. The Story Hour covers it all from Film and TV, to Literature, XR and the innovations in technology, production, and distribution. Hosted by writers, producers and authors Alison Norrington (UK) and Brian Seth Hurst (USA). Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and find exclusive visual content on our YouTube page!
Thrilled to have 30 episodes (and an entire Season 01) of The Story Hour shot and published.
Join The Story Hour founders, Alison Norrington & Brian Seth Hurst completing the season with a candid chat about why they love story, why they started The Story Hour in the middle of a global pandemic and lockdown and where they're heading for Season 02.
We had such fun talking with longtime writer-producer of American sitcoms, Bryan Behar.
Since becoming a Huffington Post blogger in 2015, Bryan Behar has written about a variety of fun topics including suicide, depression, aging, overeating and getting trapped in his own wet suit.
Along with his writing partner Steve Baldikoski, Bryan has written for 21 shows in the past 21 years, including Wilfred, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, The New Adventures of Old Christine, 8 Simple Rules, Last Man Standing, Ned & Stacey and a few that not even they can remember.
He was the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the final two seasons on the Netflix Full House reboot, Fuller House. Additionally, they have sold numerous comedy pilots to ABC, Fox, Disney and USA.
Join us as we talk 'The agony of defeat', writing for a live studio audience, Fuller House, The New Adventures of Old Kristine, comedy, showrunning and writers' rooms!
We had such fun talking with longtime writer-producer of American sitcoms, Bryan Behar.
Since becoming a Huffington Post blogger in 2015, Bryan Behar has written about a variety of fun topics including suicide, depression, aging, overeating and getting trapped in his own wet suit.
Along with his writing partner Steve Baldikoski, Bryan has written for 21 shows in the past 21 years, including Wilfred, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, The New Adventures of Old Christine, 8 Simple Rules, Last Man Standing, Ned & Stacey and a few that not even they can remember.
He was the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the final two seasons on the Netflix Full House reboot, Fuller House. Additionally, they have sold numerous comedy pilots to ABC, Fox, Disney and USA.
Join us as we talk 'The agony of defeat', writing for a live studio audience, Fuller House, The New Adventures of Old Kristine, comedy, showrunning and writers' rooms!
We dive deeper into NFT's with pioneer Jason Zada, who has written further about this here -
https://jasonzada.medium.com/why-nfts-are-the-future-3abe39218cd4
We also talk the Metaverse, ARGs, interactive storytelling and more with this pioneer of interactive storytelling and award-winning storyteller. Jason Zada started at an early age, attracted to non-traditional storytelling creating Super8 films. Most recently the brains behind Twenty One Pilots – Never Ending Level of Concern please welcome the fabulous Jason Zada!
Join us as we talk NFT's, the Metaverse, ARGs, interactive storytelling and more with this pioneer of interactive storytelling and award-winning storyteller. Jason Zada started at an early age, attracted to non-traditional storytelling creating Super8 films. In 2016, his first theatrical feature film, The Forest was released into theaters by Focus Features. Previously, he was most recognized for the Emmy Award-winning cinematic personal experience ‘Take This Lollipop’, which was rebooted for Zoom in 2020 and has been seen by over 100 million people all over the world. The film gathered 13 million Facebook Likes, making it the fastest growing FB app of all time. Jason’s unique blend of multi-screen storytelling landed him in Adweek/Creativity’s Top 50 most influential creative personalities of 2012. Most recently the brains behind Twenty One Pilots – Never Ending Level of Concern please welcome the fabulous Jason Zada!
In this 'never-been-done-before' interview we are taken down a rabbithole in the fascinating, ecletic home of inventor, designer & playologist Denise Chapman Weston. On our guided tour we talk about creating spatial stories & environments, the physicality of creating spaces and stories with visual cues.
Inventor of over 120 patents including MagiQuest, Fellow at Edmund Hillary Fellowship, playologist and entrepreneur Denise has also been developing entertainment attractions, storyworlds and waterplay concepts for families around the world and at major theme parks.
In this 'never-been-done-before' interview we are taken down a rabbithole in the fascinating, ecletic home of inventor, designer & playologist Denise Chapman Weston. On our guided tour we talk about creating spatial stories & environments, the physicality of creating spaces and stories with visual cues. Inventor of over 120 patents including MagiQuest, Fellow at Edmund Hillary Fellowship, playologist and entrepreneur Denise has also been developing entertainment attractions, storyworlds and waterplay concepts for families around the world and at major theme parks.
A continuation of our conversation with Noah Nelson - the founder of No Proscenium, a publication dedicated to exploring the immersive and experiential arts, its sister site Everything Immersive, and a co-founder of LEIA - the League of Experiential & Immersive Artists. This is one NOT to be missed!
https://noproscenium.com/
https://everythingimmersive.com/
http://www.leia.design/
Noah Nelson is the founder of No Proscenium, a publication dedicated to exploring the immersive and experiential arts, its sister site Everything Immersive, and a co-founder of LEIA - the League of Experiential & Immersive Artists.
This is one NOT to be missed!
https://noproscenium.com/
https://everythingimmersive.com/
http://www.leia.design/
Helen Situ was one of the first employees at NextVR (which was acquired by Apple), a virtual reality company focused on live entertainment across music and sports. While there, she led the launch of the company's mobile app, drove social media strategy, and worked closely with partners like Oculus and the NBA.
She is the co-founder of BigTinySound, a TikTok sponsorship marketplace working with major music labels and independent artists..
We were thrilled to welcome Helen Situ! https://join.bigtinysound.com/
Helen Situ was one of the first employees at NextVR (which was acquired by Apple), a virtual reality company focused on live entertainment across music and sports. While there, she led the launch of the company's mobile app, drove social media strategy, and worked closely with partners like Oculus and the NBA.
She is the co-founder of BigTinySound, a TikTok sponsorship marketplace working with major music labels and independent artists..
We were thrilled to welcome Helen Situ! https://join.bigtinysound.com/
Part 2 of our great chat with VR Artist Juliana Loh, where we got a little deep and philosophical - which is never a bad thing...
Juliana is one of very few fabulous TiltBrush artists, creator of Jingleville, Shriek & Sinisteria, a Giant Orange Fish and can be found at www.splashmango.com.
She is passionate about why it is important to include diverse characters in this new art form and hopes to bring inspiration though her artwork.
VR Artist Juliana Loh is one of very few fabulous TiltBrush artists, creator of Jingleville, Shriek & Sinisteria, a Giant Orange Fish and can be found at www.splashmango.com.
Juliana has years of experience and a background in creating campaigns for brands, designing user experiences and teaching and creating projects that evoke discovery, play and immersion. She has participated in both traditional and VR painting shows and has offered instruction on what constitutes ‘good’ visual design. She is passionate about why it is important to include diverse characters in this new art form and hopes to bring inspiration though her artwork.
Martin Percy is a writer/director who combines film & storytelling with interactivity to create new types of screen-based experiences. For this, he has won a BAFTA, an Emmy, six Webbys, a Grand Clio, Best in Book in Creative Review and many other awards.
He has directed talent including Gordon Ramsay, Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ian McKellen. Creator of Lifesaver, Lifesaver VR, Heart Class, Real Talk About Suicide, A Conversation with Ian McKellen and many others his latest work, filmed during lockdown, focuses on the Climate Emergency in two-hour Zoom sessions that combine interactive film with political debate.
We were thrilled to welcome Martin Percy - whose mission is to turn ‘viewers into doers’ - a guy with a big heart and ambitious plan to reframe the way that film can empower people with the skills to save lives - or fight climate change.
Martin Percy is a writer/director who combines film & storytelling with interactivity to create new types of screen-based experiences. For this, he has won a BAFTA, an Emmy, six Webbys, a Grand Clio, Best in Book in Creative Review and many other awards.
He has directed talent including Gordon Ramsay, Sir Derek Jacobi and Sir Ian McKellen. Creator of Lifesaver, Lifesaver VR, Heart Class, Real Talk About Suicide, A Conversation with Ian McKellen and many others his latest work, filmed during lockdown, focuses on the Climate Emergency in two-hour Zoom sessions that combine interactive film with political debate.
We were thrilled to welcome Martin Percy - whose mission is to turn ‘viewers into doers’ - a guy with a big heart and ambitious plan to reframe the way that film can empower people with the skills to save lives - or fight climate change.
Tune in to our fabulous chat with Kate Dimbleby & Ru Howe of Stornaway.io - an interactive story editor and platform that empowers creatives and teams to write, produce and publish interactive films and video story games – without coding. Think Bandersnatch, Kimmy Schmidt, Captain Underpants and a whole host of interactive screen based experiences... and then check out www.stornaway.io for a demo and chance to write your own.
We loved our chat with Kate Dimbleby & Ru Howe of Stornaway. Stornaway.io is an interactive story editor and platform that empowers creatives and teams to write, produce and publish interactive films and video story games – without coding. Think Bandersnatch, Kimmy Schmidt, Captain Underpants and a whole host of interactive screen based experiences... and then check out www.stornaway.io for a demo and chance to write your own.
Part II of our brilliant chat with Elan Lee where we dive in deeper to topics such as 'the cadence of consumption' and how to design so that 'players are the custodians'.
Episode 12 of The Story Hour where we had a blast with Elan Lee, co-founder of Exploding Kittens, goofed about with the super-fun new game Poetry for Neanderthals, talked #gamedesign & a ton more. Elan co-founded 42 Entertainment in 2003 and Fourth Wall Studios in 2007 developing entertainment experiences and a new form of interactive programming that engaged audiences across multiple platforms. He has been featured in WIRED Magazine, The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and the Wall Street Journal. Exploding Kittens was originally proposed as a Kickstarter project seeking US$10,000 in crowdfunding and exceeded the goal in 8 minutes. On January 27, 2015, 7 days after opening, it passed 103,000 backers setting the record for the most backers in Kickstarter history. At completion on February 19, 2015, it had US$8,782,571 in pledges by 219,382 backers.
Part 2 of our fantastic chat with writer/showrunner Karl Gajdusek. Showrunner for the first season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, Karl was hired as Showrunner for the second season of Amazon's series about Zelda Fitzgerald: "Z: The Beginning of Everything” and is the co-creator of the TV series Last Resort with Shawn Ryan.
With a vast and impressive career in film, tv and play, our guest sold his original science fiction epic, Courage, to 20th Century Fox where it caught the attention of director Matthew Vaughan who became attached to direct. This partnership led him to write the script for a prequel in Matthew Vaughn's The Kingsman franchise.
We are thrilled to welcome our guest for the 2nd week running, Karl Gadjusek!
Our guest for Episode 10 of The Story Hour is co-writer of the 2013 Tom Cruise movie, Oblivion and The November Man featuring Pierce Brosnan. He is the showrunner for the first season of Netflix’s Stranger Things, was hired as Showrunner for the second season of Amazon's series about Zelda Fitzgerald: "Z: The Beginning of Everything” and is the co-creator of the TV series Last Resort with Shawn Ryan.
With a vast and impressive career in film, tv and play, our guest sold his original science fiction epic, Courage, to 20th Century Fox where it caught the attention of director Matthew Vaughan who became attached to direct. This partnership led him to write the script for a prequel in Matthew Vaughn's The Kingsman franchise.
We are thrilled to welcome our guest this week, Karl Gadjusek!
Part 2 of our chat with Primetime Emmy award-winning short-form and interactive creator & show runner Bernie Su. Bernie is currently co-creator & showrunner of Artifical, the first live audience-interactive sci-fi series to debut on Twitch. Now in its 3rd season(under quarantine!), the show is currently presented as weekly 2 hour live and interactive dramatic episodes that are remotely produced.
Our guest today is a 3-time Primetime Emmy award-winning short-form and interactive creator & show runner. Currently he is co-creator and showrunner of Artifical, the first live audience-interactive sci-fi series to debut on Twitch.
Now in its 3rd season(under quarantine!), the show is currently presented as weekly 2 hour live and interactive dramatic episodes that are remotely produced.
The series was awarded the 2019 Peabody Futures of Media Award winner and was awarded the 2019 Primetime Emmy for Innovation in Interactive Media.
Our guests other works include The Lizzie Bennet Diaries & Emma Approved we’re excited to welcome old friend - writer/showrunner Bernie Su.
Part 2 of our talk to a veteran entertainment industry showrunner, executive and consultant who, over the past 20 years has helped guide traditional and digital networks through branding, launching and scaling their content and companies. She has been at the helm of top-rated programming for CBS, Bravo, BET, A&E, TLC and more, created ground-breaking, patented production software, and championed diversity throughout the industry, including founding the Hollywood Diversity Network. As a strategic consultant our guest tonight helps people find their "blue sky" then design a clear gameplan to reach it. She is a motivational speaker and trainer to solopreneurs and leaders in the private, non-profit and public sectors, giving you, and I quote ‘the steps, support and strategy to finally DO the darned thing’. An active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Producers Guild of America and American Mensa, we are thrilled to welcome DMA.
We’re thrilled to talk to a veteran entertainment industry showrunner, executive and consultant who, over the past 20 years has helped guide traditional and digital networks through branding, launching and scaling their content and companies. She has been at the helm of top-rated programming for CBS, Bravo, BET, A&E, TLC and more, created ground-breaking, patented production software, and championed diversity throughout the industry, including founding the Hollywood Diversity Network. As a strategic consultant our guest tonight helps people find their "blue sky" then design a clear gameplan to reach it. She is a motivational speaker and trainer to solopreneurs and leaders in the private, non-profit and public sectors, giving you, and I quote ‘the steps, support and strategy to finally DO the darned thing’. An active member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Producers Guild of America and American Mensa, we are thrilled to welcome DMA.
Jump on our Story Hour rollercoaster and hold on to your hats as we talk theme parks, 4D and exciting dark rides in Part 2 of our interview with Super 78 Studios! Oh and did we forget to mention WaltDisney's childhood home too? These are just some of the things we had fun talking about with Super78 co-founders Dina Benadon & Brent Young.
For over 20 years, Super78 have been pushing the boundaries of imagination to develop and produce immersive, interactive attractions for theme parks, museums, aquariums and destinations of all kinds around the world, with extensive experience creating Flying Films, Interactive Character Experiences, 4D attractions and Immersion Tunnels. These 2 Co-Founders, creatives and experience designers recognize that the path from dream to reality may be different for every project, yet their mission remains the same: to uplift the spirit, touch the heart and fuel the mind, with a ‘whole brain’ creative process that considers the world of the experience, the story they want to tell in that world and the role the guests play in that story.
We are thrilled to welcome Dina Benadon - a passionate believer in people, technology, the future and with a career rooted in producing ground-breaking immersive entertainment and Brent Young, an award winning director, an Emmy-nominated visual effects supervisor, and entrepreneur – founders of Super78.
Part 2 of our interview with Will Brenton writer/producer-director, creator and producer of ground-breaking TV and arena scale live shows who relishes telling immersive, engaging stories that bring the audience alongside the drama to give the maximum impact Will has worked in many areas of television and theatre, primarily through his companies Tell-Tale productions and Wish Films, both of which he founded with Iain Lauchlan. Together they gained six BAFTA nominations, as well as many other awards for their work together.
Will Brenton is a writer/producer-director, creator and producer of ground-breaking TV and arena scale live shows who relishes telling immersive, engaging stories that bring the audience alongside the drama to give the maximum impact.
Will has worked in many areas of television and theatre, primarily through his companies Tell-Tale productions and Wish Films, both of which he founded with Iain Lauchlan. Together they gained six BAFTA nominations, as well as many other awards for their work together.
Katrina Wood is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of MediaXchange Ltd. She built the international profile of the company on two main principles: entertainment is a global business and it is also very much a people business. From the two media centres of Los Angeles and London, Katrina has built and unrivalled network of creative and business professionals across the globe.
She brings to her work a rich hybrid of information and access, providing a versatile and unique resource enabling clients to develop and expand their corporate and project interests in the global market place. Her innovative and informed vision brings international ambitions to life.