Philosophy of Beauty and the Business of Storytelling Workshop

Stories are the currency of culture.

Author and cultural entrepreneur John Seel defines culture in the following manner:

“Culture is the governing ideas and images that shape a society’s understanding ofreality. It finds its expression in our personal aspirations about what constitutes the good life as well as in the stories we tell about it. It forms the invisible matrix of meaning that frames our thinking, guides our actions, and informs what we make. We make culture, but more importantly, culture makes us.”

The media—comprised of multiple industries ranging from news reporting to marketing to film and TV—consists of for-profit businesses whose products are the stories that constitute our culture. But what makes a story beautiful—meaningful? Is it even necessary to tell stories that are deep, profound, and true and, if so, why? What are common business challenges to meaningful storytelling, and what are potential solutions? How might recent technological advancements, such as the rise of virtual and augmented reality technologies, affect meaningful storytelling?

Transportation & Accommodation

Meals and lodging were provided by the Zephyr Institute, and transportation costs (flights and ground transportation) were reimbursed up to $350.

Required Information 

• Completed application form 
• Resume

Speakers

• DANA GIOIA ’73 G’77 - California Poet Laureate and Former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
• CHARLIE ECHEVERRY - Founder & Managing Director of Black//Brown Collective
• BOBETTE BUSTER - Professor of the Practice of Digital Storytelling, Northeastern University
• MARK JOSEPH - Film Producer, Author, and Founder/CEO, MJM Entertainment
• CHRISTIAN MCGUIGAN - Chief of Staff, Trustwork and President, Trustwork Media
• ENRIQUE FUSTER - Professor of Theory and Film History and Professor of Screenwriting, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome