In late 2021 as the world was trying to re-emerge from the pandemic, I began working with a member association in the wine industry. Prior to the pandemic, the association had experienced a drastic rift in membership over a failed initiative. Members were upset, the AVA was fragmented, and the association was largely blamed for the failure. Neighbors that had known one another for years, were now standing on opposite sides of the fence, and their heels were dug in. Deep.
Intuition and experience told me the best way to both understand, and work toward mending, was to get to know people and their businesses. What mattered. The road they traveled. I wanted to sit down with them, listen, and collect, in the hope that understanding more would lead me to a solution.
So over a series of months, I made appointments, went to wineries, and listened and asked questions and learned. I heard plenty about the big blow-up, but more impactfully, I also learned about where they came from, why they were there, and what made them love what they do and offer to the world.
I quickly realized how interesting and impactful and different all of these people and their stories and paths were. I also noted that most of them weren't telling or sharing these stories beyond a standard and static "About Us" page with a photo or two and a few paragraphs. There had to be a more impactful way to bring this all forward. I spent the summer learning more, digging in deeper, and forming my story offering - who we would work with, and what we would strive to offer.
Then, this past fall, at a Chamber luncheon, the universe presented me with a story to tell. A kind, smiling gentleman stood in a room of small business people, and shared details of his business. He shared their services, and location, and interesting and different pieces of their offering, but what he really was working to share was the passion and commitment and effort they were putting behind offering something of value that they believed in. It immediately struck a chord.
I don't want to lose you in the details, but I approached these kind folks with an offer to write, produce and share their story.
What ensued was get-to-know-you information-gathering sessions, followed by a storyboard, and then a few "shoots" to bring the pieces of their story to life. We added photos, b-roll and music, and finally there we were: The story of these ingenuous, brave people, how they got to this place, and the passion and purpose they want to share and offer was born - in their story.
As we watched it together for the first time, goosebumps arose and eyes became glossy. Not only had we pulled their history together into a beautiful tale, but more importantly, we had produced something that was vulnerable and real and valuable. It connected and spoke, far beyond what a photo and words can do alone on an About Us page.
Today, we are proud to share the result of our effort with you: The story of Jenny and Kingsley Melton and Crafted Vitality - their Founder's Story. In these two minutes and 58 seconds, we hope you get goosebumps, relate, connect and find not only familiarity with what they have to share, but also, and perhaps even more importantly, inspiration to tell yours.
We were honored to work with this amazing couple and team to bring their story to the world, and we're passionate about working with individuals, teams and businesses who want to do the same. Listen in, watch closely and if the story sparks an interest in you to tell yours, let's connect. We would be honored.
Interested in finding, developing and sharing your stories? TL.Authentic works with businesses of one to many to find, develop, produce and share stories. Learn more about our storytelling services and then let's talk about what we can do together. Contact Us.