Jealousy, Therapy and Comedy

Hey all,

Before we jump into today’s stories I want to remind you that part 2 of our Scroll Stoppers report on audience attention is out. Mullet Media looks at how people have been dealing with the blurring of work-life boundaries in the context of hybrid work. It’s part of our new Substack . Give it a read and share with all your content-making friends.

Right. On with the stories. Enjoy!

Hugh

Bloomberg Jealousy List (List)

Little Beginnings Everywhere (5 min read)Why Is This Interesting? The Call Sheet Edition (5 min read)The Best Movie Posters of 2022 (1 min read)What Art Spaces Can Learn From Legendary Berlin Nightclub Berghain (2 min read)Formats Unpacked: Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake (4 min read)How to Edit AI Generated Content (7 min read)A Therapist’s Advice to a Consultant (6 min read)Snowfall at 10: How It Changed Journalism (5 min read)

A Short Film of Things Happening in Perfect Unison in Movies (4 min watch)

How can we help you?

Storythings is a strategy and production company based in Brighton and London. We'd love to help you with some creative and bold ideas. Here are 3 reasons to get in touch. 

1. You want to talk to us about content production: podcasts, videos, animations, illustrations, editorial. 2. You want to talk to us about audience research, content strategy or format development.3. You want to create a brand or an identity that makes it easier to communicate your message.We do other things too. We're very friendly and always enjoy meeting people, so get in touch. 

Bloomberg Jealousy ListEvery time this format appears in my stream I’m filled with envy. Bloomberg writers share the stories they wish they had written this year. It’s full of brilliant journalism covering important topics in the most engaging ways. If you want to dive into some of the best writing of 2022, let these incredibly jealous writers be your guide. (List)

Little Beginnings EverywhereThis is a lovely phrase used by David Byrne in conversation with Steven Johnson. Byrne uses it in the context of simple words or phrases that he notes down for future inspiration. Johnson expands on this, quoting Hemingway: “The most important thing I’ve learned about writing is never write too much at a time…Never pump yourself dry. Leave a little for the next day…When you’re still going good and you come to an interesting place and you know what’s going to happen next, that’s the time to stop.”(5 min read)Why Is This Interesting? The Call Sheet EditionOur very own Matt Locke is a regular contributor to Why Is This Interesting? His most recent piece on the value of the Call Sheet to the movie industry is one of my favourites. It’s a great example of essential formats we don’t pay enough respect to. Whilst I’m throwing some love Matt’s way, the Attention Economy episode that he guested on was voted No. 1 of WARC’s top pods of 2022. Give it a listen. (5 min read)The Best Movie Posters of 2022 Whilst I barely visited a cinema last year, I’ve gotta say it was a good year for movie posters. I love the different versions of Everything Everywhere All at Once and now I really want to go and see Corsage. (1 min read)What Art Spaces Can Learn From Legendary Berlin Nightclub BerghainAs someone who used to put on parties in the UK and Ibiza, this is something I can get behind: “You don’t go out at night to learn; you go out to have new experiences. How would an art space look and feel if it could truly break down the alienating barriers of class, capitalist temporality and individualism? Could we create spaces for new collective experiences by radically rethinking opening hours and access; by allowing sound to play as important a role as the visual?” (2 min read)Formats Unpacked: Where There’s a Will There’s a WakeFor the benefit of our non-UK readers, Kathy Burke is an actor, comedian, director and national treasure. She has a new podcast where she asks comedians to discuss their death, their funeral, their will and their wake. Beatrice Cooke from BBC Sounds talks about how brilliantly it uses humour to ease audiences into a taboo subject. (4 min read)How to Edit AI Generated ContentTrust me. You’re going to be reading a lot of content produced by AI this year. You may or may not notice it. If you’re in the content business there’s a small chance you could be using AI as a tool to make content in the next few years. Deborah Carver has written this excellent guide for anyone thinking about using tools such as Copysmith, Lex, Jasper and ChatGPT.(7 min read)A Therapist’s Advice to a ConsultantIt’s often said that being a consultant can sometimes feel like being a therapist. So consultant Steve Bryant talked to his therapist about this, as well as how to deal with resistant clients: “If you can’t tell a person what to do, my guy said, or sometimes even suggest it, you can always explain what the situation is, reflect back to them what they’re hung up on at the moment, reiterate to them what decisions they’re making, and the consequences of taking actions.” (7 min read)Snowfall at 10: How It Changed JournalismFor a lot of people working in digital storytelling, the mere mention of Snowfall will bring them out in a rash. It was hated by many for a bunch of reasons that I go into in this episode of Formats Unpacked. But for the publication that produced it, it changed a lot and many of the beautiful examples of storytelling I frequently share in this newsletter will have benefited from it. (5 min read)

A Short Film of Things Happening in Perfect Unison in MoviesYou know when you’re watching a film and two characters are doing something in perfect unison, it’s really pleasing visually. So this compilation by Jon Lefkovitz is a four-minute delight. (4 min watch)

We hope you've enjoyed this week's newsletter. I'm sure some of your friends would love to read it. Sharing it would be really appreciated. If you've received this from a friend you can subscribe here and get it direct to your inbox every Friday.

Thanks for reading. We’ll see you all next week.

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the whole team at Storythings.