This article, written by Dan Wright and edited by Rosie Willoughby, summarises the content of Kendra Valentine’s NextGen Showcase presentation on Strategic Story Design. Kendra is a story strategist and editor who guides clients from position, to concept, even to marketing.

Kendra's 'audience first' approach draws from her diverse background in film production at Warner Bros. and Universal, creative producing at Nickelodeon, and collaborations with veteran screenwriter Philip Lazebnik (Disney, DreamWorks). Her entrepreneurial spirit has led her to work with numerous startups and innovation hubs, as well as a passion for food-related projects.

In this session, Kendra demonstrates how to apply her storytelling method to themed entertainment.

Storytelling isn’t just for writers. Story comes in different shapes and forms:

Sound.
Shape.
Visual.
Smell.

Whatever discipline you work in, story has a part.

So how do you start with story on a themed entertainment project? It comes down to four components:

1. Break down the client brief.

2. Get to the big idea (High Concept)

3. Progress from the big idea to the finer details.

4. Documentation - write it down.

Strategic Story Design

Kendra’s method is called Strategic Story Design - this focuses on identifying the through line or theme in a story and innovating authentic ways to share it. This is done through a document known as a ‘Brand Brief’, which combines the client brief with a creative brief to establish where a concept is going.

Format is important, whether you are creating a themed food and beverage outlet or writing text for a website. There are different ways to approach story writing and storytelling. This also passes through into four pillars of design that Kendra calls H.E.L.P:

H - Help. How does your storytelling help the audience?

E - Empathy for the audience. How does your storytelling understand their needs / problems?

L - Less words for the audience. Long forms of communication can be hard to understand, particularly in bilingual or foreign environments.

P - Proof through credibility. How can you convince your audience of the right thing to do?

Creativity Thrives On Constraints

In order to understand a brief, you often have to ask questions. A lot of questions. Some of the most common questions detailed in a response to the brief relate to project timelines, the budget, the target audience, and the Key Performance Indicators that dictate success for the project. Ultimately, when working to a brief, you should always be clear on what to do, and take enough time at the start of the project to figure out what is expected of your delivery.

What To Take From A Brief

You should always find out what the demographics are at the heart of the brief. Who are the audience? Then, lead with value. What could be valuable to these clients or visitors? They will be looking for value when handing over their hard earned cash. If variables aren’t delivered in a brief, it’s good to lead with what delivers good value to the target demographic.

After unpacking the brief and asking these relevant questions, next it’s important to figure out the kind of story you are telling. Are you telling an immersive story? How is it immersive? Are you thinking linear? Does the brief feature one theme, or multiple? Who does the audience consist of? Is it a family driven audience? A thrill-seeking audience? These are the questions you should have the answers to or need to ask in order to get the right creative juices flowing for a project.

The High Concept and Pocket Pitch

The High Concept is the one thing that can sell your presentation. As David Younger wrote in Theme Park Design, it is a one liner that summarises the concept “in a short, punchy manner which immediately hook[s] a client into a concept, while clarifying to the designer what the essence of a story is”.

As a real world example, Kendra gives us Area 15 and Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart.

When your storytelling and concept is being developed, you should always consider this pitch angle and how you can summarise it. Then you should elaborate into what Kendra calls a Pocket Pitch. This takes your one-liner and elaborates it into a statement that can be used for far more situations.

For example, we want a one-liner that communicates what the experience is offering, who it’s audience is, and how they will benefit from it:

_____________ IS A___________ [OFFER] THAT HELPS ___________ [AUDIENCE] TO ________________________________[BENEFIT]___________________.

For example, Kendra says:

“Area 15 is an immersive art and technology playground that invites curious adventurers of all ages to explore the boundaries between reality and imagination through interactive installations and mind-bending experiences.”

There’s No ‘I’ In Team

Another thing to consider when brainstorming an attraction is who else will be brainstorming with you. Or will you be conceptualising alone? Working independently versus being part of a team can hugely change the scope.

When working as a team, it’s important to be visual. Whilst long text documents are great for guest narratives and worldbuilding, it’s good to remember that not everyone is inspired by walls of text. Using something visual to communicate ideas is great. Using moodboards, or collaborative space tools such as Miro can help put everyone on to the same page, allowing storytellers, creatives and technical people to all work in one space.

When working in a team, remember it’s a team effort. Ensuring everyone is seen and heard is an important part of the process; it involves advocating for one another, and encouraging all perspectives to be shared. It brings out passion in a project and of course, the best in each other.

It’s also great to be enthusiastic about a concept, but not overly narrow in focus. When working as a team, it’s important to pass ideas around and allow each other the room to speak. Sometimes, too much enthusiasm can channel one voice and not allow the others to contribute. The same can also be said when pitching an idea. Working alone or together can change things. When working as a team (especially virtually), Kendra recommends using a tool like Miro boards.

Consideration And Care

Other things to note when brainstorming and storytelling with others is to be considerate of international speakers. There are most likely going to be occasions where you will work with team members whose native language differs from yours. Your native tongue might be their second, third or fourth! As such, communication and storytelling can be lost in translation.

For example, one word may not mean the same between a native and international speaker. To overcome this, use verbs instead of adjectives or apply examples in sentences.

Explaining something in a sentence has more context and makes it easier for international speakers to understand in any context or language.

You should also challenge yourself to question flashy words. Do certain words/phrases help your storytelling, or are they creating difficulty, not only for your team members, but also the guests. Challenging this gives you the opportunity to create something truly inclusive.

Documenting

Once you’ve conducted your brainstorming, created the concept and settled on worldbuilding details, the next step is getting it all down. To get everyone on the same page, documentation is so important. This goes by many different names in different creative industries, from one-pagers to the brand bible, to creative guides or a theme book.

Despite their different names, their function is the same. It helps to keep everyone involved in a project on the same page, irrespective of their position on the project. This should include any terminology (whether industry specific or created for the concept), characters, locations, or times. Keeping the world building in check ensures consistent communication across the project, and helps stakeholders of all levels understand how to play their part in the delivery.

This document could convey the tone of voice, branding and styling that graphic artists should use in the signage, but also apply to the marketing and PR team when promoting the concept or attraction on a website, in print material or social media. It ensures everyone is singing off the same sheet music.

There are no hard rules to these documents, but as a guide, it is good to explain any shared goals. The promise or wish fulfilment of your concept, the design concept itself, the worldbuilding and back story, as well as any visual references for locations and characters.

“Backstory was something we could show to everybody. We could show it to a graphic designer who was going to come up with the typeface, we could show it to the advertising agency, we could show it to the landscape architects, and they immediately got it. It puts everyone on the same page and provides everyone with the same overview and knowledge of the project as everyone else without over complicating it” - Theme Park Design, David Younger.

At the end of the day, if you focus on ‘value’, what’s valuable for your client, for your audience, and any stakeholders in-between, you’ll have solid ground to tell stories and craft successful experiences.

As a final suggestion, Kendra recommends several books and podcasts.

Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds by Margaret Kerrison
Theme Park Design by David Younger
Masters of Storytelling - Podcast by BRC
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design by Douglas Davis

We at NextGen Showcase would like to express our gratitude to Kendra Valentine for her contribution to our Educational Program as a Speaker. Thank you! For more information on the NextGen Showcase Educational Program, go to: NextGenShowcase.com.

This article was written by Dan Wright, with support from our Editor, Rosie Willoughby.