I was a chronic daydreamer as a kid, and the only thing that would usually hold my attention was a love of novels. It wasn’t until later that I realized I had an instinctive grasp of the power of storytelling, and how it permeated every aspect of interpersonal communications. Which is probably why, when tasked with creating either a radio or TV spot for my high school marketing class assignment, I was the only student to choose the latter. With an 8mm film camera stolen borrowed from my parents, storyboards, and best friend/lead actor/production assistant in tow, I headed to a crowded airport terminal and shot my commercial, guerrilla-style, on a $40 budget. The finished 30-second clip told a simple yet engaging story, and it worked. In addition to garnering an A+ from my ornery teacher, the spot went on to win second prize in the Ontario Business Educators’ Association’s province-wide Marketing Award. For a teenage nerd with ADHD and a love of storytelling, this was the equivalent of winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes. 

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from years working as a writer & content strategist in the digital marketing world and coaching emerging content writing talent, it’s this: nothing reaches and resonates with audiences on a purely emotive level like a well-crafted story. Audiences are becoming more and more sophisticated and expect creators to up their storytelling game. Sadly, few content creators seem to get this crucial fact, even today. Entertainment and marketing messaging still tends to take a one-size-fits-all approach, and ignores the rich storytelling possibilities from and for traditionally underserved communities.  

Borken Creative is different. As someone with a passion for storytelling, my goal as VP & Director of Content and Branding is twofold: to go against the grain by producing and facilitating raw, edgy, engaging, strongly inclusive character-driven stories while using my marketing storytelling experience to help indie filmmakers connect with funders and capture audiences’ imaginations. 

At the end of the day, that (former) kid with nothing but a camera, vision, and some moxy just wants to help bring great stories to life.