Creators, marketers, and other storytellers have long wondered: could there ever be an objective measurement of how moving our stories are to audiences? Neuroscientist and tech entrepreneur Paul J. Zak says yes— and he's studied 50,000 brains to back up his claims. Paul shares science-based insights on what makes stories effective from his new book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and the Source of Happiness, on this episode of the FoST podcast. 

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Paul J Zak, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, Megan Worman, and Laura Cray.

In recent years, brick-and-mortar retail has been facing a crisis. But Ben Kaufman and his family experience company, CAMP, have come up with a solution: make shopping in person a memorable, immersive experience. On this episode of the FoST podcast, Ben discusses how CAMP is combining play, product, and programming to give young families a place to make memories together. 

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Ben Kaufman, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

With immersive experiences becoming more and more popular, it's important to ask: what makes an experience not just entertaining, but transformative? Margaret Kerrison, former Disney Imagineer and multi-award winning writer for immersive experiences, shares her answer to that question and more from her new book, Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds: A Writer’s Guide.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Margaret Kerrison, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc sits down to talk about what makes a song “evergreen,” how he writes his lyrics, and the potential of machine learning in art.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Aloe Blacc, Bonnie Eldon, Meghal Janardan, Sarah Vitak, Elisabeth March, Michael Bass, and Megan Worman.

Co-founder & CEO of thatgamecompany, visionary designer of Journey (2012) and Sky: Children of the Light (2019), and game media evangelist Jenova Chen talks about designing video games that bring out the best in people. 

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Jenova Chen, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, Elisabeth March, Sarah Vitak, and Megan Worman.

David Byrne, multi-award-winning artist and front man of Talking Heads, shares the insights and aspirations that shaped his newest immersive project, Theater of the Mind. 

For additional links, episode transcripts, and more, visit our website. 

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Director, Carolyn Merriman

Assistant Producer, Madison Brown

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to David Byrne, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, Elisabeth March, Sarah Vitak, and Megan Worman.

Marc Simons, co-founder of Giant Spoon, the agency behind the legendary Westworld SXSW activation discusses immersive as a tool for building brands.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Executive Producer, Carolyn Merriman

Producer, Sarah Vitak

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Stephen Smith, Marina Kay, Fred Kolouch, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, and Megan Worman.

Want to know the future of the metaverse? Ask author, futurist, and digital media trailblazer, Robert Tercek. Hear his forecasts on the future of virtual reality on this week's episode.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Executive Producer, Carolyn Merriman

Producer, Sarah Vitak

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Stephen Smith, Marina Kay, Fred Kolouch, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, and Megan Worman.

Jessica Brillhart shares stories about the highs and lows of working with an emerging technology and takes a look at the past, present, and future of VR cinematography.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Executive Producer, Carolyn Merriman

Producer, Sarah Vitak

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Stephen Smith, Marina Kay, Fred Kolouch, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, and Megan Worman.

Innovator in the world of narrative gaming, Sam Barlow, talks about making games that break the mold and letting the player drive the story.

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© 2022 Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

Produced by Future of StoryTelling, Corp.

124 West 13th Street

New York, NY 10011

Founder and CEO, Charles Melcher

Executive Producer, Carolyn Merriman

Producer, Sarah Vitak

in collaboration with Charts & Leisure

Founder, Jason Oberholtzer

Executive Producer, Mike Rugnetta

Editor, Garrett Crowe 

Mix and Music, Michael Simonelli

With special thanks to Stephen Smith, Marina Kay, Fred Kolouch, Bonnie Eldon, Shannon Fanuko, Meghal Janardan, and Megan Worman.