Emme Out & About Kissing Calendars for Dyslexia

It’s been a year now since we pushed Emme Rogers out from behind her computer screen and out into the real world, and we are proud to see her flourishing in real life as well as cyberspace.  Like any proud parents, seeing your kid making their way in this world, and in this case, truly embracing the reality of cross-platform storytelling, is rewarding to see.

"Reading is Sexy" Launch Party

Emme at the Launch of Reading is Sexy (Photographer: John Biehler)

This Saturday we will be proudly looking on as Emme makes her debut in Toronto society, kissing calendars for dyslexia!  If you are in Toronto, come and meet Emme Rogers from 1 – 3 pm, Saturday December 19th at Ben McNally Books (366 Bay Street).  You can also support The International Association of Dyslexia and promote literacy by buying a Reading is Sexy calendar.  Calendars are on special for $18 at the event or $20, if you want to kick in an extra $2 to dyslexia. Cash or cheques will be accepted.

Stick around afterwards and Emme will be heading to a pub with anyone that wants to join her.  And knowing Emme, she will buy a couple of plates of nachos and a few pitchers of beer for the table.

All in the Name of Literacy

Reading is Sexy Exposed

Our sincerest of apologies to the Vancouver Community for any over-inflation we may have done to the following individuals egos, by placing them in a calendar, entitled Reading is Sexy:

Even More Reading is Sexy Exposures

You see, it is for a good cause and all in the name of literacy.  Aside from sadly feeding Emme’s ego and launching her into a new-to-her form of media, the calendar, we are helping her to raise funds for a cause that both she and we believe in –  literacy, and more specifically, dyslexia. A healthy portion of the proceeds from the calendar and the photo auction will be going to The International Dyslexia Association to help them get kids (and adults) with dyslexia to overcome their literary hurdles and have fun with words.

As our way of apologizing to the community, for allowing the above individuals to call themselves Miss, Ms, Mrs or Mr (Insert Month here) for the next year, we are helping Emme to throw a Reading is Sexy Literary Celebration this Thursday.  Here are the details:

Cost: Free

Local: Gudrun Wine & Cheese Bistro (150-3500 Moncton Street, Steveston, BC)

Date: Thursday December 3, 2009

Time: 7 pm until late

Festivities:

  • general revelry and enjoying of Gudrun Goodies (We will buy a few plates for the room, but bring some money with you to enjoy more Gudrun Goodies and some of the delicious wines and beer)
  • readings from a few of our authors (Ian Ferguson, Mark Leiren-Young, Lorraine Murphy, Raul, Rayne … to name a few …Emme may even read something from my yet to be finished novel)
  • special guest reading by comedian, Kirsten Van Ritzen
  • calendar signings by the ‘models’ on hand
  • auctioning of some of Robert Shaer’s photos from the shoot for charity

Come, heckle our various months and enjoy a good night of laughter.

And once again, our sincerest apologies, and please don’t blame the photographers, Robert Shaer and Tris Hussey, for this.

Oh and if you can’t make Thursday, but do want a calendar, you can order one here. (If you are in and around Vancouver, ignore the shipping costs as we or Emme can figure out physically getting it to you.  Similary, you can ignore shipping costs and pick up a calendar directly from the Canadian Branch of The International Association of Dyslexia, if you are in Toronto.)

Recognizing the Importance of Story

I’m doing a workshop tonight on ‘Creating Interactive Brand Stories’ with Kontent Creative and hence a bit of research. Came across this Cannes Film Festival Short Story Winner, which really rings true on how important ‘telling story’ can be:

Historia de un letrero

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyGEEamz7ZM]

Brands Can Be Storytellers too!

A common misconception that we encounter with people when we tell them that we are interactive storytellers is that we create dynamic stories for children or that we strictly work with traditional stories in the form of books, movies, television series and films to make their stories more dynamic and interactive.  This is a myth (although we do  indeed work with traditional stories to make them more interactive, but our stories are not limited to traditional stories).

Storytelling is an age old art and tradition that allows us to pass on information in a manner that will be remembered.  The most powerful ad campaigns build a story around their product or company.  Similarly the most powerful political campaigns or actors have been adept at building stories around themselves.  This is what creates brands that people remember.  It doesn’t matter how old we get, everybody loves a good story and if you can create one around your brand, people will remember you.  Dove for example was brilliant in the building of ad campaigns that made them synonymous with embracing the real female body in all of it’s curves.

Photo by Selca Morales

Photo by Selca Morales

Now when we talk interactive storytelling, we are simply referring to making your story more dynamic and allowing your audience or customers to become a part of your story by interacting within it.  Storytellers have done this for ages with dance, sound effects, song and costumes, when they have their audience present.  The beauty of technology and the age of social media is we can now allow our audience to become a part of our story, even if they are not in the same room as us, the same city, the same country, or even the same hemisphere.

Photo by Rusty Stewart

To explore interactive brand storytelling some more, join me (Erica Hargreave) for a Back to School with Kontent workshop tomorrow (Tuesday September 1st) evening on Creating Interactive Brand Stories.

Lori Goes Viral

Howling with laughter!!!  Always knew our very own Lori Yearwood was a Rock Star,  but the paparazzi pics that spread virally of her on the web today proves it.

As seen on celebuzz.com, Lori’s paparazzi pic!

Not much of a celebrity hound or quite frankly an advocate of star power, but I have to say that it was interesting to see how a paparazzi pic taken of our very own star, Lori Yearwood, could go viral on the web in a day.  She’s on:

  • celebuzz
  • the velvet hot tub
  • ocean up
  • socialite life
  • popsugar

…. and the list goes on.  And the funny part, the info they gave on all these sites isn’t even accurate.  Same misinformation across the board.  Just goes to show you that not everything you read, especially online, is true.

As for the original photographer? Not a clue, but glad nobodies jumping out of the bushes to shoot me.

I AM CANADIAN!!!

A classic, from our good friends at Molsons!  These guys know their story.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg]

Story Bites for Talk:

  • Molson’s 2010 Mural
  • Rickard’s Grill
Ahimsa Media