Vision
Take control of your story.
We’ll show you how.
Everyone who matters to you may already have a story in their minds about your organization, your team, your future.
Is that story the story you want it to be?
Do they fully get what makes you uniquely valuable? Do they know how your mission and vision, your research, your culture, your faculty, your student services, your entire approach are different?
If not, you’ve got a problem.
It means people are out there, telling others the wrong story. They are shaping your value, your position, your reputation, your strategy. And what if they don’t even know your story, yet? How do you tell it to them so they remember it? And then tell it to others in ways that you want them to.
We make sure your story is clear and compelling and lands powerfully for those who matter most. We work with education and learning leaders who recognize that unless they (and their teams) can properly, emphatically articulate and communicate their unique core values, they will struggle to achieve each and every key internal and external organizational goal.
Why story and storytelling?
There are those who think that story is a “nice to have,” not essential to strategy. Those are the same folks whose communications are dumb, tired, flat. We are hardwired to respond to stories; nobody really remembers lists or rules, nobody curls up at night with a spreadsheet. (Okay, nobody we like.) Humans are story processors. Why don’t we intentionally apply narrative to advance our organizations? Story as a Service is here to help with your organizational story problems. Our work is founded on the idea that people are motivated by amazing stories that are superbly told.
Connection
Our background
We come from different lines of work — higher education, journalism, marketing and communications, education technology, big companies and small startups. We are artists, academics, writers, teachers, scientists and designers. We recognize that most organizations have a terrible time showcasing how they are special, how what they do matters. Sadly, educational organizations (college and universities, edtech and learning companies, education-focused nonprofits) — those who are making the greatest impact socially, environmentally, and intellectually — are often the worst at telling their story. Look at the stories and strategies of all types of organizations — they all kind of sound the same.
And that’s the view from the outside in. What about the inside out? Internal communications are among the least well researched, least well understood, most important factors for a successful organization. What if you could tell a compelling internal story that made your organization hum? What if your workplace worked better? And that health was reflected in how the world outside understood you and told your story?
Education and learning organizations need to show their unique characteristics, what makes them distinctive. So many places are doing amazing things. They teach and research. They create, innovate, discover, translate, and scale. They each have their own unique culture. But a lot of them, frankly, are terrible at telling their story.
We can help
We work with education and learning organizations to help them improve their story and how they bring it out into the world. Big and small. Public and private. Higher ed, corporate and non-profit. Everyone needs help clarifying and differentiating. Everyone needs help clearly saying why they matter and, perhaps most challengingly — what makes them unique. We are the story experts. And, fortunately for you, we are also education experts.
Our clients
Excelsior University
International Bureau of Education
Northwestern University
Princeton University
Kean University
West Arete
Faculty Advancement Network of the Ivy+ Consortium
University of Illinois Chicago
Brown University
The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach
Case stories
So, we decided we needed to eat our own dogfood. Or take our own medicine. Or eat our own dog medicine. So many websites have “case studies” or “our stories” as proof of good work done on behalf of their clients. We decided we should have our versions of such things, too, so we are publishing what we are calling our case stories. They’ll tell you a bit about how we often get introduced and going with our partners. What that work taught us and them. How we like to iterate and facilitate and communicate. Hopefully you get a sense of our vibe and how much we enjoy working with our amazing, impact-oriented partners. Hopefully you like these stories.
Our team
We are the best at two things. (And really good at lots of other things.)
Crafting Story We have some of the world’s greatest storytellers across all media and genres. We have worked at the highest levels in academia, journalism, corporate communications, public relations, and entertainment.
Learning Design We are academics and learning scientists. Seasoned teachers and instructional designers who have deep expertise and experience in understanding how to best convey complex information to a targeted audience so they learn it deeply.
Simon Greenwold Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer Simon has spent over 25 years working in complex corporate and not-for-profit environments. As a leader at pioneering edtech company 2U and in multiple executive roles at Northwestern University, he has learned how to design and enact meaningful strategies and programs that stick. And as a recovering scholar of literature and culture, he understands the power of story to move and compel individuals and groups and is excited to bring the lessons of narrative force to leaders of mission-driven organizations.
Jason Gorman Co-Founder
For over 20 years, Jason has been designing powerful, vibrant, and emotionally engaging learning environments. As the Chief Learning Officer at Story As and CEO of Jackrabbit LX, he leads a team of experts in consulting and design, as well as developing innovative educational programs, products, and experiences.
James Altman Co-Founder
James provides strategic advice and guidance on the growth and structure of the company, while engaging with clients at a high-level to develop learning strategies, project outcomes, and provide creative inspiration. He is proud to have helped change the landscape of learning at leading institutions like Northwestern University where he managed centralized e-learning tools and systems, and dynamic and innovative companies like 2U Inc. where he built and ran several curriculum departments.
Our strategic partners and advisors
Janalyn Kidd Kidd Creative Nicole Hoyt Barrett Marketing Mario Juarez StoryCo Marco Kindler von Knobloch multipleStudio Monica Latowicki Rabin MLR Consulting Raghu Krishnamurthy University of Pennsylvania Joel Shapiro Northwestern University Alvin Tillery Northwestern University
Strategy
Your Story.
From the inside out.
The Origin Engagement.
How we get started.
We work with senior leaders and their teams to clarify their core story — the details of their organization that make them unique. Then we partner to craft a plan so they can make sure that the folks who matter most, their colleagues, staff, students and new recruits, investors and donors, current and future clients and customers truly understand what makes them special.
This separation of story shaping and storytelling is key for us. We believe our partners must first understand and agree on their core story internally before they can tell it successfully externally.
We see our work as more than just marketing, messaging, brand positioning, or communications. It is strategic, even existential. If an organization cannot effectively define and articulate its essential DNA — its core story — to the people who matter, internally and externally, then it will always struggle to focus, grow, succeed.
During our Origin Engagement, we partner with you to:
Listen to your current storytelling
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Clarify your core story
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Map your stakeholders
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Make a prototype (bringing theory into practice)
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Recommend further story strategies
After our first sessions together, we expect that you’ll be excited about your clarified story and eager to communicate with your stakeholders in novel, creative, perhaps unexpected ways. And we also expect that you’ll have an overwhelming desire to keep working with us.
Your Story Power Score.
As part of our Story As Origin Engagement, we assess how well you are telling your story and how that story is landing with all your stakeholders — internal and external. The approach helps guide where your story and its telling are strong, and where you might need some work. Are you using clear and digestible language? Do folks know why what you do matters? Is what you do or how you do it unique? Are your modes of teaching and telling your story resonant? Are you telling your story with authority, or, put another way, is your organization a destination for thought leadership in the space? These are the elements of our (sort of formal) scoring metric.
Need a strategic partner?
If we enjoy working together, there are multiple ways we can engage further to make sure your story and how it is told stays fresh and effective. Executive consulting strategy for you and your team. Bespoke storytelling and alignment workshops. Strategic planning facilitation, design, and publication. The development of a holistic engagement, outreach, and communication strategy (that helps drive your organization’s strategic plan). The building of a StoryBank. Ongoing, amazing, original content creation to reach your diverse audiences and reinforce your values and value.
Any or all of the above.