Secrets of the video game superstars in action

My SXSW talk about analog souvenirs is now on slideshare

Here it is. The subject line is self-explanatory:

Creating Great Analog Souvenirs for a Digital Era from Nurun

If you want to hear my presentation there's also an audio version.

Hot trend alert: storytelling

Last week was my very first SXSW Interactive. And as R/GA noted, storytelling is all the rage right now:

Although I would argue that storytelling has been popular for at least 3,000 years (e.g. The Bible), spinning a good yarn is definitely a hot topic in marketing right now.

So it was no coincidence that storytelling came up during the Future of Media 2013 panel about branded content at The Drake Hotel on Thursday, March 14. As a former freelance journalist, the most interesting part of the debate was watching journalists and content marketers try to determine where journalism ends and content marketing begins.

Joseph Barbieri was the closest when he said that there is plenty of good writing and storytelling possible in branded content. It might not be journalism in the traditional sense, but branded content can have context, layers and nuance. Josh Sternberg, meanwhile, was correct in saying that having a journalistic sensibility is not the same as doing journalism on behalf of brands.

Everyone agreed that good content is good content, regardless of who or how it is produced. The ability to tell a great story is crucial to producing good content, and it just so happens that most journalists are decent storytellers.

In my attempt to support this trend, I’ve asked Arianne Schaffer to speak at the Toronto Content Strategy Meetup on Thursday March 21. Arianne is adept at telling funny and moving personal stories, and she’s agreed to share some of her secrets. Although she’s promised to explain how personal storytelling can be leveraged in professional situations, the truth is that the elements of a good story remain consistent, regardless of context.

That's why one of the first questions all content strategists need to ask is “What’s the story?”* Or, as I like to say, content strategy without storytelling sounds like a fairy tale without a happy ending.

*Morning glory

My Educated Guess At a SXSWi Schedule

It's my first time at SXSW Interactive. I'm expecting lots of walking and crazy parties.

Here's my best attempt at an educated guess for things to attend for a Retail-CreativeTechnologist-ContentStrategist-ExCulturalJournalist type guy like myself.

Friday, March 8

**5:00PM It's Reddit's Web. We Just Live In It

Sheraton Austin Capitol EFGH

8:00PM The Interactive Opening Party presented by frog design

Palmer Events Center

Saturday, March 9

9:30AM How Twitter Has Changed How We Watch TV

Austin Convention Center Room 18ABCD

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**11:00AM Show&Smell 2: Marketing Experiences Beyond Visual

Omni Downtown Austin

11:00AM Too Long Didn't Read: The Future of Indie Longform

Austin Convention Center Room 12AB

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**12:30PM Leap Motion & the Disappearing User Interface

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

12:30PM The Rise of Re-Commerce: Shop Used in a New Way

Four Seasons San Jacinto Ballroom

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**2:00PM Elon Musk Keynote

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

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**3:30PM Al Gore on The Future

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

**3:30PM Beyond Squishy: The Principles of Adaptive Design  (Brad Frost)

Austin Convention Center Ballroom BC

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**5:00PM Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now

Austin Convention Center Ballroom D

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7:00PM Knight Foundation & MIT Media Lab sponsored Demo Fair and Gathering The Parish

Sunday, March 10

*9:30AM Data, Storytelling and Breaking Through the Noise

Wanderlust Wanderlust

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**11:00AM Now You See Me: The Future of Ambient Location

Sheraton Austin Capitol ABCD

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**2:00PM From YouTube to Global Sensations: The Ap”peel” of Annoying Orange Palmer Events Center Exhibit Hall 1

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**3:30PM Physical & Digital Collide: Retail Rewired

Hyatt Regency Austin Texas Ballroom 5-7

3:30PM The Signal & the Noise

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

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**4:00PM Big Data: Is It Killing Creativity?

Hilton Austin Downtown Room 615AB

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*5:00PM Building Tools for Creativity

Austin Convention Center Ballroom D

*5:00PM The New Serendipity?

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

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9:00PM SapientNitro SXSW Party

The Parish

 Monday, March 11

**11:00AM Embracing Analog: Why Physical Is Hot

Hyatt Regency Austin Texas Ballroom 1-4

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11:30AM Flying Lotus - 'Until The Quiet Comes'

Rollins Theatre at The Long Center

11:30AM alt-J (∆) "Breezeblocks"

Rollins Theatre at The Long Center

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*12:30PM Hey, Where's My Robot Girlfriend?

Hilton Austin Downtown Salon FGH

12:30PM Creating & Keeping a Kickass Photo Community

SXSW Create Create Meet Up Tent

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**3:30PM Whoa Nellie! Content Strategy for Slow Experiences

Austin Convention Center Ballroom EF

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*5:00PM The Future of 3D Printing

Omni Downtown Longhorn

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**9:15PM The Punk Singer

Alamo Ritz 2

Tuesday, March 12

***11:00AM Creating Great Analog Souvenirs for a Digital Era

Omni Downtown Austin

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**12:30PM Fashion & Food: Transforming Visual Narration Sheraton

Austin Capitol EFGH

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*2:00PM Matthew Inman Keynote

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

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4:30PM Analogue Anonymous

Austin Convention Center Meet Up Pavilion EH 3/4

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5:00PM Bruce Sterling Closing Remarks

Austin Convention Center Exhibit Hall 5

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7:15PM The Punk Singer SXSatellite: Alamo Village

Reservations