Date Archives → April 30, 2010

Launch Fest 2010: The Art of Storytelling

The Art of Storytelling for Social Entrepreneurs

The week between Jazz Fest weekends is known to be the stomping grounds for fests of all kinds and this year was no exception. Fests rule the day when the weather is nice but not too sticky here in New Orleans! I was asked to give a talk at a newcomer to the Fest scene” Launch Fest: A fun conference for serious entrepreneurs. In the social entrepreneurship talk on Tuesday I gave a talk called: The Art of Storytelling. I talked about how storytelling is the new elevator pitch and showed examples of compelling stories on the market as well as gave tips, tricks and resources for everyone to discover and cultivate their own story around what they do, why they do it and who they are.

Reference websites from my slides:

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Join Me TONIGHT 7pm EST: The 21st Century Classroom


Join me tonight at 7pm EST for online discussion about education and technology, called The 21st Century Classroom. I’m really excited to be moderating this conversation!

Log in and participate in the conversation at 7pm!

Joining me in the chat tonight are:
Adelma Stanford, Social Media Marketing Strategist, Promethean USA: @prometheanUSA
Karen Bantuveris, CEO, VolunteerSpot: @volunteerspot
Kevin Prentiss, Founder, Red Rover: @kprentiss
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Introducing Answer With Action


I have an exciting announcement to make! My marketing and strategy consulting website is now live. It’s been a long dream of mine. Answer With Action started as a boutique networking group in Los Angeles for socially conscious young professionals offering volunteer events and networking opportunities with my good friends Alexa Brandt and Joey Soto. Putting action to our ideas about how to get people more involved with cause inspired us. This new direction is really exciting for Answer With Action and the sky is the limit, but I wouldn’t be here today with those two amazing ladies and I’ll never forget that. So there you go! Answer With Action.

Please welcome me in introducing Answer With Action to the world! Contact me about getting started on your big ideas at sloane (at) answerwithaction.com.

What is Answer With Action?
ANSWER WITH ACTION is about taking big ideas and making them happen. Answer With Action is about inspiring you to take your small business, company or nonprofit to the next level. Answer With Action is about combining online tools with offline engagement and creating a robust conversation about you, your brand, your services, your products, and your events.

Answer With Action is a New Orleans-based integrated marketing, digital media and public relations consultancy. Create campaigns and events that have an immediate impact on your business and learn how building relationships online using new strategies and tools can transform the way you communicate with customers, vendors and donors. Answer With Action creates opportunities for you to learn, adopt and implement new media into your existing business. Answer With Action will help you build cause marketing campaigns to broaden your audience and create more depth and sincere story-telling into your current strategy. We provide short and long-term engagements with clients including website reviews, training sessions, webinars, and speaking opportunities to help your business go to the next level by understanding how your content is consumed and make it accessible to your target audience.
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Shady Side Academy’s 2010 Cum Laude Society Induction

Last week I had the esteemed pleasure of being asked to give the address during my alma mater, Shady Side Academy‘s cum laude induction. As a 1997 graduate of the Academy, I appreciate deeply the wonderfully rigorous academic environment the school provided me and the many lifelong friends that I have from my years there.

During Homecoming weekend last fall, I was given an award, the Paul R. Pigman prize. An award for a young alumni who has demonstrated excellence in citizenship. The head of the school enjoyed my acceptance speech and asked me to come back to talk to the entire Senior School (9-12), plus faculty and parents during the cum laude (high honor) ceremony which inducts the top scholars in the senior class to the society.

Having family and friends in the audience of about 700 especially warmed my heart. But what really is amazing to me is how far I’ve come! I never would have dreamed sitting where those students sat that I would be the one at the podium addressing them. Nor, would I ever had imagined (dreamed yes! imagined no!) the accomplishments that I could reflect on while talking to them about cause-filled living, the art of giving back and why those pieces are so important to incorporate into their lives now and forever.
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First Quarter Review: Acknowledgments and Influences

When I think back on the beginning of 2010 years from now, I will remember it as a whirlwind. How else can I ever explain moving to a new city, diving into new projects and clients, entering my first contest (EVER) and then winning and finding myself in Switzerland days later for the World Economic Forum then jumping back to New Orleans for festivities already described?

Through it all, my main and most important constant has been the amazing Taylor Davidson and Carl Nelson. Without these two NOLAlicious wouldn’t have happened, would not have grown and I would be experiencing this new city without them – an idea so preposterous I can’t even imagine it.

It’s not just their spirit, it’s their ability to launch new projects, take ideas and make them happen and be tremendous friends.

The influences I’ve had this quarter are many. The Young Global Leaders I met at Davos moved and shook me, and the opportunity to connect with incredible individuals at talks I’ve given this Spring including at Rise Austin and SXSW. But if I had to pick two, it would be Taylor and Carl.

And (selfishly) I want them to stay in New Orleans as long as possible, which means they need support for their projects. Let me share…

Narratively: Taylor’s a true photographer. In high school he wrapped his own film, shot it and then developed it himself. As a photographer he’s shot landscapes and weddings, creative series and had public shows and self-published a book. As a lover of photography, he knows cameras and how to promote photography and has written extensively about how to make money as a photographer, the future of the stock photo industry and where the industry is going. In addition to photograhy, he now offers his services as consulting to share experience and wisdom for other aspiring and established photographers and also online strategy and marketing for brands. His approach is analytical yet thoughtful and I recommend hiring him in any capacity you can.

The Dancing Nomad: Carl is an amazing dancer, to be sure, but the fact that he can teach dance makes his contribution to both New Orleans and the dance community that much stronger. Classes in Lindy Hop and Charleston can be had out of his Shiny Step Studios and he consults to other dancers and dance studios about how to navigate the social web and find a space online to promote their business and services. You can sometimes find him busking on Royal Street in the French Quarter on the weekends or at The Orange Couch in the Marigny. I completely recommend taking one of his classes or hiring him for online services.

Here’s to many more experiences with both of them and to more reflections and posts about those who move and inspire me in the months and years to come.