The Most Powerful Person in the World
I remember being a new mom and desperately waiting for the day when my busy-bodied son would actually sit down and watch a movie so I could have a break.
On April 15th, 2013 he turned 2."Screen time" was finally acceptable.
On April 16th, 2013 I placed him in front of the television, turned on a movie and slowly tiptoed away to the kitchen.
5 minutes into the movie, he tiptoed in after me. "Minor setback," I thought. "We just have to find the right movie."We tried The Little Mermaid. He barely made it through the first scene.
We tried Frozen. He wanted to nothing to do with it (I can't blame him).
We tried Cars. Nemo. Lorax. Even Toy Story couldn't hold his attention.I started to believe I may never be able to load the dishwasher without a little, blonde boy asking "Why?" about every single dirty plate.
Then one day I turned on my favorite movie. Pixar's UP.It turns out the opening sequence isn't only captivating for adults... it works on toddlers too.And no one has to ask, "Why?"UP is a storytelling masterpiece.
From start to glorious finish, my curious toddler sat quietly in front of UP, hanging on every word.
For just shy of two glorious hours I could do whatever I wanted — dishes, laundry, even read! Or shower and wash my hair.
However, the problem with UP is... it's such a masterpiece that I spent my first moments of movie-freedom watching the movie.
Clearly, Steve Jobs knew what he was talking about when he stormed out of the break room with his bagel. I believe it was after that particular epiphany that Jobs led Pixar to becoming the master storytellers, (and multi-billion dollar empire) they are today.Speaking of... several readers have passed on this little gem: A link to a storytelling guide created by Pixar. There's some good stuff in there.And if you're interested in more in depth and personalized training... here's a link to my online storytelling courses
Whether you're a new parent or a professional looking to captivate an audience the way Pixar does, remember the words of the late, great Steve Jobs and become a storyteller.