What does more propositional storytelling look like?

I’ve been writing on here about the need for us as storytellers to make more visible the positive futures that are growing all around us - via imaginative collective action by ordinary people doing things that could change our world.

A lot of you have asked what this could look like, so I thought I’d share some of our tests.

These aren’t final films, and they lack graphics and a final call to action, but they should convey a tone / approach, and feedback is very welcome!

(and props to the amazing Rachel Donald who’s been a stellar collaborator on this, on top of her normal day job being an incredible climate corruption journalist and world class podcaster at Planet Critical).

1: How to tell your energy company to get F*cked: *(raw edit - no graphics)

2: The biggest wind turbine in England: *(raw edit - no graphics)

3: Plot Twist!: Good News from Northern Ireland: *(raw edit - no graphics)

4: Carrick Greengrocers: A rough test capturing a community story from Northern Ireland (shot over Zoom with the amazing Lee Robb): 

5: Ambition Lawrence Weston - in their own words (raw edit - no graphics): Featuring Mark Pepper from Ambition Lawrence Weston:

These are rough & raw experiments. We’re learning as we go by creating content and sharing it with people like you! (and running it through academic testing).

Academic testing results: 

Professor Colin Davis at the University of Bristol has run our earlier tests through Randomised Control Trial testing with the following results:

After watching these types of films online audiences reported:

• 87% felt the example could make a significant difference to tackling social issues

• 67% felt they could make a personal difference through projects like this

• 66% would share this content with friends

• 62% would get involved themselves

Who are “we”?

The core team working on this at Rubber Republic is myself (Matt Golding), Creative Producer and Editor Alex Shand and Producer Lauren Jeffrey, and we’re working in deep collaboration with the wonderful Rachel Donald, and the wise and lucid Paddy Loughman. 

We’re supported by a broader team including Nicky Hawkins, Dadirai Tsopo, Chris MacCartney @ Transition Networks, Lucy Holdaway and Jodie Bond @ Local Storytelling Exchange, Cassie Robinson, Sophia Parker, Iris Andrews, Ella Saltmarshe, Charlotte Sewell & of course Professor Colin Davis (Chair of Cognitive Psychology @ University of Bristol) plus a wider team of storytelling experts and supporters and funding from Gower Street & the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Roadmap forward?:

• We’ve got pilot funding from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to launch a hub and channel for this type of storytelling in Autumn 2024.

• We’re working with 8 community groups on the ground to apply the thinking so far to their own storytelling and also evolving the tests above to put content out to gauge audience response: - do people want to hear more stories of how people like them are reshaping their worlds and how they could potentially do it too?
  

• We’re collaborating with 3 influencers to see how their audiences respond to these types of stories.

• We’re connecting with others in the space to create an ecosystem approach to getting this work out there - with Transition Networks, the Local Storytelling Exchange, JRF, Jon Alexander, Climate Outreach, the Climate Coalition, Andy Middleton @ One Way How, the Climate Majority Project and other influencers.

• Our goal is to create an ecosystem that could produce and amplify this kind of storytelling with coordination at scale. 

Let us know what you think?

We’re sharing this to make our process more open. Do shout if you love / hate / think we can improve what we’re doing!