it’s 10:00 p.m. on a warm spring night
in April and I’m all alone in Franklin
Square in the heart of historic
Philadelphia well I’m not completely
alone I’m with a photographer a
videographer and a drone it’s the night
before the opening of the Philadelphia
Chinese Lantern Festival and I’m eyeing
this 200-foot dragon made of Lights
Franklin Square is magical there are
1,500 sculptures made of steel and silk
and light handmade by master artisans
from China the images and video are
breathtaking giant lions a three story
pagoda adorable panda is riding up and
down on his silk seesaw the videographer
hops on a skateboard to film a GoPro
move through a tunnel of light it’s so
cool as a communications professional
I’m thinking this is PR gold sure enough
the next night we have gorgeous spring
weather dragon dancers are at the ready
a polished script and then in the middle
of the program at the foot of the stage
two people start screaming shame on you
shame on you they’re protesting the
visitors have to buy tickets to see the
lanterns I was so not ready for that I
froze I’ve been helping nonprofits tell
their stories for more than two decades
I know that good work has a good story
to tell we all have a story to tell
whether it were a corporation a
mission-driven organization an
innovative new startup or a theater
company with a new play we all have
things we want people to know about what
we’re doing but if your big story falls
in the forest and nobody hears it does
anyone care there’s always a bigger
story than yours
a devastating hurricane a sex scandal an
election a protest my message is very
simple there are three ways to make your
story the big story
cooperate with the big story compete
with the big story or co-opt the big
story let’s start with the first one
cooperate with the big story the year is
2015
Pope Francis is coming to Philadelphia
and mural arts Philadelphia who I’ve
been working with for 10 years has been
asked to create a giant mural as a
permanent remembrance of the visit mural
arts is the leading public art program
in the country
having created over 30 years 4,000
murals for social change but this is a
big stage huh no pressure here I said
let’s dream big
let’s get hundreds of people involved
use the power of art to bring them
together and maybe they’ll learn some
more about mural arts along the way
first
we plan a press event in front of the
Catholic school where the mural would go
we enlarge renderings invite students
engage the media but then overnight
there is a horrible deadly train crash
what should we do we didn’t want to look
insensitive at 5:00 a.m. we realized we
had to pull the plug so we put away the
renderings you want to cooperate with
the big story but sometimes you have to
be flexible
about when the time is right we held the
press event two weeks later now the real
work began the artists had to create a
4,000 square foot mural in a few short
months we needed 2,500 people to help
paint a hundred and fifty three five
foot by five foot cloth panels in a
paint-by-numbers system we got so many
people involved we managed to get a
Guinness world record for the most
people to paint by number
but we wanted more we wanted to see if
maybe the Pope would paint a little bit
of the mural during his visit hey a girl
can dream right get this the Vatican
says yes and he’ll do it live on
television in front of millions of
people but then we find out the Pope
only travels with two outfits that’s
right only two white robes it’s a simple
person after all and there is no way we
can risk getting a splash of permanent
mural paint on one of those crisp white
robes the night before the celebration I
spend four hours at rehearsal with the
mural artist and two stage managers and
three children who were to carry the
mural panel on stage maybe the Pope can
sign his name with something instead we
experiment different kinds of giant
sharpies and placement angles until we
have the right combination at the end of
this marathon rehearsal the organizer
turns to me would you like to sit on
stage with us at the big event who me
yes you and the head of mural arts and
that’s how to juice women ended up on
stage with the Pope in front of millions
of people
the point is dream big but you have to
be flexible along the way you want to
cooperate with the big story but you
have to be creative when obstacles get
thrown in your path so that’s the first
one cooperate with the big story now
compete with the big story back to those
protestors of the Chinese Lantern
Festival
Franklin Square is my favorite spot in
all of Philadelphia ten years before the
festival it was a homeless crack park
until the nonprofit historic
Philadelphia my client raised the money
and renovated the square adding
attractions like a carousel and
mini-golf to help make it
self-sustaining so it was especially
upsetting that protests and to
particularly opinionated reporters
change the narrative saying we shouldn’t
close public
space or charge a fee to see the
lanterns we had to regroup quickly it
was so frustrating we had we had to
challenge their narrative it had become
a big story a hot topic we didn’t
control that’s what I encouraged the CEO
to speak out and I even took on some of
those reporters myself we way you do
this is by acknowledging the opposing
story encountering each point it’s too
expensive heck it’s cheaper than the zoo
or a Phillies game besides it’s free
during the day you’re closing public
space and charging money while the
playgrounds are free day or night and
besides the revenue is going back into
free year-round events the fence around
the square is ugly okay they had us
there it is ugly so we designed some of
the new signage to make it more
attractive in year two we even hired an
architect to make it really beautiful
our new narrative worked by the end of
the seven weeks of that first Chinese
Lantern Festival a hundred thousand
people came to see it my favorite night
was the Friday night of Memorial Day
weekend when the CEO texted me a photo
of a thousand people watching one of the
acrobatic performances under the photo
it said what protest we had competed
with the opposing story and come out on
top you might have to do that too you’re
going to get complaints you might even
face of crisis or two you have to deal
with real problems but if you have the
right story to tell you might even
change a mind or two or a hundred
thousand okay so first was cooperate
with the story then compete with the
story now here’s how you co-opted the
big story here’s some non fake news the
media sometimes are completely
predictable for example on the hottest
day of the summer you can be sure that
you will see photos of children playing
in fire hydrants or workers laying
pavement in this
in heat I found a fun twist I offered up
historic Philadelphia’s costumed
interpreters in their wool period garb
greeting visitors outdoors aren’t you
hot in that every interpreter gets asked
on those hot days
I call it Colonials in heat the press
love it that’s a small way to co-opt the
conversation of the day here’s a bigger
example for two years mural arts
Philadelphia was planning a project
called monument lab working with artists
to answer a singular question what makes
an appropriate Monument for the current
city of Philadelphia we asked 20 artists
to create temporary monuments in 10
public parks over nine weeks the public
could even propose their own monuments
during the exhibition we spent months
brainstorming how to get the media
interested one month before the opening
there is a huge white supremacist rally
in Charlottesville Virginia and a
protester is killed
imagine what we’re thinking someone
actually died protesting a monument
suddenly the whole country is talking
about monuments even in Philadelphia
where a mural and a statue to a racially
polarizing former mayor are under attack
I’m on the beach in Georgia and my phone
rings what am I gonna do it’s my job to
take the headlines and use them to our
advantage that’s what I mean by co-opted
the story that’s what we did we wrote an
op-ed about monuments I pitched a
national TV story and we got really
creative about unveiling a new
installation so there was prime to go
viral as if you can plan that sort of
thing that installation was a giant afro
pick with a black power fist by artist
Hank Willis Thomas across the street
from City Hall feet away from that
statue of the controversial mayor
sure enough the pic becomes a flashpoint
the crowd gathers two reporters show up
more arrived city workers are posting on
Instagram a local hip-hop artist writes
a rap on the spot and we open the
exhibition the next day not everyone
loved it
but everyone was talking about it the
national conversation about monuments is
divisive playing into passions about
race and history mural art saw a way for
art to change and open that conversation
but we had to figure out how to begin
the conversation the way to make your
story the big story is to keep an eye on
what is in the news what are people
talking about and constantly ask
yourself how can I tie my story into
that when the headlines help your
narrative act quickly tomorrow may be
too late make your story the big story
today someone asked me recently why do
you do what you do why do you choose
clients who are working to improve their
communities why do you have this drive
to dig for stories and share them with
the world
I had to probe a little to figure it out
clearly some stories from my childhood
have helped me guide this passion I
remember being in fourth grade gym class
in Savannah Georgia when a group of my
classmates started dancing around me and
chanting you killed jesus you killed
Jesus it was confusing and scary what
did I do wrong in high school it was
frowned upon for me to be seen in public
with an african-american male friend I
wasn’t even interested in dating
who cares what other people think this
should be okay I watched my mother yearn
for a career despite being a devoted
parent and wife if she had been born 20
years later she would have been
encouraged like her brother to become a
doctor instead her father suggested she
become a medical illustrator
was that fair it wasn’t until I found my
voice as an adult that I realized I
could take on such difficult issues
I always knew anti-semitism racism and
sexism or unjust but I didn’t have the
confidence or the tools to challenge
them now I know the only way to improve
unjust behaviors is to talk about them
you can’t change behaviors unless you
change the stories we tell about them
everyone deserves an equal chance to
tell their stories from their
perspectives and that’s where you come
in you have a story to tell look at the
narratives dominating the world today
which one speaks to you as we see every
day some of the biggest stories of all
are about justice fairness compassion
and equality which one can you tie your
story to now go tell your story and make
it a big one
[Applause]
in April and I’m all alone in Franklin
Square in the heart of historic
Philadelphia well I’m not completely
alone I’m with a photographer a
videographer and a drone it’s the night
before the opening of the Philadelphia
Chinese Lantern Festival and I’m eyeing
this 200-foot dragon made of Lights
Franklin Square is magical there are
1,500 sculptures made of steel and silk
and light handmade by master artisans
from China the images and video are
breathtaking giant lions a three story
pagoda adorable panda is riding up and
down on his silk seesaw the videographer
hops on a skateboard to film a GoPro
move through a tunnel of light it’s so
cool as a communications professional
I’m thinking this is PR gold sure enough
the next night we have gorgeous spring
weather dragon dancers are at the ready
a polished script and then in the middle
of the program at the foot of the stage
two people start screaming shame on you
shame on you they’re protesting the
visitors have to buy tickets to see the
lanterns I was so not ready for that I
froze I’ve been helping nonprofits tell
their stories for more than two decades
I know that good work has a good story
to tell we all have a story to tell
whether it were a corporation a
mission-driven organization an
innovative new startup or a theater
company with a new play we all have
things we want people to know about what
we’re doing but if your big story falls
in the forest and nobody hears it does
anyone care there’s always a bigger
story than yours
a devastating hurricane a sex scandal an
election a protest my message is very
simple there are three ways to make your
story the big story
cooperate with the big story compete
with the big story or co-opt the big
story let’s start with the first one
cooperate with the big story the year is
2015
Pope Francis is coming to Philadelphia
and mural arts Philadelphia who I’ve
been working with for 10 years has been
asked to create a giant mural as a
permanent remembrance of the visit mural
arts is the leading public art program
in the country
having created over 30 years 4,000
murals for social change but this is a
big stage huh no pressure here I said
let’s dream big
let’s get hundreds of people involved
use the power of art to bring them
together and maybe they’ll learn some
more about mural arts along the way
first
we plan a press event in front of the
Catholic school where the mural would go
we enlarge renderings invite students
engage the media but then overnight
there is a horrible deadly train crash
what should we do we didn’t want to look
insensitive at 5:00 a.m. we realized we
had to pull the plug so we put away the
renderings you want to cooperate with
the big story but sometimes you have to
be flexible
about when the time is right we held the
press event two weeks later now the real
work began the artists had to create a
4,000 square foot mural in a few short
months we needed 2,500 people to help
paint a hundred and fifty three five
foot by five foot cloth panels in a
paint-by-numbers system we got so many
people involved we managed to get a
Guinness world record for the most
people to paint by number
but we wanted more we wanted to see if
maybe the Pope would paint a little bit
of the mural during his visit hey a girl
can dream right get this the Vatican
says yes and he’ll do it live on
television in front of millions of
people but then we find out the Pope
only travels with two outfits that’s
right only two white robes it’s a simple
person after all and there is no way we
can risk getting a splash of permanent
mural paint on one of those crisp white
robes the night before the celebration I
spend four hours at rehearsal with the
mural artist and two stage managers and
three children who were to carry the
mural panel on stage maybe the Pope can
sign his name with something instead we
experiment different kinds of giant
sharpies and placement angles until we
have the right combination at the end of
this marathon rehearsal the organizer
turns to me would you like to sit on
stage with us at the big event who me
yes you and the head of mural arts and
that’s how to juice women ended up on
stage with the Pope in front of millions
of people
the point is dream big but you have to
be flexible along the way you want to
cooperate with the big story but you
have to be creative when obstacles get
thrown in your path so that’s the first
one cooperate with the big story now
compete with the big story back to those
protestors of the Chinese Lantern
Festival
Franklin Square is my favorite spot in
all of Philadelphia ten years before the
festival it was a homeless crack park
until the nonprofit historic
Philadelphia my client raised the money
and renovated the square adding
attractions like a carousel and
mini-golf to help make it
self-sustaining so it was especially
upsetting that protests and to
particularly opinionated reporters
change the narrative saying we shouldn’t
close public
space or charge a fee to see the
lanterns we had to regroup quickly it
was so frustrating we had we had to
challenge their narrative it had become
a big story a hot topic we didn’t
control that’s what I encouraged the CEO
to speak out and I even took on some of
those reporters myself we way you do
this is by acknowledging the opposing
story encountering each point it’s too
expensive heck it’s cheaper than the zoo
or a Phillies game besides it’s free
during the day you’re closing public
space and charging money while the
playgrounds are free day or night and
besides the revenue is going back into
free year-round events the fence around
the square is ugly okay they had us
there it is ugly so we designed some of
the new signage to make it more
attractive in year two we even hired an
architect to make it really beautiful
our new narrative worked by the end of
the seven weeks of that first Chinese
Lantern Festival a hundred thousand
people came to see it my favorite night
was the Friday night of Memorial Day
weekend when the CEO texted me a photo
of a thousand people watching one of the
acrobatic performances under the photo
it said what protest we had competed
with the opposing story and come out on
top you might have to do that too you’re
going to get complaints you might even
face of crisis or two you have to deal
with real problems but if you have the
right story to tell you might even
change a mind or two or a hundred
thousand okay so first was cooperate
with the story then compete with the
story now here’s how you co-opted the
big story here’s some non fake news the
media sometimes are completely
predictable for example on the hottest
day of the summer you can be sure that
you will see photos of children playing
in fire hydrants or workers laying
pavement in this
in heat I found a fun twist I offered up
historic Philadelphia’s costumed
interpreters in their wool period garb
greeting visitors outdoors aren’t you
hot in that every interpreter gets asked
on those hot days
I call it Colonials in heat the press
love it that’s a small way to co-opt the
conversation of the day here’s a bigger
example for two years mural arts
Philadelphia was planning a project
called monument lab working with artists
to answer a singular question what makes
an appropriate Monument for the current
city of Philadelphia we asked 20 artists
to create temporary monuments in 10
public parks over nine weeks the public
could even propose their own monuments
during the exhibition we spent months
brainstorming how to get the media
interested one month before the opening
there is a huge white supremacist rally
in Charlottesville Virginia and a
protester is killed
imagine what we’re thinking someone
actually died protesting a monument
suddenly the whole country is talking
about monuments even in Philadelphia
where a mural and a statue to a racially
polarizing former mayor are under attack
I’m on the beach in Georgia and my phone
rings what am I gonna do it’s my job to
take the headlines and use them to our
advantage that’s what I mean by co-opted
the story that’s what we did we wrote an
op-ed about monuments I pitched a
national TV story and we got really
creative about unveiling a new
installation so there was prime to go
viral as if you can plan that sort of
thing that installation was a giant afro
pick with a black power fist by artist
Hank Willis Thomas across the street
from City Hall feet away from that
statue of the controversial mayor
sure enough the pic becomes a flashpoint
the crowd gathers two reporters show up
more arrived city workers are posting on
Instagram a local hip-hop artist writes
a rap on the spot and we open the
exhibition the next day not everyone
loved it
but everyone was talking about it the
national conversation about monuments is
divisive playing into passions about
race and history mural art saw a way for
art to change and open that conversation
but we had to figure out how to begin
the conversation the way to make your
story the big story is to keep an eye on
what is in the news what are people
talking about and constantly ask
yourself how can I tie my story into
that when the headlines help your
narrative act quickly tomorrow may be
too late make your story the big story
today someone asked me recently why do
you do what you do why do you choose
clients who are working to improve their
communities why do you have this drive
to dig for stories and share them with
the world
I had to probe a little to figure it out
clearly some stories from my childhood
have helped me guide this passion I
remember being in fourth grade gym class
in Savannah Georgia when a group of my
classmates started dancing around me and
chanting you killed jesus you killed
Jesus it was confusing and scary what
did I do wrong in high school it was
frowned upon for me to be seen in public
with an african-american male friend I
wasn’t even interested in dating
who cares what other people think this
should be okay I watched my mother yearn
for a career despite being a devoted
parent and wife if she had been born 20
years later she would have been
encouraged like her brother to become a
doctor instead her father suggested she
become a medical illustrator
was that fair it wasn’t until I found my
voice as an adult that I realized I
could take on such difficult issues
I always knew anti-semitism racism and
sexism or unjust but I didn’t have the
confidence or the tools to challenge
them now I know the only way to improve
unjust behaviors is to talk about them
you can’t change behaviors unless you
change the stories we tell about them
everyone deserves an equal chance to
tell their stories from their
perspectives and that’s where you come
in you have a story to tell look at the
narratives dominating the world today
which one speaks to you as we see every
day some of the biggest stories of all
are about justice fairness compassion
and equality which one can you tie your
story to now go tell your story and make
it a big one
[Applause]
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