The purpose of the storyteller is to keep civilization from destroying itself.
– Albert Camus (Nobel Prize winning author)

Have you ever wondered if you should pay attention to that inner voice pushing you to explore your creative potential? Do you daydream about writing a movie, making a film, doing a 'better job' of writing an episode of your favorite TV show or creating your own graphic novel? Do you believe you are a storyteller at heart?

We live in a world flooded with storytelling - movies, TV, comic books, internet series, Youtube and social media. You can't get away from it - it's part of the evolution of our culture and how we communicate as members of society.

Pursuing the cinematic arts is not necessarily the most obvious choice for someone with a background in the armed forces. But guess what? Some of my best students are vets and active military. The discipline learned through military service and ‘can do’ attitude serves well in higher education.

Even if you are not directly engaged in the entertainment business people talk about presenting themselves in a ‘pitch.’ This is a concept which originated in the film business – it’s coming into a room and ‘telling your story,’ whether that be about yourself as a job candidate or a film or TV show you want to sell.

Many vets have had unique experiences, have gone through intense periods in their lives and had to face issues that civilians may not have had to contemplate. Writing about such experiences can help create a way to understand and heal. It also provides a rich basis for unique storytelling that can impact other people through the magic of film, television and transmedia storytelling.

What are stories about? They are fundamentally about characters who face their fears and discover how to transform themselves. Audiences respond to this because the storytelling at the core of film, TV and transmedia, is really the art form of transformation.

Characters that ‘move culture’ are characters audiences take into their hearts and want to spend time with and see change – to watch them go from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Typically, characters that transform have a chance at self-reinvention. And in some cases that means a chance for redemption also (or in a cautionary tale the opposite.) Think of your favorite films, TV shows, books or comics – I bet the characters you identify with most are those that are grappling with transformation.

Do you have such a story to tell? From a superhero big budget movie to a ‘slice of life’ independent film it all comes down to the same thing - we cherish these characters because their journeys take us to a world we’ve never seen before. Great stories are about characters resisting their destiny and then taking that leap of faith to follow it.

Consider giving a platform and voice to your story – take your own leap of faith - through exploration of higher education and/or a career in the oldest art form in the world – from sitting around a campfire to a visit to your local multiplex – the best entertainment would not exist without the magic of storytelling or the talent of the storyteller.