Storytelling Across Mediums: TV, Film, Podcasts, and More! panel at WonderCon Anaheim 2022.

Anaheim, CA, April 2, 2022 - For this year’s WonderCon in Anaheim, excited fans assembled for an in-person conversation with Hollywood’s highly sought-after directors, producers, writers, and showrunners to discuss their work on popular projects like “Conan,” “Meet The Robinsons,” “Monsters At Work,” “Running Wild with Bear Grylls,” and more on Impact24 PR’s Storytelling Across Mediums: TV, Film, Podcasts, and More! panel.

The panel was moderated by actresses and producers Aparna Brielle and Kristin Couture and featured Stephen Anderson (Director and Writer, “Meet The Robinsons”; “Monsters At Work”;), Rebecca Niles (Managing Director of ArtClass), Ben Simms (Director and Executive Producer, “You vs. Wild”), Jason Michael Primrose (Chief Creative Officer, “Lost Children of Andromeda”), Harold Moss (Founder/ Creative Director of FlickerLab), J.P. Buck (Former Supervising Producer, “Conan”), and Raul Vega (Podcast Creator/ Showrunner at Phantom Ape Productions).

The panelists discussed the future of storytelling and how they can bring stories to life for their respective projects across diverse mediums, including films, television shows, podcasts, and series.

When asked about the branded side of storytelling, managing director of Art Class Rebecca Niles commented that “There are so many ways to consume content. I think a big trend I'm seeing in advertising is the gravitation towards compelling content that is more grounded in trust and long-form stories.”

The group echoed Rebecca’s sentiment and agreed that the future of storytelling is all about immersion, inclusion, and expansion.

“For me, the future of storytelling is equity and inclusion,” expressed Lost Children of Andromeda Chief Creative Officer and author Jason Michael Primrose. Being at the intersection of gay and Black communities myself, I always wanted to tell stories that reflect who I am and work on projects that allow others the opportunity to tell their own stories.”

The panel continued by discussing how technology and new distribution platforms such as streamers allowed so many different forms of storytelling to emerge.

Director/Writer Stephen Anderson talked about the benefits of working on a streaming series and how you can create an all-encompassing experience for the audience. “People don’t want to experience stories, they want to be a part of those stories. It’s less about plot these days and more about world and character.”

“I think that as technology advances, there’s going to be a great explosion of ideas,” added Director and Executive Producer Ben Simms. “It’s becoming more accessible to tell stories for people who haven't been able to in the past, especially through new mediums such as podcasts, NFTs, and more.”

Founder and creative director of FlickerLab Harold Moss connected the theme with the direct work that his company is currently focusing on, such as co-founding the Climate Ad Project. “Flickerlab came from my three obsessions in life. First is the concept of storytelling and how it is intrinsic to being human. The second is technologies and platforms and how those intersect with storytelling. The third is how we can use those two aspects to bring attention to important issues such as climate change and call for real-life actions.”

The crowd reacted with equal enthusiasm as the panelists dug even deeper into their passion as creators. “I’m a composer and musician at heart, shared podcast creator and showrunner Raul Vega. “At the end of the day, the sound is a story and that resonates with me so deeply. When you are restricted to audio-only, you have to utilize your own imagination and thoughts.”, To conclude the panel, Moderators Aparna Brielle and Kristin Couture celebrated everyone’s passion for the panel’s theme of storytelling across mediums and concluded the conversation by asking the panelists about the special moments they’ve experienced as creators and their advice for those in the audience who are interested in a career in entertainment.

When reflecting on his career as the supervising producer for Conan, J.P. Buck said that “some of the best moments are knowing that I inspired or helped inspire someone to pursue comedy.”

The audience at WonderCon Anaheim left the panel feeling inspired by the well-rounded discussion and the ever-changing future of storytelling.