Storyteller Studios

07/10/2025

We're proud to stand with Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Illinois. Join us!

06/19/2025

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Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas were finally told they were free—over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
It’s a day to reflect, educate, and recommit to justice and equality.
Freedom wasn’t given—it was delayed, and it was fought for.
Let’s never stop learning and honoring that truth.

06/18/2025

Our friends at E.L. Pruitt Mechanical Contractors just opened a brand-new 55,000 sq. ft fabrication facility fully equipped with robotic welding, advanced profiling software, and the people who make it all matter.

Welding. Laser cutting. Sparks flying. The kind of stuff that makes cinematographers cancel their weekend plans.

Watch what they’ve built.

06/17/2025

Congratulations to our friends at the Lincoln Presidential Foundation on another well-earned honor for "Fortifying Our Democracy."

Watch the award-winning series here: bit.ly/FortifyingDemocracy

We’re proud to announce that our documentary series, Fortifying Our Democracy: Lincoln’s Lyceum Address, has won a 2025 AASLH Award of Excellence!

The American Association for State and Local History Leadership in History Awards program is the nation’s most prestigious competition for recognition of achievement in state and local history.

Fortifying Our Democracy brings Lincoln’s 1838 Lyceum Address to life through expert interviews, dramatic reenactments, and original source materials. The 3-part series (just 23 minutes total) is available free to the public at:

bit.ly/FortifyingDemocracy

This is our 5th national award for Fortifying Our Democracy, which has been broadcast nationally on C-SPAN’s American History TV and featured at conferences and film festivals. This project wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of Iron Mountain. Thank you!

05/04/2025

For kids who’ve endured trauma, trust doesn’t come easy. But at Refuge Ranch, something beautiful is happening.

Refuge Ranch: Stories of Hope and Redemption is a new mini-documentary that follows the healing journeys of children and families served through this incredible mentoring program just outside Springfield, Illinois.

🎥 The full film premieres on YouTube
📅 Saturday, May 18 at 7:00 PM CST
🔗 Watch it here: https://youtu.be/seCT8cJfNq8?feature=shared

This is more than a story. It’s a glimpse of hope.

04/29/2025

Our hearts are heavy after the tragedy that struck our community this week. We’re grieving with the families, their caregivers, and our neighbors.

For those seeking ways to support, we’re sharing this list of opportunities to help.

Help support Chatham families affected by the YNOT incident

04/22/2025

🌎 This Earth Day, we’re thinking about the ground beneath our feet.

In southeast Minnesota, we met farmers and conservationists who are quietly transforming the way we think about soil, not as dirt, but as a living, life-giving resource.

The Zumbro River Watershed covers more than 900,000 acres. It’s where tradition meets innovation. Where no-till practices, cover crops, and an evolving relationship with the land are helping restore health to a system we all rely on.

We were honored to help tell their story. Because conservation isn’t a trend. It’s a choice. A commitment. And sometimes, it starts with a single shovel of earth.

🎥 Watch the film

02/27/2025

📢 Marketers. Fundraisers. Let’s be honest.

We’re drowning in content. Chasing algorithms. Filling feeds. But are we moving people?

The First Language is your guide back to what works—storytelling.

📥 Get the FREE eBook + Workbook and start telling stories that inspire action.

🔗 https://storytellerstudios.com/storytelling-guide-for-marketers-and-fundraisers

Because nobody remembers content. But a great story? That lasts.

Learn how to tell stories that inspire action. The First Language eBook and Workbook are free resources for marketers and fundraisers who want to create content that connects. Download now and start telling stories that matter.

02/24/2025

We ❤️ Annie!

Our hearts are so full after our visit from Annie today!

Annie has been staying with us since 2022 and spent today exploring our new home while filming something special with the wonderful folks at Storyteller Studios.



https://loom.ly/hhGAvIk

01/20/2025

👉 A Word from MLK:

Dr. King’s most powerful word might surprise you—and it carries a lesson for us all.

01/14/2025

Since 2013, Camp Compass has stopped the summer learning slide—and reversed it. Kids are jumping four reading levels in a single year.

Now this nationally recognized program faces an uncertain future. With federal pandemic funding gone, the number of kids it can serve depends on our community’s generosity. Our children are depending on us.

At Storyteller Studios, we believe in amplifying stories that matter. That’s why we produced this video at no cost through our Stories Untold philanthropy program. 💛

🎥 Join us! Watch the full video to see the impact—and how you can help: https://givebutter.com/Giving-to-Compass/sarahoglesby

💛 Invest in our youth. Invest in Springfield.

12/17/2024

"Storytelling bridges the gaps that divide us. It connects real humans with universal experience, offering a path to empathy and healing. In a fractured world, storytelling isn’t just what we should do—it’s what we need to do."

❤️ The latest from Josh's blog series, "The First Language:" https://storytellerstudios.com/the-first-language/connection/

Storytelling bridges the gaps that divide us. It connects real humans with real emotions, offering a path to empathy and healing. In a fractured world, storytelling isn’t just what we do—it’s what brings us together.