SERVICE
Making something beautiful and effective is great, but having a good experience doing it is even better. We value working with you to reach your goals, and making the journey as smooth (and fun!) as possible.
We get to know you, which comes in handy since we’re invested in your success.
EMPATHY
The crux of good storytelling is building empathy with your audience. We get to know your audience so that we can speak their language and build trust with them and you.
Empathy is at the heart of human connection, and in our experience, leading with empathy always strengthens our productions.
EXCELLENCE
Excellence is the difference between good and great. We strive for excellence in every area of our business, and continually optimize and refine our process.
We are life-long learners of story and we commit to taking our knowledge and elevating your stories along the way.
OUR MISSION
To mobilize your story to power memory, shape culture and ignite change.
Nathan is brimming with gusto and grit. He believes hope is abundantly more powerful than fear, and wants to tell stories that inspire people to do great things.
Nathan's purpose in life is to encourage and inspire others. His vision is a world of people sharing their gifts with others. His mission is to tell inspiring stories so others will become their own inspiring story. In 2019 he shared this concept of exponential inspiration with the world on the TEDx stage (linked below).
Nathan Clendenin has always been passionate about sharing the great things going on in the world. Nathan founded the marketing firm StoryDriven in 2011 with a passion to fill a need in the world for positive, uplifting stories, showcased by concise, documentary style video production. Years later, hundreds of clients can attest to the impact of StoryDriven’s influence as their guide who celebrates them as thought leaders & world changers who inspire people to take action.
An eight-time Emmy Award-winning storyteller, Nathan is an entrepreneur with a love of learning and a love for taking risks in order to grow. He holds a master’s in visual communication from UNC’s School of Media and Journalism and was the first Multimedia Producer for WRAL.com/CBC New Media Group, a position he held until he and his wife Rebecca moved to Mamelodi, South Africa, where they volunteered in community development and storytelling work with nonprofit, Africa Revolution. Nathan’s time in South Africa only reinforced his passion to pursue the kind of storytelling that educates, inspires and connects. Nathan counts his most recent journey of building and leading a passionate team of story experts at StoryDriven, who share this vision, as among his most rewarding and favorite experiences to date.
Nathan serves at Chair of the Board of Africa Revolution, is active in his local church and is a dad to two boisterous and fun-loving boys and a baby girl (who shares DNA with angels). When he’s not busy making a story with his camera, he’s probably listening to good storytelling on RadioLab or This American Life.
Chelsey rejects the narrative of being only left-brained or right-brained. Her sweet spot is where artistry and strategy meet. She is a big-picture thinker, but also has an eye for detail. Her efficient mindset propels projects forward.
Elliot looks at the roots of your company to envision how you can grow. His exploratory nature matched with his craving for authenticity drives him to cultivate meaningful stories.
Maria Luisa (Malu) combines strategy and style to put together the puzzle pieces of a video. Her grounded mentality transforms dreams into reality. Her empathy for others illuminates everything she does.
Marin puts emphasis on establishing trust and relationship when representing your company. She strives to tell your story with truth and excellence.
WE PARTNER WITH
LARGE CORPORATIONS
helping breathe life and authenticity back into their campaigns.
CREATIVE-MINDED CLIENTS
to apply our continual study of story to their unique narrative.
COMPANIES THAT VALUE THEIR CUSTOMERS
navigating the best strategy to connect with their target audience.
IN-HOUSE CREATIVES
introducing effective video storytelling into their marketing arsenal.
“We give the mic to people that are really making the world a better place.”
Nathan Clendenin
CEO at StoryDriven
OUR STORY MENTORS
We work with a variety of exemplary storytellers in their chosen fields to elevate our work.
Steven King is an associate professor of multimedia journalism and emerging technologies at The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill holding a joint appointment with the School of Media and Journalism and Kenan-Flagler Business School. He combines computer science concepts, human-centered design and storytelling to create new ways to present information through emerging technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other interactive media forms.
Steven is the Executive Director of Kenan-Flagler Next, an initiative to invent the future of higher education and he is the Chief Innovation Officer of Reese News Lab which includes his ground-breaking research in applied uses of Emerging Technologies.
He is an award-winning journalist and former Editor of Innovations and Director of Video for The Washington Post with a masters in computer science. In addition to his role at the University, Steven consults with U.S government agencies and foreign governments to solve difficult problems using creative solutions. Steven is a Christian, husband, and father of three boys living in Durham, N.C.
Brandon Smith earned his M.F.A. in Dramatic Art from UNC Chapel Hill in 2005 and is currently completing an Ed.D in Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University. Working primarily as an educator, director, playwright and actor his research has recently focused on student success and persistence in higher education. Smith is the author of a chapter in an upcoming improvement science textbook, and currently studying the effects of course redesign on persistence. In 2012, Smith contributed on an article about cross-disciplinary undergraduate research between the arts and sciences in the Perspectives on Undergraduate Research Methods (PURM) published by Elon University.
Smith is a recipient of the prestigious Richard A. Weaver award for theatrical directing (2010), The Kennedy Center’s distinguished Award for New Work (Bandersnatch, 2012), as well as both the Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year (2014) and First United Methodist Church Exemplary Teacher Award at Brevard College (2016). His research with undergraduate theatre and engineering students at Midwestern State University garnered requests for lectures and workshops from the Kennedy Center, The United States Institute for Theatre Technology, and The Consortium of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. In 2015, Smith’s play Cold Fusion was performed as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and his other plays continue to get regular performances in theatres and schools across the country. In addition to his work as a playwright, Smith is working on an acting theory textbook, a novel, is participating in ongoing research related to student success, and researching traditional Mayan culture and storytelling.
Smith is a member of Actor’s Equity Association.
Brett Chambers is a Lecturer at North Carolina Central University, where he teaches mass communication and education technology courses. He serves on the NCCU Lyceum Committee, Hip Hop Initiative Advisory Group, and Jazz Research Institute Advisory Team. A graduate of Duke University’s Terry Sanford School of Public Policy, he earned his Masters in Education Technology from the NCCU School of Education. He is committed to efforts that address the diversity of learning styles and how technology can be used to close the achievement gap of African American children.
In 2004 Chambers was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists’ Region IV Hall of Fame, in recognition of his long and distinguished media career, including his work as an award-winning television producer (WTVD-ABC11) of programs addressing education, health, and children's issues. He contributed to the book How We Got Over: Testimonies of Faith, Hope, and Courage, and has been a contributing writer to the Independent Weekly and TRIBES magazine on his favorite subject, music.
Formerly a White House photographer and AP correspondent, Susan Sterner is head of the master’s program in New Media and Associate Professor of Photojournalism at George Washington University’s Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. Since 2006, she has coordinated the undergraduate program in photojournalism, emphasizing a multimedia and multi-disciplinary approach. She is the recipient of the Corcoran’s Outstanding Creative Research Award (2010) and The Betty Foster Outstanding Teaching Award (2013).
Stephen L Garrett's unique production career has spanned over 12 years and has taken him to locations across the US and to 17 countries as both a field producer and cinematographer. Now based in Chicago, Stephen collaborates with directors, producers, and production companies to develop, shoot, and edit feature-length documentaries, series, and promotional films for organizations large and small. He is the associate producer for Serial Killer: Devil Unchained, a 3 part series on Investigation Discovery in 2019. In 2018 he was a post-production coordinator for Momentum Generation, an HBO sports documentary that won a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Long Sports Documentary. Stephen is currently editing a feature length documentary called How To Build A School in Haiti, a case study in international development, for director Jack C Newell. He is also working to complete his own independent documentary called Mine 21, about the longterm effects of community trauma in the decades following a coal mine disaster in Tennessee. Learn more about Stephen and his work at www.slgarrett.com.
Energetic and enterprising photographer, videographer, multimedia producer and professor. I am passionate about telling stories and teaching others to do the same.
-Pulitzer-winning photographer with 20+ successful years working in editorial, travel, corporate and documentary. More than 120 photography and multimedia awards.
-Videographer and documentary producer specializing in aiding NGO's, non-profits and corporations tell their story through character-driven short films.
-Producer of more than 20 award-winning large-team multimedia storytelling projects from around the world, including Thailand, Argentina, Ecuador and Mexico. 2014 project winners of The Webbys and SXSW Interactive, among others. Director of photography for projects in Spain, Chile, and South Africa. Expert in all aspects of team-based online journalism projects.
-Fulbright scholar to Japan 2014-2015.
-Julian Scheer Professor and Director of Documentary Projects for the University of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism.
-Founder of the Carolina Photojournalism Workshop (now in its 14th year), the Carolina Sports Photography Workshop (9th year), The 37th Frame annual exhibition (16th year) and the Carolina Photo Night monthly speaker series (16th year).