Hot List: 12 Stories About TV In Transformation
“The stories we tell, far more than our technological prowess, have been humanity’s defining trait.” – Ken Burns
Ah people, we’re such social creatures at our core. We like to tell stories, listen to stories, observe others as their stories unfold and live vicariously through their adventures as told by stories, real and imagined.
From these stories, we find our place in time and in some respects, our place in the world.
In the first decades of radio and TV, stories were told in limited venues, regulated and controlled by centralized doctrines devised in Washington, New York and Los Angeles.
Until this week, some were funded by tax dollars.
Then the internet came along and democratized the flow of ideas and stories in ways never before possible. TV held onto its reign, backed by brand dollars and the slow changing habits of consumers who still just wanted to hit an easy button, sit back and gaze at the big screen.
But the desire to tell stories, discover stories and become a story is now ripping apart the television industry. And there are new, vibrant pockets of storytelling emerging— in big numbers—that have all the makings of TV.
Or maybe even something better.
This week, through a collection of videos, articles and essays (below), we explore some of the changes happening to storytelling and explore the places where it is heading.
TLDR: transformation is a constant and you’ve got to stay on top or be left behind, indefinitely. And storytelling won’t go anywhere, it will go everywhere—but the business of it remains more dynamic than ever.
Have a great week!
-J. Damata
