Check out these testimonials from satisfied clients!
Adrian Alleyne, Director of Digital Marketing, CGI
The business world is in desperate need of content that doesn’t suck; so we’re in desperate need of someone like Jeff. Jeff has a rare ability not just to connect with an audience, but also to teach people like us to connect through principles of storytelling.
Empathy is a hard thing to manufacture, but if you plumb the depths of an idea well, you can find it there – usually in droves.
Jeff worked with our team of highly-skilled technical minds to strip away the jargon and processes of our field (IT) to help us find the empathy and truth of a story. And he did so in a really genuine way.
It’s been great to feel like we’ve been able to co-create with Jeff, and there’s a lo-fi/analog kind of vibe behind his process with us that was really effective for our team – it made it feel really personal (in the best way) despite it being an entirely online event. Thanks for working with us, Jeff. Looking forward to doing so again!
Ro Reddick, New York University
We brought Jeff in to lead a series of storytelling workshops for the 12 students in our Creative Career Design Fellowship. Our goal with the workshops was to build the student’s communication skills so that they would become better at sharing their strengths and differentiating qualities as artists.
Jeff was able to successfully translate that goal into an actionable lesson plan built around his framework for storytelling. The curriculum balanced lecture, group work, and 1:1 feedback that allowed each student to apply their learnings and receive developmental feedback.
We found Jeff to be professional, open, and communicative during the planning process, incorporating our feedback into his curriculum. The students loved his workshops. In the end of program assessment, the students rated Jeff’s work as one of the top three most valuable activities during the semester long program.
The workshops were engaging, well structured -- and fun! We wouldn’t hesitate to bring Jeff back in the future.
Annie Tan
Annie is a special ed teacher in New York Public Schools and a passionate storyteller. She took one of my more recent performance workshops.
When I started in Jeff's class I really wanted to stop being so serious, get out of my own head as a storyteller, and bring joy into my storytelling. I got really valuable input on what makes a story a great story, which will be useful for all storytellers, seasoned or not, and real tips on how to bring humor and lightness into my stories. I felt the difference immediately in the story I ended up telling for the showcase.
Two months after taking Jeff's class, I used part of the story we workshopped in class for another story for a special showcase with The Moth and which ended up on the Moth Radio Hour on NPR!
Andie Grace, Burning Man
Jeff and I worked together at the beginning of my new role in storytelling and content production at Burning Man. Now that the coronavirus has ended mass gathering events, stories are more important than ever to keep our cultural community connected around the world.
I've been a writer and communications professional for more than 20 years, but in just one session, Jeff gave me an entirely new framework for thinking about storytelling strategically, in the specific context of our nonprofit's needs.
I'd always thought that one must have a natural talent for storytelling to be good at it, but Jeff's theories and approach accelerated my understanding of the structure of a successful story, and how storytelling strategy can be implemented for a culture-bearing organization such as ours.
I'd recommend Jeff's trainings for any business or individual seeking deeper awareness of how a well-told story moves and motivates the listener into understanding—and action.
Gastor Almonte
Gastor was one of my recent performing students. His story, as developed in class, has appeared on Ari Shaffir’s “This Is Not Happening," airing on December 16th, 2016. You can see his story here.
I’d been performing stand-up for a few years, and was starting to get into storytelling. I felt comfortable with the stage aspect but I wanted more help with the structure. I wanted to know how to consistently put together the funny moments in my life into story format.
Jeff taught me the value in, and the process of, finding what’s driving a story forward, and how to use that information to help you create a well-crafted tale. But more so, he gave me the tools to be able to do that with any of the funny things that happen in my life.
Want to win a Moth, tighten a closing bit for your set, or just be more entertaining at your dinner parties? You need to see Jeff.