02.29.2008 Friday: Leap Into Marketing

Picture(s) of: table conversations at the just finished Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp; participants talk with a real-live accountant and I am happy to report that none of them died during the discussion; table full of paperwork, forms and handouts. Busy place we were.

Today I: led and learned at the Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp; learned a lot from our guest accountant at the conference. CLEARLY this conference was worth much more than people paid for it. The accountant advice alone was worth about $5,000 in savings to me this year if I implement it.; did some private storytelling coaching sessions after the camp; cleaned up the camp hotel meeting room; ate pizza with my kids; going to bed

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.28.2008 Thursday: Marketing Camp Day 2

Pictures of: moments from the Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp. Going across the top: two folks work on the CD evaluation lab; cheesecake- my goodness we are having a lot of food; small group session on mission statements; a participant doing a five-minute surprise performance- one of four different folks today; wide view of the camp participants and me teaching at the front of the room.

Today I: taught at and learned at and participated in the camp; ate dinner with some of the participants on our "free evening" night; came home and wrote you this blog; did a few more handouts for the last day tomorrow; Happy Birthday, Michelle.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My other blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.27.2008 Wednesday: The Marketing Camp Begins

Picture of: the first teaching and learning session of the night camp. Storytellers and musicians.

Today I: told stories for children at an elementary school; kicked off the first night of the camp. I am very very tired storyteller. I am very very happy.

Picture of: some of the folks at the registration table for tonight's camp experience. We have really nice bags and even nicer learning experiences planned for the OISBC.

Picture of: me and Liz laughing as she comes to the registration table.

Picture of: some of the participants of the Feb 2008 Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp as we began tonight. GREAT group of people from all different types of motivations and portions of the U.S.

Picture of: Priscilla Howe sharing puppets with my daughter at the OISBC event, during dinner. It was a beautiful night for some alfresco dining.

Picture of: participants talking at the end of the night for the "cookies and milk" closing of the first night.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.26.2008 Tuesday: The Marketing Camp Eve.

Picture of: the final, filled, and stacked bags for the marketing camp participants. My wife and children put in hours of work tonight pulling this feat off. Thank you, thank you.

Today I: spent, as the last several days, putting together the manual for the Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp and I believe now that Kinko's is building a shrine for me; sent a storytelling invoice to a regular client; sent more Storytellingproducts.com orders out; Happy Birthday, Dad.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.23.2008 Storytelling for (a couple of) Children

Picture of: me storytelling at a local "non corporate" bookstore in the children's section.

Today I: told stories to children at this local bookstore for their "Love of Reading" week. Truly one of the most bizarre storytelling events I have done. The store apparently did not get any advertising out for the event (personnel change) so no patrons knew I was going to be there. There were NO children there when I began with the exception of my two who dutifully sat in the chairs (thank you, precious ones) hoping others would come. They did. They came. They stayed, they moved on. Others came. Some participated in the longest, funniest, audience-wrapping version of the Lion and the Mouse I have ever done. Really, it was me the giant, loud storyteller just telling into the air at some points. Totally surreal experience. So grateful to sponsors and the good staff there, but oh, this was odd. Side note: one guy started to do a mime act right next to me at one point. So good to know he majored in recreational drugs and theater in high school. This was kind of like a Fringe for the kindergarten set. LOL.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.22.2008 Friday: Cut to Bleed.

Picture of: the pre "cut to bleed" printout of a new storyteller poster I had done for my storytelling work.

Today I: spent almost every moment working on some type of paperwork, PowerPoint, order form or other information piece for the Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp. Launching a new multi-day event is an enormous undertaking. I do know (from experience) that it gets easier the second and third time you present the same event; I also spent too long trying to track down contacts for hotel space. What a crazy industry that hotel-space industry is. At one hotel, when I finally got a working relationship going with one salesperson, they tell me that he's gone on to other things now. Nuts.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.21.08: Thursday: Meeting Space. Mania.

Picture of: my receipt from Denny's. 12:21AM it says, started at 10:46PM on the 21st, so does this picture count?

Today I: did the banking for the Marketing Camp; paid the big bill at the hotel; ate lunch with my wife; worked on my new "one sheet" (I'll post the link Friday) for a long time -if you don't know what a "one sheet" is or how it is used, you should come to the workshop. Only recently am I getting actual requests for the one sheet from booking sponsors, that is a good sign for storytellers; ordered pizza and watched my kids play Toontown; spent two hours in Denny's tonight organizing the manual for the camp, looking for missing pages and so on. I forget what a lesson in humanity it is to sit in a Denny's late at night, it has it's own, umm, life to hear what people are really concerned about in their own (mostly young) lives and storytelling ain't it even tho' they are story telling to each other for an hour each in those booths. Maybe they are. I confuse myself with all these opinions I have.

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.19.2008 Tuesday: Manuals

Picture of: the copy machine at my local Kinko's store. I know I am there a lot when the clerk behind the counter says, "Just self-serve? Nothing for me to run tonight?" They are good people there and way overworked. Too much Fedexing, not enough time for printing.

Today I: made huge headway in getting the manuals finished for next week's marketing camp-- there is still space if you want to squeeze in there--you gotta contact me now; talked on the phone with the contact for Wednesday's school show starring a local storyteller named me; talked to the hotel contact for the May 10, 2008 Austin, Texas gig-- she was not sure what vegetarians eat, i.e, what would a vegetarian put on a sandwich. She was fun (really) to talk with.
::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.18.2008 Monday: Menu(s)

Picture of: the menu lists from the hotel where our Outside In Storytelling Marketing Boot Camp will be next week.

Today I: had my regular Monday morning staff meeting; spent time finishing the menu for the storytelling marketing camp; finished the paperworks for the Austin, Texas "Storyteller.net Live" event on May 10, 2008--stay tuned; posted a new blog on personal stories; reminded myself that it is okay to let things go on without me bu to be sure that I say what I mean; "The price of clarity is the risk of offense."

::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::

02.16.2008 Saturday: Storytelling at Borders

Picture of: me telling at our Storyteller.net @ Borders event we hold the third Saturday of every month. This storytelling picture had some odd lens thing going on and it turned out like an oil painting. Odd.

Today I: secured the Austin, Texas location for the new "Storyteller.net Live" event on May 10, 2008; told stories at Borders in the evening- someone said my Cinderella was brilliant ; had dinner with my wife, kids and mother- lovely little after-Borders tradition.


::C2008. Picture blog for storyteller Sean Buvala ( www.seantells.com). My written blog is at www.seanblogs.com::