The first, foundational book on the next media renaissance, from one of the foremost thought leaders at the intersection of storytelling and technology.
These days we don't want to just watch our media-we want to be a part of it. To touch, feel, and test our surroundings, to make decisions that directly affect the story's outcome. Immersive events-such as the Stranger Things Experience and productions like Punchdrunk's Sleep No More-are growing at such a staggering rate that their revenue will soon outpace film and television combined. Investors, creators, and technology leaders from the likes of Apple, Facebook, and Netflix have quietly invested billions of dollars in this new medium.
But what makes immersive experiences so appealing, and why? What does it say about us as a culture? And who is behind this revolution in entertainment? For more than ten years, Charles Melcher, founder and director of Future of StoryTelling (FoST), has been invited into the studios, garages, offices, and academic corridors where the rules of storytelling are being rewritten. And in this eye-opening book, he has curated a selection of the very best immersive experiences from around the world-Meow Wolf in the United States, teamLab in Japan, Hobbiton in New Zealand, and many more. It's a celebration of both the projects themselves and the extraordinarily creative people who have brought them to life, and a clarion call to better understand and appreciate this paradigm-shifting moment and the opportunities immersive entertainment offers for the next generation of creators, businesspeople, and audiences.
Charles Melcher is a creator, curator, and thought leader in the storytelling and technology space, as well as an early- stage investor and advisor to media and technology companies. In 2012, he founded Future of StoryTelling (FoST), a multidisciplinary story studio committed to creating transformative stories and experiences that bring people together, inspire curiosity, and enact positive change. FoST began as an invitation-only summit that drew a mix of thinkers and practitioners from diverse fields who are shaping storytelling in the twenty-first century. Inc. magazine named it one of the "10 most Innovative Conferences of 2016," Adweek named it among the "7 Emerging Conferences Every Advertising Professional Should Know About," and Forbes named it one of the top "Global Events Getting Immersive Right." The FoST Summit expanded from a one-day event for 300 people to a week-long summit and festival that drew upwards of 6,000 people. Now, following the recent pandemic, the FoST Summit has shifted to a year-around membership program that includes virtual and in-person programming and networking opportunities- ranging from tours of the most cutting-edge immersive story worlds, to world-class speakers, to small-group meetings and social gatherings. FoST also produces content throughout the year, including apps, websites, films, and immersive experiences; storytelling workshops; curated exhibitions with local and international organizations; a monthly newsletter, "FoST in Thought"; and the bi-weekly FoST Podcast, which Melcher hosts. FoST also developed and teaches a storytelling curriculum and consults on storytelling best practices for companies such as Microsoft, Ford, NBCUniversal, and others. In 2019, FoST was engaged as the official Executive Storytellers for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, which is currently scheduled to open to the public in 2025. Melcher also helps to run the Content Studio for the Library.
Melcher is also the founder and CEO of Melcher Media. Launched in 1993, the company helps international brands (Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, PepsiCo, GE, and Lexus), media companies (Netflix, HBO, Time Warner, NBC, USA, TBS, and Condé Nast), and individual authors (Oprah Winfrey, Al Gore, Lin-Manuel Miranda, J.J. Abrams, Kobe Bryant, and Eminem) to tell their stories via beautifully illustrated and produced books. Melcher Media has more than 15 million books in print, including 31 New York Times bestsellers. Melcher speaks regularly on the intersection of storytelling and technology at conferences, festivals, and conventions worldwide. Past engagements have included SXSW, C2 Montréal, EY Innovation Realized, the Milken Institute Global Conference, and Phi Centre's The New Storytellers.
