Nathan Clendenin, CEO and founder of StoryDriven, first was contacted by UNC Healthcare for a series on doctors’ lives outside of the hospital. The series peered into their passions and what made them world-class doctors and people.
UNC Healthcare recommended StoryDriven to a wide realm of other departments in the UNC System and laid the groundwork to an almost 10-year partnership between StoryDriven and UNC.
A Case Study
PICKLE POWER
Project
Harvesting Clean Energy
Client
UNC System – ROI Series
What We Did
Broke down PhD-level technology into bite-sized comprehension through the use of metaphor and the storytelling of Mt. Olive pickle factory.
Mission
Continue funding for the ROI (Research Opportunities Initiative) Grant by showing how important and groundbreaking this technology is.
The Research Opportunities Initiative is funded by the General Assembly. The $3-million annual appropriation given to the ROI is vital to the sustenance of these research programs. In order to keep this funding active, ROI decided to contract StoryDriven to interview researchers and capture visually what exactly is happening in each of these programs, and the effects they are having on the lives of North Carolinians.
“He wanted to make a big battery out of waste water.” –Kevin Campbell, Environmental Supervisor for Mt. Olive Pickle Company
“Salinity Gradient Energy Technologies are at the cutting edge of renewables. Nowhere else in the U.S., currently, has the size of the research team and the focus on this topic like North Carolina does. Why I’m so excited to be here at N.C. State and in North Carolina is the fact that there’s support and funding to keep pursuing these out-of-the-box technologies that can provide renewable energy and wastewater treatment.” –Douglas Call, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University
“The response these videos have received has gone far beyond our expectations! Our challenge is to reach incredibly busy non-scientists with complex scientific topics in a way that engages.”
-Erin Hopper, ROI Initiative
A Case Study
GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BREATH
Project
Grateful For Every Breath
Client
UNC Healthcare
What We Did
We realized we had a great opportunity to serve both our client and Graham. But first, we wanted to gain the trust of Graham, who had an vulnerable story to share. After doing so, he felt at ease to share his thoughts, fears, and joys. The video encapsulated emotions that many patients and donors can empathize with.
Mission
Share the lasting impact that UNC Healthcare has on the individuals that they work with in a creative and memorable way.
Howell Graham, the first double lung transplant patient out of UNC Health Care was still doing great, 25 years later. On StoryDriven’s pre-interview phone call with Howell, he confided his deep longing to reach out to the donor family, and thank them for the life he received. We realized that we had a great opportunity here. Not only could we achieve our client’s messaging goals, but we could help Howell. We decided to go beyond a marketing video, and bring closure to Howell’s journey, by having this video be the letter he always wanted to write.
“It was tough to start writing this letter, because of all the good things that have happened to me in my life. And I just couldn’t give it justification. This letter I was writing was not good enough, and I wasn’t exactly sure how I wanted to say, ‘Hey, this is what you did for me and it’s just pretty incredible.’” –Howell Graham, UNC Healthcare Patient
The video was nominated for an Emmy in the 32nd Annual Midsouth Regional competition.
“Working with StoryDriven over the past several years has been incredible. I appreciate their honest dedication to visually beautiful storytelling that involves complicated research and often a cast of characters.”
-Mark Derewicz, UNC Health Care
17
Emmy Nominations
50
Videos Made
10
Years of Partnership
Where do UNC System videos take place?
CHAPEL HILL, NC————- “Roy Williams’ Game Day Security Blanket”; “Creating Calm in the Skies with UNC Health Care”; “Flying High with a Nobel Laureate”; “Jim Aspell: UNC Hospital’s First TAVR Patient”; “Be Loud! The Sophie Foundation”; “Brotherly Love: An Autism Story”; “In the Pursuit of a Cure for HIV”; “The Gospel Choir: Behind-The-Scenes Workers Take Center Stage”; “Vaping: How Safe is ‘Safe Enough’?”; “The Family Disease: Insights into CF Research”; “Be A Maker”; “UNC Lineberger: Today’s Best Care”; “UNC Lineberger: Tomorrows Best Hope”; “Pharmacoengineering – UNC System – ROI”; “War Vet Receives His Hearing Back”; “UNC Spine Surgeon has Humble Beginning in Burma”; “UNC System Holiday Greeting”; “UNC Department of Ophthalmology”; Medicine’s Mentors series; “Center for Psychiatric Genomics – UNC Chapel Hill”; “LCCC Blue Ribbon Gala”
MT. OLIVE, NC————- “Harvesting Clean Energy”
CHARLOTTE, NC————- “Spartan! race with UNC Health Care”; “Data Science – UNC System – ROI”; “Metal-based Additive Manufacturing – UNC System – ROI”
WILMINGTON, NC————- “Grateful for Every Breath – UNC Health Care”
GOLDSBORO, NC————- “UNC School of Medicine: Back On Her Feet”
KANNAPOLIS, NC————- “North Carolina Research Center: Industry Partnerships”
JACKSON COUNTY, NC——— “A Partnership to Strengthen NC”
DURHAM, NC————- “Microalgae Therapeutics – UNC System – ROI”
CEDAR ISLAND, NC————- “Ensuring Safe Seafood – UNC System – ROI”
RALEIGH, NC————- “Designing Organic Electronics – UNC System – ROI”
NEW MEXICO——————-“Hot Air Balloon Rally”
PILOT MOUNTAIN———–“Real Doctors, Real People – Rock Climbers”
CHATHAM COUNTY——— “Puppies: The Power of Cute for Mental Health”