In just a couple years, Get Storied has grown to become a leading voice for the business of storytelling. We continue to build a global presence through an eco-system of media brands that translates storytelling into business consciousness and popular culture. There are many collaborators behind the scenes helping to make this all possible, below are just a few key members. We’ll keep adding more.

Michael Margolis, Founder & President

As the son of an inventor and an artist, Michael always asked the unpopular questions that got him picked-on in school. Being left-handed and color-blind didn’t help with his coordination or fashion sense either.

Michael learned to channel his inner-geek, and as a social entrepreneur, co-founded two Digital Divide nonprofits – before the age of 23. For the past decade, Michael has worked as a business storyteller and pop anthropologist, for many years as the founder and president of his prior consultancy Thirsty-Fish.

In 2009, Michael launched Get Storied — an education, advisory, and publishing company; with a goal to teach the world how to think in narrative. Michael takes the traditional notions of storytelling and re-invents them in the context of branding, innovation, and culture change. His work and ideas have been featured in Fast Company, BrandWeek, PSFK, and Storytelling Magazine, among other places.

His popular book, Believe Me: A Storytelling Manifesto for Change-Makers and Innovators, quickly turned him into a leading voice in the world of storytelling. Michael also teaches Brand Storytelling as an executive education instructor for the Schulich School of Business. Michael was born in Ohio, grew up in Switzerland & Los Angeles, and now considers New York City home. He eats more chocolate than the average human.

Lisa Bledsoe, Producer

When she’s not in the boxing ring, Lisa helps online organizations kick ass with winning development and launch strategies that go the distance. She started out writing and designing interactive museum exhibits, and over the years has launched everything from new churches (really!) to new businesses and products for her clients.

Lisa’s obsession with start-ups and her resonance with the entrepreneurial-at-heart has meant that she has developed skills ranging from design and website building to video production. If it involves pixels, she’s probably been there, loved that.

And yes, she’s a competitive boxer. Which is probably why no gargantuan online project (or teenager — she has three of those at home) has ever scared her. But she did loads of community theater growing up, so some of that might be pure acting.

Jodi Bepler, Operations

An organizer at heart, Jodi oversees project management and support systems at Get Storied. Jodi also manages our Story University and produces the Story Trends newsletter. Jodi has spent the last decade as an operations ninja working with a mix of companies including tech and design start-ups. As a recovering geek, she enjoys to research new technologies and implement the latest systems and gadgets. She thrives on checklists and keeping our multiple projects on task. Jodi is the happy voice on the other end of the line, even when wrestling with web monkeys and auto-bot invasions.

A Midwestern girl through and through, Jodi loves spending time on Lake Michigan – whether soaking up the sun, or in pursuit of a 28 lb Salmon. Jodi lives just miles from the campus of Michigan State University, where she studied journalism. Come football and basketball season, her legendary tailgate menus are the talk of the town.

Dusti Arab, Editorial

Dusti Arab is the writer infusing loving energy and a rockin’ edge into Get Storied. Born with a passion for the stage and a good story, Dusti has been an outgoing nerd since childhood. Her grandmother saw her aptitude for words early on and encouraged her to pursue it, sending her to writing conferences and keeping her stocked with office supplies. Hailing from Portland, OR, Dusti inherited the local love of nature and technology, along with an insatiable desire to make the two co-exist. After spending college ignoring her affinity for wordsmithery, Dusti realized she could translate other people’s big ideas when they couldn’t find the words.

Dusti began to delve into writing and online marketing, where she could help others tell their changemaking stories. Now on a mission to encourage women to achieve self empowerment and actualization beyond the labels of the status quo, Dusti explores stories as a gateway to bigger conversations at her site, Undefinable You. Dusti is obsessed with sexy stationary, tiny houses, and helping small business see big possibilities. When she’s not writing, she’s probably at a coffee shop or having a dance party with her daughter while they belt out Disney songs.

Torben Bernhardt, Story Fellow

Torben leads social media outreach, blogging, and tweeting for Get Storied and the Reinvention Summit. When Torben was eight years old, he found a dusty typewriter in his grandfather’s basement, taught himself how to type, and wrote his first story. Since that day, his natural urge to communicate has led him to a string of diverse, but loosely connected areas in storytelling, such as performing in a hip-hop group, writing awful poetry, partying with social media, and ultimately landing in the area of documentary filmmaking, all of which were supported by his dreamer theater parents.

His first documentary film, “The Sonosopher,” premiered at Cinequest International Film Festival and begins distribution through Dream Garden Press in late October. The last nine years of his life have been split between Utah and Bangkok, Thailand. He graduated with a B.A., in Integrated Studies with emphases in Communications, Philosophy, and Humanities from Utah Valley University. He is currently in the process of reinvention, building a media company OHO Media from the ground up with his wife as partner, and working on a series of short documentaries, two of which were filmed in remote locations in Thailand.

Chris Piascik, Communication Design

An artist who recently held his sixth solo exhibition, Chris Piascik is also active in the design community. With 6 years of professional experience at award-winning firms in New England, he is currently working as a freelance designer and illustrator.

With a knack for sleep-deprivation, Chris also posts daily drawings on his website and maintains Print Brigade, an online store featuring apparel, prints and zines he has designed. In the few hours he’s not working you can find him on one of his bicycles.