ThinkFest Recap: Millennial Creatives on Digital Storytelling

Emma Fried-Cassorla, Conrad Benner, and Cory J. Popp speak out.

From left: Emma Fried-Cassorla, Conrad Benner and Cory J. Popp at ThinkFest.

From left: Emma Fried-Cassorla, Conrad Benner and Cory J. Popp at ThinkFest.

ThinkFest is streaming live all day. Watch ThinkFest here.

Three “digital storytellers” appeared on the ThinkFest stage Friday afternoon to talk about the art the create, how it’s affected Philadelphia, how they make money, and their advantage over Old Media.

“To have a newspaper or TV station or magazine, you have to have these big organizations,” said Conrad Benner, creator of the Streets Dept. photo blog. “Agility and the ability to experiment are the biggest obstacles for traditional media.”

“We’re finding ways to get our stories out there, created by us, told by us,” added Cory J. Popp, an independent videographer.

“You can take a picture, have it on Instagram, and start a movement within minutes,” added Emma Fried-Cassorla, creator of the Philly Love Notes blog.

Some other highlights from the session:

Popp, on why he makes beautiful short videos of the Philadelphia cityscape:

“They’ll see the hit-and-runs, they’ll see the murders, the hitchhiking robot got smashed. The impact of that is that people think Philadelpia is a dangerous place, a dirty place. It’s a beautiful place … it’s changing public perception that Philadelphia is a place to live and work.”

Benner, on his advantage in making money:

Here!

A photo posted by Conrad Benner (@streetsdept) on

“When I do sponsored content, people know I’m a person who needs to eat and pay rent, people are happy, where they might roll their eyes at an ad in a magazine.” Fried-Cassorla, on the need for community involvement and engagement in the projects of young creatives:

Billy Penn hiding behind the last S in the PSFS sign. #whyilovephilly A photo posted by Philly Love Notes (@phillylovenotes) on

“Supporting creatives on social media can be really important and allow them to tell their stories.”