First of all, I appreciate the interview and the opportunity to share my thoughts on the art behind creative storytelling. I’m going to respond to the interview questions in a (apologetically) lengthy post of thoughts and ideas.
Here we go!
Why I love creative storytelling through food
My love for food inspired me to share food related posts. It was my grandfather, a chef in the Canadian Navy, who was a source of inspiration. My aunt and uncle also own several restaurants in my city, so I was naturally drawn towards the culinary path.
The inspiration behind food content
Once I saw the MASSIVE world of food, not just locally but internationally, I fell in love with finding new ways to create delicious new dishes. I wanted to share my excitement for that new passion with as many people as I could. Food blogging became one of my favourite forays into creative storytelling as a visual medium.
My favourite dish
I wouldn’t say that I have a favourite dish because there’s just too much that I enjoy. However, I do gravitate towards BBQ foods of pretty much any kind. Food that’s grilled, smoked, or straight-up cooked over open flame always catches my attention.
I really look for how other creative dishes can inspire my own culinary ingenuity. Lots of food from all over the world is inspired by other dishes that, with just a few tweaks, become an even more creative take.
Do I enjoy cooking? Absolutely!
I’ve been cooking since I was VERY young. I learned some trade secrets from my grandfather (Tony), who helped inspire the burning passion to cook within. With my grandfather’s guiding light, I entered into the food industry at 14 years old and never looked back.
I started off as a dishwasher at a local steak and seafood place, and I was eventually promoted to a prep cook. I got into The Keg when I was 19, which is where I’ve built the bulk of my career. A brief stint in Culinary School at Niagara College came to an early finish after The Keg offered me a kitchen management position at the age of 23.
Over the years, I’ve learned to make a number of signature dishes, but I think my favourite is taco lasagna. Yes, you heard me; it’s called TACO LASAGNA! I cut tortilla wraps to replace the Lasagna. Then, I make multiple layers of cheese, avocado, diced tomatoes, ground beef, chicken, bacon, corn and…did I mention cheese? LOTS OF CHEESE! It’s the one dish EVERYONE in my family raves about.
An interesting food blogging story
The people I meet have the most interesting food blogging stories. How I meet these interesting characters is a story in itself.
I first started making Tiktok and Instagram content because I enjoy making people laugh; it’s a passion of mine that I always have and always will love. Combined with my deep passion for food and cooking, I found a way to combine the two and create a unique experience. I’ve developed a few trademark lines such as “I’m never going to be a Skinny Man” or “That’s some next level FAT GUY $H!+.”
Suddenly, I started getting DM’s from people saying how much they loved my enthusiasm whenever I saw a good dish, and that I’d always make them laugh. Later, I started receiving messages from people about how much I helped them through tough times; some even told me that I inspired them to get back into cooking.
I also have received A LOT of negativity from my content. There are many people who seem to enjoy saying rude and hurtful things about my character, specifically about how, as a grown man, I like to wear nail polish. I’ve learned how to let that negativity slide because I treasure the value I bring to other people’s lives. If I have changed even one person’s life for the better, the negativity is meaningless. It’s all worth it for that one person.
If I could eat one food for the rest of my life…
I’ve been asked many times about what food I could eat forever. Honestly, it’s an incredibly tough question to answer, but I’d have to say it’s a tie between hamburgers and pizza. The best part about both of them is the endless creative possibilities. You can even have a pizza burger or a burger pizza! You can make a breakfast pizza with sausage, homefries, scrambled eggs, bacon strips and a few raw eggs to crack over top. Basically, you can bake some over-easy eggs to lay on top of the burger/pizza and then drizzle maple syrup on top.
There’s also something to be said for the classics. I could eat burgers everyday for the rest of my life, no matter how they’re prepared. HaHaHa
Why I love creative storytelling as a writer
When I was in high school, I first learned about screenplay writing. I’ve always loved movies and, as I grew older, I discovered how much becoming an actor truly meant to me. By the time high school drama classes were auditioning for parts in the school plays, I made the effort to audition for each and every school play that I could. I was fortunate enough to receive a part in every play, and I learned a lot about the creative storytelling process during those formative years.
Experimenting with independent scripts
I wrote an independent script with a few high school friends that we called St. John’s Alley. We took the storyline to an acting festival, representing our high school in a forum full of people from 35 different schools. We were honoured to earn 4th place in our category, and we were very proud to win the award for best writing.
What I learned about creative storytelling and my advice to novice writers
My biggest piece of advice to a novice screenwriter is to write your ideas down!
Even if it doesn’t feel like a complete idea, or if it doesn’t make sense yet; just put it down on the page. Waiting forever for the perfect inspiration is an illusion that never comes. When a creative idea came to my mind, I’d immediately write it down. If it was a specific scene, I’d write down notes for myself describing:
- What the scene was about
- Which characters are in this scene
- The obstacle the characters must overcome
- The endgame the characters are trying to achieve
Once I write the idea down, I read it aloud to hear how it sounds. Then, I begin the editing process and make any adjustments or corrections to the story in the scene. That outline is important because it helps me stay on track as I complete my edits.
My biggest creative storytelling challenge
My biggest challenge is following the outline of the main story. Every script has two main components; the intention and the obstacle. You have to structure the story around very specific questions that form the intent of the creative storytelling plot:
- What are your main characters doing?
- What is each character’s main purpose in this story
- What does each character have to do to achieve their goals?
Once you have your answers, you add in obstacles to make the story interesting. Obstacles are like the meat and potatoes of that story as they’re designed to keep the attention of the audience. You just have to find the balance in the writing. Sometimes, I realize that I’ve strayed too far away from the main story, so I have to backtrack to find the right path again.
Developing a script into a movie
Do I believe that one of my scripts will become a fully developed movie? The safest answer is probably not, but you never really know. Sometimes, you get lucky by connecting with the right person who loves creative storytelling and wants to adapt a script for the big screen. And, just as often, you don’t. In either scenario, it doesn’t change my love for writing. I will continue to write new scripts as often as I can to keep challenging myself to be creative and innovative.
Current writing projects
At the moment, I’m not working on anything specific. The last script I worked on was set in a post-apocalyptic world where technology is obsolete and there was a shift in the global balance of power. The poor had risen into power while the rich had all but perished.
The story was set around the main character Jordyn, a world-class competitor in martial arts who participated in competitions all across the country. The global upheaval occurred during her competitions, and she was forced to do whatever she could to return home to her family. Along the way, she lost her mother and felt utterly alone in the world. She often runs into trouble along her journey step, but she finds helpful friends along her way. If I’m lucky, this may one day be adapted into a live-action series on Netflix or another streaming platform.
Creative storytelling has transformed online gaming
I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m a world class gamer. However, I have made a few ventures into that creative world, and I absolutely love it!
Living out a boyhood dream
The problem with becoming a professional gamer is it’s very much a dog eat dog world. Ever since Ninja made a million dollars playing Fortnite, EVERYONE in the world wants to become a gamer.
When Twitch first started, there were only a few thousand people gaming. Today, it’s in the millions and everyone wants to make it big. I have a small community on Twitch called the Beard Brigade, and we’re always growing by the day. Personally, I prefer a smaller community instead of massive ones with tens of thousands of people watching. I like to communicate with my channel and get to know everyone who comes in. It’s a lot of fun and, yes, it’s 100% living out my boyhood dream.
Potential downfalls of being a gamer
The biggest downfall is the dog eat dog aspect of it. If you want to be a casual streamer, avoid becoming partnered, and treat it like it’s an actual Monday – Friday job; then that’s easy to maintain. You can come and go as you want without any worries.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to be a professional steamer and you DO want this to be a job, it requires A LOT of work. You basically need to live online to achieve your goal. The best thing to do is make a schedule and inform your community when you’ll be online. Keep in mind that if you don’t put the time in each and every day, you risk losing followers. It’s very difficult for people like me to work full time AND part time while squeezing in time to stream on top of it.
Games I love to play
I’m mainly a DBD (Dead by Daylight) streamer. DBD is an online Hide and Seek game involving Killers and Survivors. You have to work together with a team of 4 other streaming players to survive against a real person playing as a killer. Your goal is to escape the area and his goal is to NOT let that happen. I’ve been playing it for about 5 years now and everytime I think I’m getting good at it, I run into a new killer that humbles me very quickly. HaHaHaHa.
I also play a lot of Fortnite. Basically, I’ll test out any new game at least once.
How do you guide new gamers to join your community
Gaming today is far different than it ever has been. It started off with a dot on a screen that bounced between two lines back and forth. Games like Last of Us and God of War are far more sophisticated. There’s almost no end to what you can do in a game.
If I’m talking with someone who’s interested in gaming, I’ll remind them that 99% of video games nowadays have an online component to them. That means you can team up with friends and play the same game together from anywhere in the world. Connecting with friends and gaming together makes for amazing friendships that you never knew you needed.
How I like to play online
I play with a friend from Seattle plus another from Kansas City, and we play together almost every day. Alternatively, there are many single player games out there for the gamer that wants a brief escape from reality. Sometimes, having the option to immerse oneself into a fantasy world is the perfect way to unwind from a long day.
Lastly, the storytelling component of online games has come a long way from where it began. In some ways, it’s even better than the storylines you experience while watching a movie. Controlling a main character as your avatar places you squarely into the middle of the story, and it’s a gripping journey to explore with the character.
For example, The Last of Us is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where people turned into zombie-like creatures that were infected with a fungus. The main characters Ellie and Joel are a father daughter duo. Joel lost his daughter when the outbreak first happened and, 20 years later, he meets Ellie, a 15 year old girl who reminds Joel of his daughter. Ellie also has the special power of immunity from the fungal infection. Joel realizes that the cure for the disease is in Ellie’s blood, and he decides to protect her until they can have her blood tested to develop a cure. Along the way, their bond deepens and it turns into a beautiful story.
Tips to pursue a gaming career
The best tip I can recommend is consistency! You NEEEEEED to be online for people to watch you play since this is how you grow your community. Some people go online and narrate how they command their characters, almost like a talk show. This is why there are a lot of podcasts on Twitch.
You also must decide what type of streamer you’ll become. You can become a “variety streamer” who plays multiple games, never stopping at one. There are also indie streamers that play low quality budgeted games, and there are retro streamers that play Nintendo or Sega. There are also specific game streamers like myself. I’m a dedicated Dead by Daylight streamer. I do play other games, but DBD is where I spend most of my time.
Once you decide the type of streamer you want to be, you can work on building your community. It’s helpful to have a Twitter and Instagram account to complement your Twitch account. You can use social media to post a link to your channel and drive up engagement. Let your community know about new events you’re hosting and when. You can also post clips from your games online for anyone to see.
Best examples of creative storytelling in movies
Lastly, I want to take a few moments to discuss some of my favourite films. If you’ve made it this far (god bless you, HaHa), you’ve probably noticed a theme in all of this content. That theme is a love for great storytelling, in all mediums, and movies have some of the greatest stories of all.
The Batman is an amazing example of creative storytelling
The Batman WAAAAS an amazing example of creative storytelling! The big difference between DC movies and Marvel movies is the tone of the movie. DC has this amazing ability to turn their stories into a dark, depressing, yet thoughtful movie. Marvel movies are typically lighter in tone with more comedic moments.
If you’ve ever read a Batman comic, you know that Batman is a VERY hateful person. A lot of people seem to think that Batman does what he does because he wants to protect people, and that’s it. In fact, Bruce Wayne is a very troubled, dark, and incredibly angry person who just so happens to be the richest person in that universe. In the trailer for The Batman, there’s a clip where a thug asks Batman, “what are you?” Batman’s response is to beat the thug and his cronies senseless, only to utter the now iconic line ” I’m vengeance.” THAT, my friends, is the real Batman!
He’s angry that his parents were murdered, and he’s using his resources to take it out on everyone that he can. Along the way, he learns to care for other people, but his main goal is to take down evil at any cost. Matt Reeves is the director of The Batman, and he did an AMAZING job creating a very dark, gritty, and realistic tone for the movie. The fact that Robert Pattinson spends 90% of the movie as Batman and not Bruce Wayne goes to show just how ruthless this version of Batman has become.
Best and worst theatre experiences
The best creative storytelling experience I had at the movies was seeing The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan. I’m not lying when I say that I watched that movie 5 times in one night! When the movie got released, they had LOTS of available viewings, and I made it to as many as I could.
Heath Ledger had passed away just before the movie was released, and all the trailers leading up to that movie just made his character of the Joker so much more intriguing. The dark tone of the movie was only amplified by the performance that Heath Ledger brought to the film. I’ve always been skeptical of actors getting cast into certain roles, especially comic book character roles. When I first heard that Heath Ledger was cast as Joker, I vowed to NEVER see that movie! Not that I didn’t like him as an actor, but because I didn’t think there was any chance he could pull off such an iconic character as the Joker. BOY was I wrong! Hands down it’s the single best performance I’ve ever seen in my life! Never again will I ever doubt an actor getting cast into a role until I see it myself.
The worst experience was seeing 300, directed by Zack Snyder, but it was later redeemed. When I first saw it in theatres, I arrived late and got REALLY bad seats in the front row on the very far right side. My neck was killing me by the end of the night, and I could barely remember any of the movie. I went back the next day and watched it again with good seating and I really enjoyed the film. HaHaHa
Let’s give some love for international films
I don’t often go out of my way to watch foreign films. If I see a film, and then I learn that it was previously made in another nation, I’ll go watch the original to see which one was better. In most cases, the original is far better than the “Americanized” version.
One of my favourites was the movie called Let The Right One In. It’s a Swedish film, directed by Tomas Alfredson. It’s based off a novel by the same name written by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The plot is a bit of a love story between a young girl and a young boy. However, the girl is a very old vampire. She has an old man that protects her during the daytime and finds people for her to eat at night. The old man can’t fulfill her needs anymore so she manipulates helpless troubled boys to fall in love with her.
They made an American version of this film called Let Me In, starring Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick Ass). Although Let Me In was very well done, I believe the original Let The Right One In was far better.
On the other hand, if you heard of the movie The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I believe the American version was far better then the original version. But that’s just me HaHAHa.
What types of movies should Hollywood develop more
I think the thing Hollywood needs to focus on is more original creative storytelling scripts and screenplays. I really appreciate when a writer and director can adapt stories from a comic book, a video game, or a novel into a beautiful movie. Part of me misses the days when someone would write a story straight from their own heart.
If you’re making a movie from something already published, you’re just trying to improve upon an already established source material. An original script from a writer’s heart and soul has so much more emotion behind it. I’ve always said if you give an artist creative control over what you are asking them to make for you, you’ll get something that you never imagined!
5 childhood creative storytelling movies worth another watch
Every person loves different types of movies. For example, my wife loves horror movies and slashers, but I prefer dramas and story-driven movies. What I’ll do is give you the top five movies that have inspired me to want to write and act in no particular order.
All Quiet On The Western Front
The original All Quiet On The Western Front (1930) shows the true horrors of war. Due to its age, the movie feels more like a documentary than a film.
Titanic
Titanic (1997), written and directed by James Cameron, is a beautiful love story set against the tragic sinking of the Titanic. The attention to detail given to the movie in regards to casting, costumes, and sets was spectacular. From a production standpoint, it’s amazing what he accomplished.
No Country For Old Men
No Country For Old Men (2007) Is based on a novel written by Cormac McCarthy about a man who stumbles upon a cartel deal gone wrong. He finds a substantial amount of money that he decides to take. When the cartel sends an assassin to retrieve the money, things go very bad. The Coen brothers, known for Fargo and the Big Lebowski, tell the tale in this dark suspenseful movie about greed and murder. It took home 4 Academy Awards, including the one for Javier Bardem who played assassin Anton Chigurh.
There Will Be Blood
There Will Be Blood (2007) is loosely based on a true story about an Oil Monger from the 1930’s who will do anything to attain wealth. The story is amazing, the cinematography is beautiful, and the acting is incredible. It stars Daniel Day Lewis, arguably the best actor of all time in what became his third Academy Award winning role. His co-star Paul Dano is equally brilliant and captivating on the screen. If you’re looking for an amazing performance in acting, look no further than There Will Be Blood.
Star Wars: A New Hope
Finally, I HAVE to say Star Wars A New Hope (1977). For many people, this was the first introduction into a whole new universe! This is the perfect example of an original creation built upon love and passion for writing those characters. The idea that there were protectors with laser swords and magic that allowed them to lift things with their mind was a crazy outlandish idea that nobody thought would work. Today, George Lucas is revered as one of the greatest gifts to cinematic filmmaking. Star Wars remains a MASSIVE industry from which so much has sprouted from it. Comic books, tv shows, anime, movies, clothing, and toys all came from what was originally thought of as a very silly story. Instead, it helped inspire legions of creative writers to stretch their own imaginations, and create compelling content for mass consumption.
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