Podcast: You Are a Storyteller
Executive Summary
In this deeply personal discussion, hosts Brian McDonald and Jesse Bryan trace the 16-year evolution of McDonald's graphic novel Old Souls—from its origins as an award-winning screenplay inspired by personal grief to its release as a #1 best-selling graphic novel with First Second / Macmillan. They examine the realities of systemic industry gatekeeping, the distinction between surface casting vs. structural decision-making, and how applying core storytelling techniques (such as "Address and Dismiss" and "Putting the Masters in the Room") allows creators to mine deep emotional truths without fear.
Key Vocabulary & Unique Concepts
- Creative Inventory: Unproduced screenplays, manuscripts, or concepts that a writer holds in reserve. Even if initially rejected or shelved, well-structured inventory eventually finds a market when industry conditions or platforms align.
- Address and Dismiss: A structural technique where a writer explicitly acknowledges an unlikely, absurd, or potentially immersion-breaking detail through character dialogue, neutralizing audience skepticism so they can relax and accept the premise (e.g., Butch Cassidy stating he can't swim before jumping off a cliff in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid).
- Putting the Masters in the Room: A psychological writing practice where a creator surrounds themselves with the principles of classical masters (e.g., Aristotle, Anton Chekhov, Billy Wilder, Rod Serling) to eliminate the fear of isolation in front of a blank page.
- Emotional Truth vs. Factual Truth: The principle that narrative resonance relies on authentic human emotion rather than strict literal or historical facts. Audiences do not connect with facts alone; they connect with recognizable human feelings (e.g., Tom Hanks channeling his real-world fears about his children growing up while voicing Woody in Toy Story).
- Structural Diversity vs. Casting Diversity: The distinction between superficial representation (casting minority actors in front of the camera) and systemic inclusion (hiring diverse writers, directors, producers, and executives who hold actual greenlighting authority).
Deep Dive: The 16-Year Journey of Old Souls and Creative Resilience
The trajectory of Old Souls illustrates how long-term creative inventory transitions from real-life grief to a published masterpiece:
1. Real-World Origin & Grief (2003–2005)
- Mechanics: Following the sudden death of his friend Scott, McDonald observed the devastating grief of Scott's father, who buried his son in his own intended plot (which bore his own name).
- Function: McDonald channeled this observation of addiction to past memories into a screenplay titled Grave Robbers, exploring how obsessing over past lives ruins a person's current reality.
2. High-Level Industry Validation & Stagnation (2006–2015)
- Mechanics: The screenplay won the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition (earning the iconic typewriter trophy) and received high praise across Hollywood studios.
- Function: Despite winning major awards, corporate gatekeeping prevented the film from being greenlit, forcing the project onto the shelf as "inventory."
3. Adapting to New Mediums (2016–2019)
- Mechanics: Macmillan / First Second approached McDonald after reading Invisible Ink. McDonald pitched Grave Robbers (renamed Old Souls) as a graphic novel adaptation.
- Function: Re-framing screenplay inventory into a graphic novel format brought the story to a massive global platform, demonstrating that great narrative structure translates across mediums.
Key Storytelling Principles
Resistance Builds Creative Muscle
Decades of criticism, gatekeeping, and rejection act as resistance training for a writer. Instead of abandoning their craft, disciplined storytellers use institutional obstacles to sharpen their structural precision, making their work unassailable over time.
Vulnerability Replaces Ego
When a storyteller mines personal pain, grief, or perceived flaws (e.g., Paddy Chayefsky writing Marty or McDonald sharing his personal journey with dyslexia), they fear the audience will judge them. In reality, expressing deep emotional truth causes the audience to see themselves in the story.
Stories Are the Primary Engine of Cultural Reality
Narratives build, reinforce, or dismantle entire societal structures. Historically, narratives have been used to construct harmful ideologies (e.g., The Birth of a Nation reviving the KKK or the legal drafting of "whiteness" in 17th-century Virginia), while counter-stories have been used to dismantle them (e.g., the 1946 Superman radio show exposing KKK rituals to ruin their recruitment).
Notable & Reference Quotes
"What people see when they go, 'Wow, you're really good at this'—you know why? Because somebody would always tell me why I was wrong and why it wasn't good enough. And so I got better... for 30 years." — Brian McDonald
"The trophy means more to me than the trophy. It's a symbol of what I can accomplish if I put my mind to accomplishing it." — Brian McDonald
"You are not in that room all alone sitting in front of your computer... You are in that room with Aristotle and Billy Wilder and Rod Serling." — Brian McDonald
Practical Applications Outside Filmmaking
- Long-Term Asset Management (Creative Inventory): Never discard completed projects, proposals, or strategic frameworks that were rejected. Maintain them as "inventory" to deploy when market demands or leadership alignment shifts.
- Addressing Audience Skepticism ("Address and Dismiss"): When presenting a bold, risky, or counter-intuitive business strategy, explicitly state the potential risks or objections upfront. Acknowledging skepticism early relaxes the audience and builds credibility.
- Systemic Problem Solving: Differentiate between surface-level symptoms and root-cause decision-making. True organizational change requires altering who holds decision-making power rather than adjusting superficial outputs.