Chana Ewing

In Roxbury, a neighborhood within Boston, MA, I had exposure to female leadership. My Mother, Grandmother and aunts raised me and my cousins together; though we had our struggles, I learned the value of pooled resources. At school, I consumed ideas around competition, fitting in, and success. Natura ...

In Roxbury, a neighborhood within Boston, MA, I had exposure to female leadership. My Mother, Grandmother and aunts raised me and my cousins together; though we had our struggles, I learned the value of pooled resources. At school, I consumed ideas around competition, fitting in, and success. Naturally, I accepted the privileges of an elite education. On my way to adulthood, I spent many evenings avoiding schoolwork and absorbing 90s TV and Hip Hop. By the time I threw my cap in the air on a sunny day in `99, I dreamed of becoming the next Quentin Tarrantino/Spike Lee hybrid, spreading love the Oprah way, and throwing money on a yacht while some NYC Cat pumped his fist.

So, I did the college thing and later moved to NYC to jump right into my shiny dream For a few years, I worked as an event planner or mediocre assistant at a half dozen companies including an investment bank and management consulting firm. Though I filled my evenings and weekends with screenwriting and directing training, writing, and production work, by 2009 I was no closer to any Hottest Director under 30 list. And in chasing a living, I landed so close to the uber-wealthy minus the yacht or fist pumps. What was a girl to do? Out of a job and broke, I did what any sane working-class artist woman would do: I pursued my passions, sensibilities and curiosity. Thats right. I ate, prayed and loved before Julia, right from my Flatbush, Brooklyn studio apartment.

My self-discovery process included hours and hours of listening, reading, writing and roti. I saw the stories I scripted, the events I planned and the communities I helped to build in a new light. I fell in love with the study of storytelling and its practice online and I was mesmerized by the possibilities that social media offered. And as I jumped further down the rabbit hole, I realized that I knew how to tell a story and understood how to build community. And these two skills, Storytelling and Community Building, are not only interesting and applicable to various settings, but also necessary in the digital world. It took me thirty years (so long Under 30 list!) to figure out how to bring the different strands of my life together to do compelling and sustainable work. Ive thrown out my Q-T/S-L/Oprah aspiration in order to develop my story:

FADE IN

Int. Bedroom Night.

Girl-in-Charge, 30 and buxom, sits at desk building Story Worlds for fascinating people and projects. Girl-in-Charge types:

We think you deserve community.

She stops typing.

GIRL-IN-CHARGE

(at screen)

Whats your story?.