Nashville to Host STORY – Nation’s Premiere Conference for Creatives – at Country Music Hall of Fame’s CMA Theater September 29-30, 2016

Ultimately, STORY is a tribe in the truest sense of the word. What makes STORY unique in the world of conferences, is that STORY attendees have a natural bent towards impacting and influencing the cultures in which they live, work, and play. STORY’s tribe is not just about telling stories for the sake of entertainment, but they understand that great stories are what change the world.

"As our country stoops in grief over the events in Orlando this week, I am reminded again of the vital role storytellers play in shaping our culture,” says STORY director Harris III. 

This year's STORY conference theme was inspired by a quote by Walt Disney – whose imprint in Orlando seems eerily serendipitous now: "That's what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination and instill hope again, and again, and again.”

Confirmed Presenters for STORY 2016: 

• Jeremy Cowart - Artist, Photographer, Entrepreneur, Humanitarian
• Rick Rekedal - Chief Creative of the Global Franchise Group at DreamWorks Animation
• Casey Neistat - Digital Storyteller with more than 2.5 million YouTube subscribers
• Hannah Brencher - Author and Founder of More Love Letters
• Brad Montague - Creator of Kid President
• Dan Goods - Visual Strategist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Joanne Cash - Legendary Singer-Songwriter (and sister of Johnny Cash)
• Hank Fortener - Communicator and Founder of AdoptTogether
• Nikkolas Smith - Disney Imagineer
• Jason Jaggard - Author and Founding Partner of Novus Global
• Alissa Wilkinson - Chief Film Critic at Christianity Today
• Kyle Marlett - Magician and Consultant for TV & Broadway
• John Hendrix - Renowned Illustrator and Author of Drawing is Magic
• All Sons & Daughters - Musical Duo
• Danielle Bennett - Freelance Artist and Non-profit Strategist
• Jim Sherraden - Master Printer and Archivist at Hatch Print Studios
• Katherine Liu - Accomplished Pianist
• Micah Bournes - Spoken Word Artist
• Steve Chapparro - Head of Business Development at Visioneering Studios
• CJ Casciotta - Communications Expert and Founder of Sounds Like a Movement

“It is our mission to inspire you, so that you can in turn, inspire those around you to change the world,” says Harris III. "We want to support the creative class as you work to create meaningful art."

STORY first launched in 2009 in Chicago, under the direction of creative, author and entrepreneur Ben Arment. Over the years, some of the top storytellers in the nation have taken the STORY stage including New York Times bestselling authors, GRAMMY-winning recording artists, film and TV personalities, and innovators from Nike, Disney, Google, Pixar, Cirque Du Soleil, Kickstarter, charity: water and more. In 2016, STORY was acquired by Nashville-based creative Harris III, and world-renowned Master Illusionist (www.harrisiii.com).

For more information, visit http://www.storygathering.com.