Slow Blink builds from a place of conversation to change the way you look at storytelling.
Narrative Development
time to tell your story
Story Anchors
Strategic communications
Thoughtful Partnership
Slow Blink combines craft, psychology, and linguistics to provide you with the tools and tips to tell your stories in the ways they deserve to be heard.
Slow Blink was built around “Story Anchors,” a narrative framework that is a participatory, heuristic approach to digital storytelling. They are evergreen, audience-ready brand sentiments and messages—designed for what’s called “the brand gap”—organized into a clear set of 5-8 sentences. Story Anchors make brand storytelling accessible and innovative by focusing not on the story we tell, but the ones we want others to tell for and about us.
Slow Blink’s signature “Narrative Toolkit” will give your brand materials and brands messages a functional refresh. Each toolkit is designed with and around your existing brand ecosystem, and is filled with new applications, ideas, and structures to bring your brand’s voice to life. Take your stories one step further and turn them into community-driven programs, platforms, and presences.
If you’re not sure where to turn but are looking for new ways to tell your stories, enlist Slow Blink to help build you a new storytelling series, platform, or channel. We’ve helped organizations, brands, and companies bring their community’s voice to life through accessible, innovative, and inviting series. A good idea is one conversation away.
Designed to inspire, educate, and empower, Slow Blink’s workshops are perfect for consulting sessions, professional development and team building, and strategic planning. From single sessions to a custom series, Slow Blink’s workshops provide actionable tools, tips, and training on how to best tell your story in today’s sociopolitical environment. If your organization is at a moment of transition or growth, consider our conversation-based workshops. They are all about intersections. Digital storytelling is, after all, a data-driven art form.
Bretty Rawson
Founder
Bretty Rawson is a writer, editor, and narrative & story consultant. For 15 years, he led digital storytelling efforts for social issue-based publications, statewide wine regions, and independent day schools. His collaborations earned his organizations national awards, media, and grants. His work and projects have been featured in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Forbes, LitHub, Heritage Radio Network, among others, and he has collaborated with The Smithsonian Archives of American Art, Seattle City of Literature, the New York Public Library, The Sketchbook Project, and others.
Case Studies
Washington Wine
Designed Story Anchors for the state's wine region and built a narrative framework to help 1000+ licensed winemakers and 400+ grape growers tell their stories.
IBM
Helped develop IBM’s inbound content channels using classical forms of craft, and branded an internal communications tool with Story Anchors.
Seventh Wave
Crafted the brand's Story Anchors, and in advance of their 10th anniversary, built two new revenue-generating digital programs to sustain them for the next 10.
Working With Bretty
Zachary Friedley
Founder, Born to Adapt
“Slow Blink is able to pull out content that’s already sitting there dormant—inside your brain, in your group, in your files, in your origin story—and is able to come up with Story Anchors that allows you to tell your story in a way that’s meaningful and fruitful. Slow Blink really walked us through our story through workshop sessions where we were able to identify our stories and craft our content in a soulful way.”
Vic Thasiah
Founder + Board President, Runners for Public Lands
“I’m finding it difficult to put into words how happy I was to get to work with you. The expertise and experience you brought to the team around storytelling helped us leap significantly forward in just one year. You’re an integral part of RPL’s own story. Your powerful communication capabilities helped us connect far and wide — across both natural and digital landscapes. We plan to carry this good work forward!”
Liz Knapke
Executive Director, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
“I often joke that Bretty should move about the world in bubble wrap — his intellect, humility, and creativity qualify him as a national treasure. Anyone who is lucky enough to work with him will come away with a better understanding of themselves and their purpose, he always reminds me why the work matters.”
Selena Kritsonis
Director of National Sales & Global Exports, Woodward Canyon
“After months of searching for the right person to help guide us through our brand work, Bretty came to us highly recommended and we clicked with him immediately. He is a thoughtful, socially-attuned digital storyteller that helped us define our distinct messaging for our brand’s unique place in Washington Wine.”
Tiffany Britton
President, Alliance of Women in Washington Wine
“Without you, I don’t think we would have achieved our scholarship goals or attained the bits of credibility we now have. We appreciate you more than you could ever know. Your efforts are helping us make meaningful change in our industry.”
Katie Sims
PR for Novelty-Hill Janiuk Winery
“Bretty is a careful listener and creative thinker. He used both skill sets to build a digital strategy roadmap for Novelty Hill-Januik. And the results? Magic.”
Elly Trickett
Editorial Director, Inbound & News, IBM
“We’ve got some of the best people on the job. Bretty is one of a kind, and we’re so lucky to have them at this end of so many complex publishes.”
Mark Klein
SVP, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, CommonSpirit Health
“Today, you said a compelling story should be entertaining, thought-provoking, and, if done well enough, evoke an emotional response. Your workshop did all three of those for us today.”
Senior Product Marketing Manager, IBM
SVP, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, CommonSpirit Health
“I wanted to send you a quick thank you for all your help this year. I’m still relatively new at IBM and work with a lot of people across the company, and you are hands-down one of the most positive, proactive, and easy people to work with.”
Rachel Edelman
Author, Dear Memphis
“Bretty redesigned my author website ahead of my book launch, transforming my digital presence into a home that will hold my work for years to come. The space now feels open and expansive: ready for the book I’ve already made and equipped for the work I haven’t yet imagined.”
