STORYTELLING ACROSS INDUSTRIES

How three alums took their storytelling skills and made the switch from journalism to strategic communication.

BY ALLISON J. STEINKE, PH.D. ’22

Hubbard School majors across generations have likely all asked themselves the same question: Should I focus on journalism or ad/ PR? The two paths can feel very different, and over the years, these industries have definitely evolved to include new media, themes, and technologies. But one thing has stayed the same: a commitment to excellent storytelling.

Three alumni across three decades—Tim Gihring (B.A. ’95), Nicole Garrison (B.A. ’02), and Loryn Caldie (B.A. ’11)—have successfully worked on both “sides” of the industry. All three of these alumni (and countless more) have walked the line between journalism and strategic communication with prowess, equipped by their versatile Hubbard School degrees.

Tim Gihring

AD CLUB, ART, AND ENGAGING AUDIENCES

TIM GIHRING CURRENTLY WORKS as the brand narrator at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. His resume exemplifies innovation and adaptability with experiences ranging from breaking news to podcasting at organizations as varied as the Associated Press (AP) to the Tapestry Folk Dance Center in South Minneapolis.

Gihring’s journey at the Hubbard School began as a journalism major who “used too many adjectives and adverbs” in his journalism skills courses. When he saw a poster for Ad Club, he jumped in headfirst and spent the rest of his time at the School developing his creative skills and passions in the advertising realm.

“Most of my career has been that journey: How do I balance nonfiction writing with the more creative side of it?” Gihring said.

Gihring started his career by plunging into the journalism world as a news clerk at the Associated Press (AP). “At the AP, the managing editor had a board outside of her office where she honored the best lede written by someone in the bureau that day,” Gihring said. “I made it my goal to get on the board as often as I could. That was always the fun part for me—how creative and engaging can I be? That thread has carried me through.”

After spending two years breaking news at the AP, Gihring backpacked through Europe and realized his interests were growing in longer-form journalism and storytelling. “Breaking news was fine, but my interests were in engaging ledes, telling bigger stories and connecting the dots,” Gihring said.

He decided to see if magazines would be the place to do that, so he joined Minnesota Monthly magazine where he spent 10 years writing feature stories and articles that “kept getting bigger”—as long as 5,000 words!—as his abilities and interests grew. “Early on at Minnesota Monthly, my editor said, ‘you’re not a journalist or writer, you’re a storyteller,’” Gihring said. “That has informed the bigger view of what I do. It’s allowed me to go from one part of this world to another.”

Gihring moved from Minnesota Monthly to the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) 10 years ago. He works as Mia’s brand narrator, which is closely related to content journalism, brand storytelling and brand marketing, with the same foundation Gihring built on during his time at newspapers and magazines: Storytelling.

“Storytelling is a buzzword in our industry,” Gihring

STORIES ARE HOW WE RELATE TO EACH OTHER, HOW WE LEARN, AND HOW WE ENGAGE EACH OTHER

said, “but done well it has real value. Stories are how we relate to each other, how we learn, and how we engage each other. That form of communication, storytelling, is what I’ve taken from one part of the industry to another.”

Gihring spends his days looking at the museum’s collections and working with curators on exhibitions to find engaging stories to tell across media, including blogs and podcasts. “I’m not an art historian or an expert, but what I can do is tell stories and I can write,” Gihring said. “Behind every work of art there’s someone who made this, often for the same reasons that motivate people in so much of life: Love, power, money, greed. Everything in a museum is out of context in some way, and I try to supply that context as best I can.”

When asked about the relationship between journalism and strategic communication, Gihring notes the symbiosis between them: The “big picture” of thinking about engaging audiences.

“The idea of storytelling has been adopted by agencies and organizations, and for some that might feel like co-opting the journalism world, but for me that’s exciting, and a natural way to engage audiences,” Gihring said. “Storytelling is a very human way of relating to people, and an authentic way to share true stories behind the organization or brand.

“There used to be this strict line between journalism and PR/advertising, but people like me are beginning to find seams where skills translate into engaging audiences wherever they are. Those lines are blurring. I think they’ll continue to blur.”