Michael T. Starks

Category: Storytelling

  • Making a Modern Adaptation of Macbeth

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    We released our first full-length movie in 2006, and it’s hard to believe we’re approaching the twentieth anniversary. It’s already been twenty years since we first started working on it! The trailer is on IMDB. Here are a few of the things I remember from the production. It took us over four months to shoot…

  • Meaningful Contributions

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    How we contribute at work can make a monetary difference. Sometimes, it can be more than that. When we smile and say, “Good morning” to a co-worker, we contribute to that individual and to the health of the workplace culture. Humans are social beings. Connecting with each other is a fundamental part of who we…

  • How Do I Contribute?

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    While I find many ways to contribute, I want to consider the more constricted view of contribution as making money for someone. As a kid, I sometimes sold lemonade at a popup lemonade stand on hot summer days. My mom provided the half-cut lemons, water, sugar, bowl, ladle, and plastic cups. I did the mixing,…

  • Not Belonging

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    I’ve talked about this before. During the last forty years, there’s been a shift from almost everyone watching the same TV shows to almost no one watching the same TV shows. This is not about TV shows. This is about the many bifurcations of our cultural touchpoints. In the 1970s, there were three major TV…

  • Options

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    It’s good to have options. I was going to sing and play a song for this blog post, but I wasn’t ready. Now, I could have skipped writing a blog post today and spent the time practicing this song. I don’t think I’m too far off from being mostly ready. Instead, let’s see if there’s…

  • New Ventures

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    Karilyn and I have started working on a new project. It’s beyond exciting to start making progress on something this much fun together! While now isn’t the time to discuss our project, I want to describe what we’re feeling. When the right people come together to start something new, the air sizzles with possibility. I…

  • Falling Snow

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    There is something very peaceful in watching gently falling snow. While I’ve never seen “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, the image and melody from The Christmas Song evoke the same peaceful feeling. It’s times like this when I appreciate the changing seasons. I appreciate walking outside when it’s “too hot” or “too cold”. Being…

  • Discouraged Doesn’t Cover It

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    I’m not happy about the 2024 Presidential Election results. When Trump won in 2016, it was easy to think of his victory as a fluke. It was easy to think that many people just didn’t like Hillary Clinton. His win in 2024 is more disturbing. It indicates that a large number of people endorse his…

  • Skin in the Game

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    Yesterday’s post about Pigs and Chickens is related to the idea of having “skin in the game”. This phrase refers to not being a bystander. When people take risks in their work, they often care more about the outcome than those just watching. To be clear, both Pigs and Chickens can have skin in the…

  • Chickens and Pigs

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    There is a concept from Scrum, a methodology useful in software development, with wider implications. Here’s Ken Schwaber’s The Chicken and Pig story. While both are necessary, there is a difference between being involved in a project and being committed to a project. Involvement is great. You can inspire the team doing the work, you…