”Listen.” Stacy Barton Part 1 on Show Writing, Walt Disney World, and Creative Storytelling

Clayton Howe’s Entertainmentx

Stacy Barton (LI:@stacybarton)(IG:@stacybarton_showwriter) As a Storyteller, I love a good story—hearing it, seeing it, shaping it, sharing it—how it comes to life with an audience. I've been called the 'Swiss army knife' of storytellers; if you can only have one writer, I'm the tool you want. For the past twenty years I’ve specialized in story development for themed experiences, including major projects for Disney, SeaWorld, Ringling Bros. and others around the world. I am equally at ease imagining new content, using folklore and fairytales as structural forms, or transforming films and books into compelling live experiences. I thrive in all forms of collaboration and within the diverse disciplines required to create a themed experience, I consider myself the Story Driver. I challenge creative teams to ask: What is the heart of this story? How is it best served live? Who is our audience? What is the journey we promise? When do we touch their hearts and what is the gift the audience takes away? To write an experience like this—connecting the story to its audience—I’ve learned to pay attention to the landscape of communication and how it changes due to geography, culture, language and generation. To make the story relevant, I use the tools of traditional theater alongside cutting-edge technologies, audience interactions, and social media engagements, choosing with my team what serves our story best. Finally, if there is an actual script to be written I tackle it with great joy, using language that is honest and true. And, in the end, if I’ve done my job as the writer well, there will be very few words nestled inside a whole lot of story.
Sample Clients
• Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts, Disney Event Group, Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Lines, Disneyland Resort, California Adventure, Walt Disney Imagineering
• SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (Corporate): Orlando, San Diego, Austin, plus Busch Gardens
• Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park
• Bollywood Parks Dubai
• Ringling Bros. Circus
• Feld Entertainment
• DreamVision
• Norwegian Caribbean Lines
• Six Flags Theme Parks
• IDEAS
• Imagination House
In addition to themed entertainment, I’m also the published author of three books of fiction and poetry, four children's picture books, and 30+ magazine publications.