Short version: Aaron Stark’s TEDx has 14.5 million views, & he’s busy with a ton of other interviews & speaking engagements. This Thursday at noon, Central Time, I will talk with Aaron about his path & how it happened. Hint: authenticity is key.
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-viral-story-explained-why-it-resonates-tickets-428199856297
Authenticity Resonates
Authentic storytelling is key to energizing voters this fall. It's key to reaching people. It's key to driving the narrative, and to getting media coverage. It's about connecting with people, by being straightforward, vulnerable, present, and honest.
Aaron Stark first went viral in 2018 after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Florida because he’d written a letter to local media saying “I Was Almost A School Shooter.” He had points about gun access and trauma and poverty and people who have hard lives, but his biggest point was that in a moment of crisis… someone reached out to him. Someone loved him. Someone treated him like a regular person. It made all the difference.
His letter went viral, and he was soon being interviewed by media. Aaron's TEDx from that summer called "I Was Almost A School Shooter" has over 14.5 million views. This year alone he has spoken to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), to groups all over the US, to schools and staff who have experienced school shooters, and to mental health professionals. He’s starting to get requests to speak and reflect on more of his experience. His story is powerful, personal, vulnerable, grounded, and authentic. It's about love and humanity and tough, awkward stuff that we don't often talk about. The kinds of things we need to talk more about.
Join us in this informal webinar where we'll talk about all of that, and about why Aaron's approach and message is such a good fit for the work we're launching at Shift the Country. We’ll also talk about some of the things that can happen when your story goes viral, and what Aaron has chosen to do with it. And why. He's also got a Facebook group called "You Are Not Alone."
Register here for a free ticket to join the Zoom webinar. Details will be emailed before the event. You will be able to ask questions during the event, too. If you ask questions, please be advised that this is a public broadcast.
We'll plan to keep it at right around an hour, so we'll talk fast.
Aaron is volunteering for this webinar, and takes donations to support his work. Here's Aaron Stark's Venmo: @Aaron-Stark-26
Energizing Voters With Working Webinars
Shift the Country is running these working webinars through the 2022 election to help Americans catalyze activity that can energize voters to vote this fall — to protect our rights, and to protect democracy. This is the first. More will be announced right here on Substack.
These webinars are broadcast live, are recorded, and will be publicly available on our Facebook & YouTube pages afterward.
Contribute here, get a paid Substack subscription, or get a donation ticket on Eventbrite to support this brand-new nonprofit. We're funded so far by everyday people.
Be well. Keep the faith - in humans, and in this democracy. Let's keep that democracy, and then let's make it better.
And finally, here's Aaron's Venmo code thingy for contributions to the work he’s doing:
I'd register, but I have a conflict. This should be a terrific event to kickoff Shift the Country! Sorry to miss it.