The Tellers
Amanda Fink Mandell
Spiritual Seeker, Positivity Junky, Dance Off Champion, Ocean Respector
Amanda grew up in and around the world of storytelling through an advertising lens. The art of creating a great commercial was instilled in her from a young age, with a father in production and a stylist mother, she took to being in front of the camera growing up in New York. Inspired by every facet of production, she explored every angle of the process, from being in front of the camera to line producing and directing. After relocating to Los Angeles after college, her love for music paired with the emotional power it adds to the cinematic media, she began music supervising for short-form films and was soon introduced to the award-winning music production company Mophonics. Falling in love with the people and culture of this diverse group of music lovers, she called Mophonics home for the last decade. Rising from Intern to award-winning Executive Producer, she thrived in environments which called upon her to wear a multitude of hats. Whether it was producing original music, marketing, sales, or event planning, Amanda utilized her wealth of experience to be an invaluable member of the Mophonics family while showcasing her broad skill set. Excelling in managing creatives, advertisers and brands, she is inspired by the power of storytelling through various media platforms. Amanda’s passion for wellness and those forward thinkers who help to better our world physically and emotionally fueled her desire to work with her wonderfully talented friends to make a positive impact through storytelling. Amanda is excited to be a part of this truly meaningful adventure called Storytelling for Change.
Favorites:
Book – Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Movie – Bridesmaids
Music – Major Lazer
Food – Mexican
Quote – “I come as one but stand as 10,000” – Maya Andelou
Gino Gianneschi
Yarn Spinner, Natural Narrator, Recipe Changer and Cultural Curator
Gino is an award-winning, concept-driven, storyteller who brings heart and soul to each of his projects. Originally from Chicago, he has called Little Italy, NYC his home for the past 20-some years. Gino cohabitates with his husband Casey and mini-english bulldog La Cicciolina. He is currently a freelance Creative Director/Director specializing in developing and exploring breakthrough ideas for his clients by weaving striking imagery into engaging narratives. Gino has created global campaigns for a wide array of beauty, fashion and wellness clients Including Clairol, Coppertone, Core Rhythm Fitness, DDF Skin Care, Guess, Lee Jeans, Pandora, Pantene, T.J.Maxx, Tony & Tina Cosmetics, and Wella. His editorial work has been featured in the pages of Italian Vogue, Cream, The Face, ID, Print Magazine, and Graphic. Gino’s passion in life is to tell the stories that most need to be heard. The stories that not only open but change minds. The stories that ensure we can be heroes just for one day.
Favorites:
Books – Another Country James Baldwin, Naked by David Sedaris, THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT Scenes from a Life by Robert Goolrick
Movies – 8 ½, A Clockwork Orange, Blow Up
Music – David Bowie
Food – Italian and Mediterranean
Quote – ‘Tell me the facts and I’ll learn. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in heart forever.” – Native American Proverb
Bruce Mason
Dream Weaver, Wanderlust, Bi-Curious and Offbeat,
Bruce is a natural born storyteller who was conceived doggy style on the banks of the Mekong River during the Vietnam War. Bruce has an extensive background in Marketing & Communications. Formerly the Publicity Director for Miramax Books, Bruce has worked in-house at Penguin Putnam, HarperCollins and the Museum of Modern Art. Now a freelance publicist and consultant, Bruce has handled a vast portfolio of client projects from the arts (i.e., BAM, The Onassis Foundation, This American Life) to publishing (Conde Nast, Simon and Schuster, The Paris Review) and non-profit (AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Planned Parenthood, PEN America) to tech (Serial, Audible, On Story podcast). While Carpe Diem guides Bruce’s outlook in life, he’s eternally seeking to learn and grow as a spiritualized human being and believes that once you tell somebody the way that you feel, not only does a story find meaning but a star is born.
Favorites:
Books – Franny and Zoey, The World According to Garp
Movies – Harold and Maude, On Golden Pond
Music – Van Morrison, Nina Simone
Food – Pho
Quote – “We tell ourselves stories in order to live. We live entirely by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images, the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience.” -Joan Didion
Alana Hearn
Kitchen Dancer, Joke Teller, Dare Taker, Party Maker, Keeper of Secrets and Ruiner of Surprises.
Alana is Executive Producer for NY-based Identity, a commercial production company, and creative agency, Triptent. Collaborating with a range of award-winning directors and contributing to campaigns for Nike, L’Oréal, Samsung, Tommy Hilfiger, Lexus and Pantene, her pull up to the bumper spirit creates an environment that fosters openness and fresh perspectives.
Favorite production to date: daughters, Josephine & Tallulah.
Her 2012 wedding was voted “Party of the Year” by several 8-year-olds.
FAVORITES
Book – Me Talk Pretty One Day
Movie – Amelie
Music – Beautiful World by Colin Hay
Quote – Comparison is the Thief of Joy