our team of storytellers who collect, curate, and coach.
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Taylor & his buddy, Travis, had an idea seven years ago for all of their friends to get in a room & tell their best stories. From that night with just a couple dozen chairs to the full-blown spectacle that is now Arc Stories, Taylor has been the director & caretaker of hundreds of stories. Taylor travels all over the country teaching on the power of storytelling. He is also the owner and a director for Six Foot Five, a Birmingham-based film and video production company. Taylor and his wife Tiffany live in Birmingham with their two children. Listen to Taylor tell about the first time he broke his nose.
In addition to being one of our Story Coaches, Chris is the host & creator of the Arc Stories Podcast. And that's just in his spare time. During the workday, Chris is a communications director, husband to Liza, and father to two kiddos, who all sometimes feature in his stories (yes, he's also one of our most beloved storytellers). Listen to Chris tell a story about his terrifying encounter on the Natchez Trace.
She's a show director and a story coach, but Erin's real trick lies in seeing all the ridiculous situations she gets into as fodder for future stories. She and Arc Stories go way back like car seats, and she loves helping folks who aren't sure they really want to tell a story flourish on stage. Erin calls Birmingham home with her husband, Ben, and two girls/pirates. Her day job is the creative director at a small publishing and events company, and she's also an author and screenwriter. Listen to Erin tell a story about the time she was dumped for God.
Leonard Lee Smith is a resident of Birmingham, Alabama. He was awarded a Hackney literary award for short fiction in 2012. He has been gathering heartfelt and humorous stories, from behind a beauty chair for twenty years, all while giving his clients one of the most important tools to get through life, a good haircut. His learning of story craft began in childhood listening to his grandmother Ray Ceil, who was always telling stories. Listen to Lee tell his story of the best Christmas present he ever received.
God love her, Betsy has to put up with all the creatives. We're a scattered bunch, but Betsy keep us in line: coordinating volunteers, scheduling events, answering emails, managing Arc Stories merch, organizing ticket sales, and getting all our ducks in a row for every event. Betsy runs the show as the Service Programming Director for Redstone Church here in town when she's not keeping the wheels from falling off at Arc Stories. We think we've convinced her to never go back north again. Listen to Betsy tell the story of her cross-country trip to pick up a VW van.
Since joining the Arc Stories team in early 2017, Audra has whipped the whole operation into spit-shine shape. She works with our vendors, keeps our calendar, maintains relationships with our partners, and she does it all with grace and class. Audra also keeps the wheels turning as the Production Coordinator at Six Foot Five. Audra and her husband , Ryan, live in Bham, and have a brand new (georgous) daughter.
You know how sometimes someone's name just personifies everything they are? Jamie IS actually golden. She manages the social media strategy for Arc Stories, as well as being a bang-a-rang storyteller herself. When she's not helping us help our people know what's happening, Jamie co-hosts The Popcast, a pop culture podcast. Listen to Jamie tell about a particularly awkward encounter at the drugstore.
In addition to giving our eyeballs a window into Arc through video and photography, Whaley (as he is known) is also a director and producer for Six Foot Five, and in his spare time, he can be found on the basketball court, with his wife, or on the basketball court with his wife.
Tiffany is our official touch of elegance: she brings the class and beauty to Arc Stories, transforming each event into something truly special. And it comes easily to her as the owner and founder of Studio Flower here in Birmingham. In addition to turning the ordinary into the lovely, Tiffany is mama bear to her two cubs with the tall, lanky fellow at the top of this list. Listen to Tiffany tell about how her family used to torture the children during the holidays.
Shane and Brandi (aka Upper Air Creative) have been making Arc Stories beautiful ever since its inception. Shane & Brandi are Alabama born and bred, and spend the majority of their time building their small business, parenting their four kids (aged 2 to college), and herding their dogs. Take a listen to Shane tell the story of HOW exactly they came to achieve that family dynamic.