Media Zoo is one of the UK’s leading communications companies with a blue-chip client base and specializing in film, PR, learning, media training, digital marketing and design.Tracey O’Halloran is a London based, multi-award winning Creative Executive Producer, filmmaker and scriptwriter who has worked across television, commercials, brand and corporate films.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards: You have earned over 50 international film awards - including the New York Festivals Grand Award - across drama, documentary, animation, interactive cinematic adventures and comedy. Share your thoughts about the future of storytelling.

Tracey O’Halloran: It’s difficult to know what the future of storytelling will be as the landscape is changing so rapidly due to economic and technological factors. Will it be more immersive, more interactive, more AI infused, have we all got influencer fatigue? Are we craving a more nostalgic, analogue world of cassette tapes and DVDs?

One thing I do know is that great storytelling is as old as time. You only need to look at the resurgence of Greek Tragedies playing in London’s West End this year. Great stories will always win in the end. The tools and technologies available are just a way to deliver those stories in fresh and exciting ways. I’m more interested in what stories we’ll be telling over the next few years and then I can explore the how.

NYF: Could you talk about the creative process involved in corporate image films? Any backstories you can share?

Tracey O’Halloran: You really need to understand the problem your client is trying to solve. What story do they want to tell? Our job is to interrogate that forensically and then find a compelling way to deliver that message. We use the think, feel, do method - what do you want the audience to think, feel and do? The client might think they want a short documentary but actually you could land the message just as effectively with a memorable, comedy animation or an interactive drama. When responding to a brief, I often look to other filmmakers and artists for inspiration and ask myself questions like ‘How would Stephen Spielberg/Ken Loach/Disney/Damian Hurst/Frida Kahlo/(insert any artist, writer, filmmaker) tell this story?’ It’s a fun way to play with an idea and see what happens. When making ‘Losing Mr Renton,’ which won the Grand Award in 2019, I set out to make it as authentic and as bleak as a Ken Loach film.

NYF: What are the most profound changes you’ve noticed in the art of storytelling in the past 5 years?

Tracey O’Halloran: We’re seeing more stories told through a female gaze, and better representation of minority groups on screen. Five years ago, Twitter was still popular and now it’s TikTok and Instagram with more of our clients asking for shorter, social cutdowns of the content we create. Now we have data and algorithms pushing out stories and recommendations to us which I personally find annoying, as many of us end up in the same echo chamber, watching similar types of content. It’s one of the reasons I love being a judge as I get to see an incredible, eclectic mix of content from around the world that I wouldn’t ordinarily get to see. There’s also been a bigger push for more sustainable productions which can only be a good thing.

NYF: What types of technology do you finding yourself using?

Tracey O’Halloran: I’ve been exploring tools like MidJourney, Runway, Elevenlabs. I’m hoping these tools will enhance my storytelling and creative skills not replace them. I sometimes use Chat GPT but I think you can always tell when someone has used it to create an email, cover letter or social media post. It definitely can’t write decent dialogue or a decent script yet! Recently, I’ve returned to good old-fashioned painting and drawing as a way of doing something creative away from a screen. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for a more analogue world!