Welcome to The Narrative North Star — stories and signals for the future we are shaping. Each edition is a small invitation to pause, notice what is emerging, and turn insight into meaningful story. In this edition, I’m sharing a thought, a shift, or a tool to help you navigate storytelling, AI and human imagination with more clarity and heart.
Join our Storytelling Accelerator Sprint
Hello lovely changemakers,
We often think of storytelling as something shaped by words, images, and emotion.
But storytelling is also shaped by the screen.
And right now, that screen is very often a phone.
That may sound obvious. But creatively, it changes a great deal.
Because when stories move from the cinema screen or laptop to the smartphone, they do not simply become smaller. They become closer. More immediate. More intimate. More dependent on clarity, emotion, and the power of a single moment.
That is why I have been thinking so much about vertical storytelling lately.
Not just as a technical format.
But as a new storytelling language.
Vertical storytelling asks us to rethink how we frame attention, how we build emotional connection, and how we shape meaning for the way people actually consume content today: quickly, personally, and often while scrolling.
And this matters far beyond filmmaking.
It matters for educators trying to be remembered.
For founders trying to make people care.
For coaches building trust.
For changemakers trying to move hearts, minds, and systems.
Because the challenge is no longer only:
What do I want to say?
It is also:
How do I shape this message so it can truly be felt on a mobile screen?
That is where vertical storytelling becomes so powerful.
- It pushes us toward clarity.
- Toward emotional precision.
- Toward presence.
And in a distracted digital world, that is not a limitation.
It is a creative advantage.
I have written a new blog post exploring this more deeply — including what vertical storytelling really is, how it differs from classic film language, and why it matters so much for mission-led communication today.
Read the full blog post here:
Vertical Storytelling: Why Mobile-First Video Is Changing Storytelling
At Digital Dolphins, this is exactly the kind of shift we explore together: how storytelling evolves, how AI tools can support the process, and how changemakers can communicate with more authenticity, confidence, and impact.
This Saturday, 18 th of April, at 6pm we are running a Storytelling Accelerator Sprint. If you feel like this is the next step for you to connect with your inner story truth and your audience, please join here.
On other News this Week:
I came across this site: The first interactive reasoning benchmark designed to measure human-like intelligence in AI agents.
As Human you can play, as AI you can build.
Thank you for reading The Narrative North Star. Until next time, may these stories and signals support you in seeing more clearly, creating more consciously, and shaping the future with intention.
Warmly,
Bettina
Digital Dolphins
