The Storytelling Lab - Ep20: Multi-passion-itis with Melissa Cassera

Updated: Apr 27, 2020

Join us for our final episode of Season 2 with guest Melissa Cassera, scriptwriter, business owner, and PR & marketing consultant. Melissa takes on the challenging question: How do I combine my artistic passions with my business goals to create something truly unique? She has done it in her own life, being both a business professional and a scriptwriter and joins Rain to share her tips and tricks. Rain and Melissa discuss infusing your passion into everything you do and taking creative leaps.

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I’m going to be honest, I totally snagged Melissa Cassera from the Social Media Marketing Podcast with Michael Stelzner.

If you’re not familiar with that show or the company that produces it, Social Media Examiner, then enjoy this unpaid plug -- THEY EARN IT.

Their content, from their behind-the-scenes Youtube show, “The Journey,” to their FB Live videos, to their Social Media Marketing Industry Report, they are constantly and consistently providing major value for people trying to navigate “the jungle” of social media. Oh, and they offer all that content for free.

When I heard Melissa on the Social Media Marketing Podcast, I was blown away.

First, she was saying a lot of the things about storytelling that I say to my clients, which made me feel smart. But secondly, she is a working screenwriter in LA, while running her own business helping people tell their stories.

Because of that, I knew I had a lot I could learn from her.

And if I can learn from her, I’m hoping that means you can, too!

Seriously. She’s bright. And funny. And she doesn’t mince words! She will let you know (and she does!), if you are making crappy decisions when it comes to telling your stories.

When we talked, we hit it off immediately and she had me laughing the whole time.

Melissa deals with, and helps people navigate, having “multiple-passion-itis” by using what she calls “The Swirl Effect.” I call it finding your unique

intersections, but the concept is the same.

In order to succeed as an entrepreneur, you need to figure out how to combine your swirl of interests, experience, and knowledge into a central, unified, unique brand that is YOU.

Melissa is a PR and marketing expert, a master storyteller, and THE screenwriting source for “complex” female characters in Lifetime movies.

As you can see, she knows how to sport her swirl.

Some highlights of our conversation:

How to balance being an entrepreneur and an artist
Melissa’s PR & marketing background (media relations)
How soaking in more fiction writing will make you a better storyteller
Stories you tell as children: how they stay with you through life
“Multiple-passion-itis”
Doing something purely for creative output
Creating obsession in your business
How to deal with people that believe they can’t weave stories into their business
How to run business from a place of pleasure instead of pain
When you are passionate about something, it comes out easily (creatively)
Finding your lead SWIRL by mixing Professional skills, passions, and guilty pleasures
Creating “sexy” space and time to breathe in your business
Discussing what makes a good story?
Why we need good & complex characters: they should lead us through the story! We should want to go on a journey with them
How to understand who your “characters” are in your business. A good place to start: you and your client
Why testimonials are NOT the way to go
How to listen better
Why do people respond so well to storytelling? 1. We are psychologically wired to enjoy good stories and 2. We understand things better when they are framed as a story
How social media should be used to create connection
The shift in how people are consuming video & stories
Why you should create video series instead of closed loops (Your business isn't a closed loop! Why should your marketing be?)
Finding different physical spaces to separate your passions and professions