News & Updates

The Sparkle Storyteller Search

Sparkle Stories is expanding our platform to include more storytellers! We’re starting the search for a first storyteller to join our team.

Since our inception in 2010, we have been a family operation, with a small team and a single storyteller. We have always visioned Sparkle as a producer of beautiful, kind children’s media, as well as a platform for a variety of storytellers and diverse voices.

We recognize that now is the time to begin, as the world is calling for children’s stories that represent a variety of experiences. We’re especially hoping to find candidates who can help us to authentically explore issues of racial justice and our complex American history in a way that gently educates and empowers children to work for good in the world.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate has established experience as a creator and teller of original tales, is comfortable in both audio and video recording environments, and enjoys sharing their work with audiences around the world.

The ideal candidate also enjoys collaborating, is able to write and perform consistently, has a strong work ethic, and is willing to work within the Sparkle mission (see below).

We will prioritize storytellers that both create and perform their own work, but are also open to considering writers and performers separately. As we have almost 1400 stories written by our own David Sewell McCann, we will also prioritize storytellers that express a contrasting perspective. Although we are experimenting with translating our stories into other languages, this first storyteller will be primarily English-based.

PERKS

Sparkle Storytellers get to collaborate with other dynamic creators, get to enjoy exposure of their work to an audience of 23,000+ families, and will have an opportunity to share more of their creations and activities within the social media networks. If the collaboration is successful, there may be an opportunity to join the Sparkle Team as an ongoing collaborator.

TERMS

This first collaboration will be a 3-8 story collection, 1500-3000 words per story, with a starting fee ranging from $400-$750 per completed audio story, based on length and complexity.

Note: This is a big first for Sparkle Stories. In order to keep it simple and workable within our business structure and platform, Sparkle will be purchasing the content outright, and will own all rights to stories and recordings.

The Storyteller will also be available to meet and collaborate with members of the Sparkle Team on a regular basis during the duration of the writing and recording process. We may also ask that the Storyteller share photos and videos for promotional and marketing purposes on the Sparkle Blog, Newsletter and Social Media. If the position grows to an ongoing collaboration, then the Storyteller will join the regular Sparkle production meetings on Fridays, as well as any other relevant meeting during the 9-5 CT work week.

TO APPLY

Before you apply we suggest that you review our library, read our mission statement (below), and then curate your very best work for us. Email us at talent@sparklestories.com.

Please include: - letter of interest, stating why you want to work with Sparkle, and why you’re an excellent fit - a single sample of your best writing, 1000 words or less - a single sample of your very best audio recording, up to 5 minutes - a single sample of video storytelling, up to 5 minutes.

Links to further examples of work or portfolios are also welcome, but only in addition to the above. Note: for efficiency sake, any submission that does not follow these parameters will be rejected without review.

Our Search will run all of October, closing October 31 at midnight CT.. We’ll review candidates in November, and plan to have a decision by early December. Our team is small (but mighty) so we will do our best to respond to each applicant in a timely manner.

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SPARKLE MISSION

Sparkle Stories creates high quality audio stories that are simply told and carefully crafted to be relevant to children’s lives – with both its ups and downs, fun times and challenging times, ordinary days and the extraordinary.

Each Sparkle story contains a small seed of learning about: how to be kind to others, how to be respectful in thought, word and deed, how to love big and live now, how to live in wonder and reverence for this truly incredible world.

Most stories are connected to a tutorial, craft or recipe so the narrative experience does not end with the entertainment, but offers inspiration for further creativity and exploration, and guides the child and her parents through real life experiences that deepen the story's lesson, intention and healing impulse.

It's the mission of Sparkle Stories to nourish children through media, not simply entertain them. In this way, we are modeling the transformation of contemporary children's media.