Hi, I'm David Garfinkel —

I caught the storytelling bug at the tender age of 8. It all started thanks to a contest on the back of a Sugar Smacks cereal box. Pictured was Sugar Bear, the cheeky mascot, on a risky mission to snatch honey from a beehive. Those bees were hopping mad, and he was in a real pickle!
How could he get away?
In my young mind, it was clear as day: Why not distract the bees with what everyone loves — a bowl of Sugar Smacks? Lay it out on one end of the meadow, and then leg it in the opposite direction. All the bees would stop chasing Sugar Bear and fly over to eat the cereal. Easy-peasy, right?
I wrote that out my answer and mailed it back to the manufacturer.
That’s a good solution, right? The executive in charge of the contest thought so. I was one of the winners, and they sent me a Sugar Bear stuffed doll for a prize. But more important than winning the contest: This was my first persuasion story. And, it had gotten a result.
Fast Forward 15 Years
Fast forward fifteen years from my cereal box win, and there I was, jumping straight into journalism. Back then, you just reported the facts, plain and simple. But I learned there's an art to it – taking those plain facts and turning them into a story that really hits home with people. It's not about shouting the truth — it's about how you say it.
I was pretty good at it too, climbing the ladder until I landed this big role as the News Bureau Chief for McGraw-Hill in San Francisco. But, you know, something just didn't feel right. I wanted more than just the usual journalism gig. That's when I switched gears and got into sales copywriting around the early 90s. Man, did I love it! It was like I'd finally found where I belonged. One of my big moments? Writing this sales letter for a company called Abacus Travel Management in '93. Guess what?
That letter pulled in a whopping $40 million in sales! Looking back, I see I was telling $tories in that letter, even if I didn't think of them as such at the time. Reflecting on the journey, I've been in this $torytelling business for a long time — much longer than I realized. Perhaps you've been in it too... but just on the receiving end?
Believe it or not, you most likely have. So now, let's put you in the driver's seat.