Get Storyfied! at Jumpstart 2015

The theme of Jumpstart 2015, the annual event on children’s content, organised by German Book Office, is ‘Get Storyfied!’.

 

Like every year, the event, which offers a platform for creators and disseminators, for experienced professionals to aspiring amateurs, to ideate, network and fructify an existing project or simply get inspired about a new concept, will be held at two locations, Delhi and Bengaluru.

 

The Delhi event has been scheduled for 18 August 2015 at Indian International Centre, while the Bengaluru event will be held 21-22 August 2015 at Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan.

 

As the theme suggests, ‘Get Storyfied!’ will focus on the art of storytelling, especially children’s stories. “For children, storytelling is much more than communication,” says Prashasti Rastogi, director, GBO New Delhi. “It is through stories that children learn to create images; it is how they store information in their brains. An engaging narrative is all it takes to make a memory. At Jumpstart, we truly believe in the power of imagination, in the power of communication, in the power of narrative … in short, we believe in the power of a great story.”

 

The event plans to bring together experts from the publishing, media, education, digital and creative industries to create dialogue and explore the different facets of narrative creation through the intersections of storytelling, imagination, technology and reality that will translate into better content for children. “We wish to explore the vibrant links between traditional storytelling practices, digital initiatives, visual arts and pedagogy,” Rastogi added.

 

Among other things, the event will feature several masterclasses by experts. The Writers’ Masterclass with Leonie Norrington will showcase a variety of practical writing techniques, cheeky tricks and devious sins that will help participants find their characters’ voices. The Illustration Masterclass with Nicki Greenberg will look at a range of visual narrative techniques, and help participants explore using their own personal style to make their illustrations sing on the page. The Storytelling Masterclass with Ameen Haque will take the participants from page to stage, on how to convert a written story into a performance. The Screenwriting Masterclass with Motti Aviram is aimed at people who want to gain key skills that will help them develop and write film and television content for children.  

 

Initiated in 2009, Jumpstart started as a series of workshops and seminars focused on writing and illustrating children’s books, libraries for children and marketing children’s books.

 

German Book Office (GBO), New Delhi is a joint venture of the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Foreign Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Besides promoting German books and the activities of the Frankfurt Book Fair, GBO New Delhi serves as a contact point between the book industry in South Asia, Germany as well as the international book and media industries.

 

The registration for the event is on.