StoryQ Featured in Medium: How Filmmaker Rick Stevenson Is Helping To Change Our World
In a recent Medium feature, StoryQ founder Dr. Rick Stevenson shares how an unexpected turn—from Oxford scholar to filmmaker—led to something much larger than he could have imagined.
What began as a creative career became a lifelong mission: to help people understand themselves and each other through personal storytelling.
Featured in Medium's "Filmmakers Making a Social Impact" series, the article chronicles Rick's journey to becoming a global advocate for emotional intelligence and the thousands of lives he has positively impacted through his work.
Learn more about our founder and how StoryQ came to life.
Why We Do This Work
As Rick shared in the interview, StoryQ wasn't born from a business plan; it emerged from a moment of realization.
In 2001, Rick began filming what he thought would be a 15-year documentary on growing up. But after 9/11, everything changed. In that year between the first and second interview, he noticed something deeper: kids didn't just need to talk—they wanted to. Not about surface-level moments, but about identity, fear, purpose and hope.
That was the turning point. What began as a film project became something far more impactful: a method of documentary inquiry that helped young people reflect on who they are and who they are becoming. It stopped being just about making movies and became a movement.
That same practice now lives on through StoryQ as we help people tell their story as they seek to answer life's most meaningful question: Who in the world am I?
See how our personal documentaries work.
The Power of a Story Told With Permission
One of the stories featured in the article was that of a boy from Chile. A scholarship recipient in our 5000 Days Project, he had lost his right eye to cancer. Then came another tragedy when he was hit by a train and lost his right arm and leg.
With his permission, we created a short film using StoryQ's method of inquiry. The resulting story helped raise funds for his prosthetics and brought together a global community of support. He later became a national hero in the Para-Olympics.
But the most moving part?
He calls his left side his "lucky side."
Storytelling as a Social Impact Practice
The Medium article also highlights Rick's long-standing commitment to using storytelling as a tool for good.
Half of all StoryQ projects are offered at no cost, made possible through partnerships, scholarships and a commitment to giving back. That includes young artists at Prodigy Camp, students examining big questions and individuals facing hardship.
In the article, Rick reflects on the impact of the work and how personal stories, when shared with care, can shift lives and bring people together. These aren't side projects. They reflect what StoryQ was built for.
Learn more about how we give back.
Stories Deserve to Be Told
We're grateful to Medium for sharing Rick's story and the broader mission behind StoryQ.
Because what we've found is that the stories people carry often hold more strength than they realize. And when they're shared with respect, they have the power to build resilience, connection and hope.
Ready to begin your own StoryQ journey?Start your project here.
