How do you become one of Canada’s most successful storytellers? You ask questions. And Mark Miller asks a lot. Mark’s insatiable curiosity and thirst for knowledge helped him learn to fly at nine, work as a cameraman on Mount Everest and produce music that has become the theme for numerous TV shows. It’s also taken him from asking questions as a reporter on Parliament Hill and as a science reporter for Discovery Channel, to asking for the financial backing to produce a TV Show called Highway Thru Hell. Of course, Mark’s success with the latter is his claim to fame.
Mark doesn’t produce reality TV, he tells the stories of everyday heroes on internationally acclaimed shows like Highway Thru Hell, Heavy Rescue and the many more listed on his very long IMBd page. The constant is his passion for the well-researched, well-told story and his belief that great storytelling can help us find empathy for those we don’t know and don’t agree with. That, Mark says, is the key to finding a better balance between people and nature.
To explain why storytelling will save the world, Mark Miller sat down with us at his east side office in Vancouver.
What do you think?
- What do you take from Mark’s story?
- Do you believe storytelling can help nature and society, as well as heal the wounds that divide?
- How can we learn from Mark and do a better job of understanding those we don’t know? How can we get to know those from different backgrounds and those who have different worldviews than our own?
- How can we tell more complete stories that really take into account the context of those we disagree with?
- Is it too difficult to balance entertainment and art with the scientific and political context? Will one objective ultimately suffer, diminishing the power of the story in the process?