Once upon a time, my dream was to write movies that told great stories.
As a kid raised in North Carolina, my loves were writing, art projects, and going to the movies with my dad. When I grew up, I was going to make movies that changed people's lives. So after college at Duke, I moved to Los Angeles. There I worked my way up to my dream job: presenting the stories of upcoming films for a world-famous movie studio.
It was sexy and fun. I collaborated with filmmakers and met celebrities. And I was doing what I wanted to do: working on movies that had an impact on people's lives.
But once I finally got my dream job - I realized it was just a job, not a life.
I told stories about stories, but I wasn't changing lives through my work. But I had a crazy idea: what if I used my skills in storytelling and design to help real people tell their stories? Maybe that would be a way I could make a more meaningful impact.
I needed to know the answer, so I quit my dream job. I left Hollywood and moved back to NC.
This is where my crazy idea for a business became a reality. I founded Greatest Story Creative® in October 2013 and began speaking about storytelling in early 2015. My first book, Permission to Try (2018), tells that story and beyond - taking you behind the scenes in a pep talk for anyone who's thinking about changing their life by switching jobs, starting a business, or reinventing themselves. My second book, Establish Yourself (2022), is about what happened when I started a business and grew it using framework of clear action steps: now a roadmap to help you brand, streamline, and grow your greatest business.
Whether writing, designing, or speaking - every day - I get to help someone tell their story and celebrate what makes them both special and valuable. Changing someone's life in that way is all the impact I could ever hope for.
My story (so far) has taught me a lot. I learned that sometimes you have to quit your dream job to live your dream and sometimes you have to leap and hope the net will appear. And I also figured out that no matter what the fears or uncertainties may be — the greatest story we can change for the better is always our own.
connect with annie
Learn more about Greatest Story Creative.
Discover more about hiring me to speak or read recent press.
Get updates on my first book, Permission to Try. Learn about my second book, Establish Yourself.
Contact me.
Annie lives in Durham, NC with her wonderful husband and favorite person, Gus- and their favorite person, their son, Leo. When she's not helping someone tell their story, Annie's rewatching The Golden Girls and saying the words before the cast can say them, playing “Monkey takes the binky” with Leo, or enjoying a dessert that in some way prominently features cookie dough.