Meet EPIGRAPH — Helping Brands, Teams, and Individuals Tell Truer Stories

I have news!

I’ve launched a consulting business focused on communications, brand storytelling, and content strategy.

It’s called EPIGRAPH, and its mission is to help brands, organizations, and thought leaders use narrative to find clarity about who they are, what they stand for, and how to communicate those things to the right people.

It has a website right here, so it’s actually a thing. (Shoutout to the talented Emily Hammel-Shaver of Lumos Communications—who not only designs and builds, but also writes and edits!—and to the great Jonas Gustavsson, whose portraits unflinchingly captured my ability to sit in chairs.)

Before I ask you to mentally pin this post so that EPIGRAPH and I are top-of-mind and referral-ready, a bit more about what this thing is.

Firstly, none of this is exactly new—not the consulting business itself, which I’ve been building over the past couple of years, and certainly not the idea of using storytelling in communications. But the perspective, the process, and the product that I provide to my clients—which have ranged from mission-driven nonprofits to conscientious consumer brands—are elements of what I believe is a unique application of narrative thinking and methodology.

It's grounded in a conviction that storytelling can have greater business value than simply making content more engaging or press pitches more compelling. Narrative goes deeper than that. It frames the way we experience and understand the world—how we make sense of the past, take meaningful action in the present, and envision the future with a sense of purpose. Whether you’re a multinational organization or an independent entrepreneur, getting your story straight isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative.

This is where EPIGRAPH comes in.

As a writer and editor with two decades of experience in journalism, communications, marketing, and brand storytelling, I know how to find stories hiding in plain sight. I know how to report, gather all the essential material, ask all the right questions, and spin it all into what I call a FOUNDATIONAL NARRATIVE—the core story, source of truth, and strategic roadmap for acting and communicating with clarity and purpose.

Both the process and the product are powerful—often revelatory and energizing for clients and always gratifying for me. This thing feels like the job I’ve been preparing for all along: the part I was born to play. I think it’s got legs, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Thank you sincerely for spending time with this and for keeping EPIGRAPH in mind now and again. I’ll be in touch with more updates soon and hope to hear from you in the meantime.

—Joel

joel@epigraphcommunications.com