Storytelling comes natural to me because of my Haitian background. In Haiti, storytelling has long been central to fostering communication and teaching. With each storyteller passing down tales of folklore from one generation to the next is part of our culture to share the journey through their past, present, and future experiences of agony, strife, death, and victory. During the pandemic I launched a passion project called “Storyteller Certified”. A brand paired with producing video stories of purpose to “Educate, Inspire and Empower lives. 2020 our business was struggling to pivot and I knew I needed to find a solution. Launching the brand was a way to service and support my clients and my business. I love wearing fisherman beanies, so I got a custom patch made with the words “Storyteller Certified”. I researched and bought fitted fisherman beanies then registered “Storyteller Certified” as a business. I hired a friend to stitch the patches to the beanies and every time I was on a zoom call consulting my clients the goal was to have them share their story about the highs and lows during the pandemic and finding purpose. When my clients shared their stories, I sent them Storyteller Certified beanie, sweatshirt or t-shirt and with their permission posted the videos on our social media as well as theirs. “Wear What You Do” became my hashtag. The beanies and sweatshirts became a hero like outfit, empowering my clients and I to be more creative! The movement sparked a light bulb and my clients organic marketing began to support the communities they served. Storyteller Certified was born! We later launched a video podcast to pair along with the brand. What motivates me is helping my clients and friends to feel empowered through storytelling. It’s a labor of love, ordering beanie hats online, creating patches, taking hats and patches to my seamstress to have them stitched monthly. I also wanted to empower my family so I partnered with my cousin Tameaka @lovebyfrancois of “Love By Francois” who now designs, creates and ships my monthly orders of our Storyteller gear. This isn’t work for me It’s storytime. Stories give a voice to the voiceless while impacting the communities they serve. The stories we tell are not billion-dollar projects, but tales of everyday entrepreneurship and innovation happening on a small scale with a big impact paired with a hat and a shirt powering their superpowers. These stories will offer a time capsule into lives of extraordinary resilent people using their creativity and skills to support their community. We became storytellers because we wanted to make a difference to help everyday people. Creating the brand is not work, it’s a purpose. “Storyteller Certified”
Creator, Head Designer, Owner; Donfred
Creative Director (Photographer): Erica
Junior Designers: Adonis & Dylan (Asst. Photographer)
Clothing Designer: Tameaka Francois
