Story is King

S02E01 - Do we yearn for long-form content?

In an era dominated by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and bite-sized content, have we lost our appetite for deeper, more meaningful storytelling? In this episode, Ndubuisi and Andrew explore society's complex relationship with content consumption, questioning whether our apparent preference for short-form content truly reflects what we desire. The conversation begins with long-form content decisions taken by the winner of the 2024 US Presidential election, moves through reflections that include how music has fallen victim to fast disposable content, and examines whether there's an underlying yearning in all of us for more substantial narratives. This episode challenges the seemingly unstoppable flow towards things being shorter and faster, and asks if we’d be willing to slow down and pay out attention to compelling stories? Give us a 5-stars on Spotify or Apple if you like this podcast! — Follow Mustard! Instagram: ⁠http://bit.ly/3KRsERu⁠ [http://bit.ly/3KRsERu] LinkedIn: ⁠http://bit.ly/41ifJxA⁠ [http://bit.ly/41ifJxA] Twitter: ⁠http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc [http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc]

#04 - The Storytelling Playbook

In this episode we delve into the profound distinction between storytelling and mere communication. While communication involves the straightforward transfer of information, storytelling transcends this by weaving facts into a tapestry of meaning and emotion. In Alex’s first episode as a Story is King podcast member, he and Ndubuisi explore how storytelling has the unique power to forge deep connections, give brands real-world relevance, and create lasting impressions through empathy. Additionally, and perhaps more interestingly, they examine the cost of authenticity in storytelling, and share thoughts and reasons on why we as founders, executives and human beings, often find this price too high to pay. About Mustard We are an entrepreneurial team of engineers, designers, investors and storytellers, who believe Story is King. We are working to found the first global brands to come out of Africa using narratives, and make feature films of the stories we encounter along the way. Give us a 5-stars on Spotify or Apple if you like this podcast! — Follow Mustard! Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERu [http://bit.ly/3KRsERu] LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxA [http://bit.ly/41ifJxA] Twitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc [http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc]

#03 - Inhumanity in Advertising

Has social media and the increasing visibility it brings to founders and influencers, made our consumer brands more ‘authentic’. And was this human-brand connection far less possible, or even improbable, using the more static and one-directional billboards, TV ads and other media tools, available in the 20th Century? Renowned venture capitalist, Marc Andreessen has publicly championed and articulated this thinking in his recent Fortune quote: “In the mass media era… companies built brands primarily via TV commercials, where you had a single shot to get Coca-Cola established... You had celebrities in those days, but they weren’t front-and-center… you were just trying to get the basic message of the the product out... But that led to an “unnatural configuration” …individual consumers had a relationship with a brand or corporation, rather than with a person. If that’s all I can have, then okay, fine, but like, really, that’s my emotional affinity? That’s how I’m going to kind of process things?” In this episode Ndubuisi discusses this thought with Matt Gee, a creative professional, who in a career so far spanning 25 years has worked with the biggest brands in the world, co-founded digital departments at storied advertising firms, and led memorable campaigns including those for the launch of the Nike Training Club app (which became the fastest iOS app to 1M downloads), and the UK’s favourite 118-118 ads of the 00s era. Spoiler alert: Matt and Marc do not agree! Give us a 5-stars on Spotify or Apple if you like this podcast! — Follow us! We are MUSTARD! An entrepreneurial team of engineers, designers, storytellers and investors, who believe story is king. We will illustrate this over the next decade, by co-founding the first global brands to come out of Africa. Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERu [http://bit.ly/3KRsERu] LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxA [http://bit.ly/41ifJxA] Twitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc [http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc] B-roll credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEPNoimiVR0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEPNoimiVR0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9qSaGXFyg [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9qSaGXFyg] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK6y8DAPN_0&t=82s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=82s&v=HK6y8DAPN_0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApMrILhTulI&t=45s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=45s&v=ApMrILhTulI] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzjnKxWeSsc&t=14s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=14s&v=qzjnKxWeSsc] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y27FUQbwp1Q [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y27FUQbwp1Q] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax7wcShvrus&t=21s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=21s&v=ax7wcShvrus] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noc6BtUc7xI [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noc6BtUc7xI] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fwJ1zdCygM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fwJ1zdCygM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW5OR1TszzU [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW5OR1TszzU] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9W1wNLbOFA [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9W1wNLbOFA] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgCWNorUx-4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgCWNorUx-4]

#02 - The Power of Faith

The stories about the biggest undertakings across time, all contain a protagonist who derived faith from evidence that mainstream thinking forgot, failed to see, or failed appreciate. Additionally, and to complete the story, these figures had put action, sweat and - consequently - suffering behind their faith, which the very best did in a way that was considered unsustainable to virtually everyone else. Despite the connotations that the word holds in today’s secular West, faith is broadly defined as a confidence or trust in a person, thing or concept. It is something that every living person has, and cannot function without. The question therefore is not whether one has faith, but rather in what does one have faith, and given that, what they are going to do about it? In this episode Andrew and Ndubuisi share personal thoughts and anecdotes to discuss the power of faith, and how it continues to shape their stories and those of remarkable figures up to the present day. -------------------------------------------- Follow Mustard! Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERu [http://bit.ly/3KRsERu] LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxA [http://bit.ly/41ifJxA] Twitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc [http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc]

#01 - How we converged on 'Story is King'

We believe history's biggest undertakings have not been built on products or markets, but on the stories of individuals. We have come to believe Story is King due to its importance and prevalence in all aspects of life. In this debut episode Mustard’s founder Ndubuisi Kejeh and Chief evangelist Andrew Sekandi, sit down to reflect on the Mustard journey to date, and specifically how they have been led to believe and uphold the statement ‘Story is King’. Furthermore, they express how looking at Mustard’s work through the statement’s lens has fundamentally reshaped their activities. ------------------ About Mustard We are an entrepreneurial team of engineers, designers, storytellers and investors, who believe story is king. We will illustrate the power of this belief over the next decade, by co-founding the first global brands to come out of Africa. Follow us! Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERu [http://bit.ly/3KRsERu] LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxA [http://bit.ly/41ifJxA] Twitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc [http://bit.ly/3GAjEhc]