The Storytelling Secret Most Filmmakers Miss with James Harrington

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Overview

In this episode I sit down with my friend James Harrington, founder of the Ugandan Water Project, for a conversation that's way more about your business than you'd guess from the title. We dig into the art of storytelling that actually moves people to act, why the most relatable character in any story is rarely the obvious one, and how to figure out where excellence really pays off. It's part craft, part business strategy, and part permission slip to stop doing everything perfectly.

Key Takeaways

The obvious character (the founder, the hero) is often the least relatable—look for the Monica or the Peggy who your audience actually sees themselves in
Visuals that carry the message without sound, and a willingness to disrupt the typical setup, are what make stories stick
"Big picture excellence is knowing where to invest your excellence"—not doing everything to a perfect ten
Protecting creative margin and downtime isn't a luxury; it's how you stay present, curious, and able to do your best work

About James Harrington

Passion, grit, and irreverence for the status quo - This unorthodox trio marks James Harrington’s style, strategy, and tactics for mobilizing you to take on the impossible problems around you and transform your world. James is the founder of the Ugandan Water Project where he and his team leverage innovation and disruption to battle the water crisis in Uganda. Over the past 18 years, he has led his team to fund and implement more than 2,000 water projects serving more than 750,000 people. Additionally, they have launched AquaTrust - a water service enterprise; and his team is supporting the Ugandan Ministry of Water & environment to implement a cloud-based digital asset platform to manage all water sources serving 50 million Ugandans. Together, with the help of people just like you, James is leading efforts to ensure that all Ugandans have access to safe drinking water – Today, Tomorrow, and Forever.

In This Episode

[00:00] Welcome to the show!

[05:09] Meet James Harrington

[05:55] Uganda Water Project

[16:52] Doing Video for Non-Profits

[18:41] Get Different Angles

[28:41] Where Is The Pumpkin Pie?

[32:26] Hiring Someone Else

[36:16] What Is Truly Productive

[42:56] Connect with James

[44:14] Outro

Quotes

"There's a version of me that I'm trying to meet, and I think I'll find her in Kenya." — James Harrington (sharing the opening line of a fundraising letter he helped craft)

"Often the obvious characters are not the relatable characters." — James Harrington

"Big picture excellence is knowing where to invest your excellence." — James Harrington

"Don't just practice till you get it right—practice till you can't get it wrong." — James Harrington

"Pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it." — Ryan Koral (quoting poet Mary Oliver)