Mayfest Talks: No NDA Required: World Building Through Story

In the conversation "No NDA Required: World Building Through Story," our speakers Curtis Taylor Jr. and Luke Leifeste delve into the intricate process of crafting immersive worlds in film and media. They explore the importance of cohesive narrative elements and the role of detailed backstories in creating a believable universe. The discussion highlights various strategies for engaging audiences, including the use of visual storytelling and character development. Insights are shared on the challenges and creative satisfaction derived from building unique, compelling worlds that captivate viewers and readers alike.

Curtis Taylor, Jr. is a writer/director from St. Louis, MO whose work centers world-building with blackness at the intersection of fiction. After completing his M.Ed with an emphasis on black masculinity at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Taylor moved to Los Angeles to further expand the visual language around his work. Always having had a fascination with the fantastical, filmmaking gave Curtis a medium to turn intrigue into his practice. As a writer/director with a reverence for language, Taylor strives to use his gaze to move the needle while simultaneously offering an etherealness to Black life on screen. However, even while toeing the line between reality and fiction, it’s paramount that his work still has bones of the familial. His ongoing commitment to equitably making space for future Black and brown minds led him to found Residue Pictures, his film/production studio. Residue Pictures is one of Taylor’s long-term solutions to leverage access for underrepresented voices and give resources to next-gen talent who seek to add nuanced narratives to the canon. What keeps him going is the possibility to imagine a world tomorrow that yesterday never knew.

Luke Leifeste is a 10-year veteran of the media and publishing industry and recent Tulsa boomerang from New York City. He most recently served as the Senior Entertainment Editor for GQ Magazine and Architectural Digest, casting and booking global celebrity talent across film, television, music, and sports—running point on editorial production for domestic and international print covers, in-book features, and online stories. His role included producing talent for blockbuster video series like AD's Open Door and GQ’s 10 Essentials and Iconic Characters, garnering tens of millions of views online. Prior to Luke's role managing celebrity booking and production, he served as Head of Social for GQ, where newly-instated Editor-in-chief Will Welch tapped him to overhaul the brand's social strategy and programming to usher in a new era for the legacy title. Before his tenure at Condé Nast, Luke worked across various NBCUniversal properties, including stints at the TODAY show, Saturday Night Live, MSNBC, CNBC, and NBC News. Luke's writing has appeared in New York Magazine, GQ, and elsewhere.

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