Changing the world, one story at a time.

Polarization is tearing America apart, while most of us look on in despair. It’s not what we want. It’s not who we are. And yet: this is who we are becoming.

But there is a solution, one as old and strong as humanity itself: story. For millennia, powerful stories have united us, uplifted us, inspired us. They can do so again today.

Our mission is to heal partisan divides with the most powerful unifying technology we have — story.

New discoveries in neuroscience show us how stories act upon the brain, revealing critical insights about how we are wired. Stories are powerful engines of belonging and cooperation. They can bring people together where argument and persuasion fail. They can help us overcome our differences, enlarging and enriching our sense of "tribe.” Story is, in short, the brain’s tool of connection.

The Story Incubator Writing Lab is founded on two interlocking goals: 1) Understanding how story affects the brain; and 2) Using the science of story to bring about the change we need.

The Story Incubator Writing Lab is a content pipeline, strategy driver, and impact engine aimed at bringing Americans together around shared values.

We provide critical support for talented creatives developing commercially viable, unifying stories.

We are a “micro-think tank” focused on harnessing the new neuroscience of story for positive change.

And we are creatives ourselves, writing and producing stories that can bring about the change we need — change that can’t be created anywhere else, in any other way.

What We Do

  • Lab

    The Lab kickstarts careers while generating real, measurable results. We mentor hand-picked, working writer-directors through the creative process, while also working with their managers and agents to give their films, series, and podcasts the best chance of being financed, produced, and distributed. Learn more.

  • Story Rules Project

    The Story Rules Project adapts the emerging science of story for our mission of depolarizing our culture. As a “micro-think tank,” we are laser-focused on translating cutting-edge research into actionable rules for high-impact storytelling. Details coming soon!

  • Slate

    We are assembling a small, highly curated slate of film and television series that embody the “story rules” we have identified as critical for constructive social change. Details coming soon!

What People Are Saying

“I worked twice with Erin on my feature screenplay Shelter Animal, years apart. The first time I worked with her I made Top 50 in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Nicholl Fellowship, out of roughly 8,000 script submissions. The second time we worked together I became a Nicholl Fellow, leading to dozens of requests from the top literary managers and producers in Hollywood to read. Their response has been phenomenal.”

— R.J. Daniel Hanna, writer/director, winner of the 2021 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship

“I have done about a dozen writer's labs, and I have never encountered one like what Erin and Maurice are offering. The freedom from judgment, the extremely high-level discussion, and the rigor of the notes makes for one of the best Labs currently available. This is sorely needed. Writers must be encouraged to be rebels, dissenters, and to be guided by their own minds, hearts, and curiosities so that we do not merely become a society in which we all just tell each other what we think we want to hear. By doing this Lab, I feel I've regained a sense of my own mission.”

—Vivian Kerr, writer/director/actor

“Erin and Maurice are working very hard to make this Lab particularly meaningful … It is focused and intense, and it does precisely what’s needed in order to help us move forward at this stage. I strongly believe [the Story Incubator Writing Lab] will ultimately help change the conversation downstream.”

—Anne Fortier, New York Times bestselling author

“It’s difficult to put into words how much the Lab has not only meant to me, but done for me and my project. I’ve never worked with two more supportive and insightful mentors. Erin and Maurice have the perfect blend of nurturing and honesty. It’s been life-changing. I’ve literally seen myself become a better writer. The overflow from the Lab has positively affected everything I touch.”

—Ben Johnson, Jr., writer/showrunner

Who We Are

We are Erin O’Connor, PhD, and Maurice Black, PhD. Between us, we have over half a century of experience, grit, skill, and hard-won expertise with stories and the people who tell them. We are focused and relentless — and we are also inventive, pragmatic, and humane. We know what works and what doesn’t, and we put that knowledge to work in everything we do. We lead with head and heart, guiding writers as they send transformative films and series into the world. We are story whisperers.

Join us!

Stories can bring about the change we need. Join us today as we work to heal our partisan divide with the unifying technology of storytelling. Maybe you’re a writer with a story to tell. A producer looking for content. A manager looking for talent. An organization interested in partnering. Maybe you’d like to support us with a financial gift. Or perhaps you’d simply like to learn more about our work. It’s all good — we want to hear from you!

“I’ve participated in esteemed programs with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Sundance Institute. None offered me the guidance and mentorship of the Story Incubator. The Lab gave me a perspective on my writing that I wouldn’t have gained anywhere else in the industry.”

—Brian Robau, writer/director, two-time Student Academy Award winner

Join Our Network

We’re growing a network of people who want to change the world through story. We are writers, directors, producers, studio execs, managers, agents, scientists, activists, supporters — and, hopefully, you! Sign up now for updates on our work — we promise always to be interesting, and never to share your information.