We could learn a lot about finding our life’s purpose from a boy detective and a woman who refused to let someone else define her. These are the palpable lessons of Tintin and Katniss, the protegonists at the centers of the book The Adventures of Tintin and The Hunger Games, respectively. What’s perhaps more subtle is what the movie versions of these stories teach us about creativity and the relentless pursuit of growth, transformation, and continuous improvement.
It would be easy to say that the animation of movies like Monsters Inc., Toy Story, or The Polar Express were the penultimate testament to the reach of the art. Many movie critics repeatedly made this declaration, as did many artists and engineers who work in the field. It would also be easy to say J K Rowling will always be the reigning queen of the young adult novel series. How could anyone ever create a story as compelling to young adults (and all adults for that matter!) as Harry Potter? These are simply just not goals worth having because they aren’t achievable. Many agents and publishers have criticized new and would-be authors for even attempting to create new young adult series for this very reason.
Steve Spielberg, Peter Jackson, and Suzanne Collins ignored the critics and pushed on into their own sense of creativity. The results? Spielberg and Jackson built an animated movie that frame by frame left viewers wondering if they were really watching an animated movie. There are moments when the animated quality of the film The Adventures of Tintin is clear, but for most of the time the art comes to life with such authenticity that I caught myself lost in the story as if it were a live action picture.
The Hunger Games just celebrated a stellar global opening weekend of $214.3 million, far more than any of the Harry Potter films. Its Friday-Saturday take was the third largest in Hollywood history in a month when blockbusters are typically not released. And like Harry Potter, surveys show that 56% of all movie goers this past weekend were 25 or older despite the fact that Collins wrote these books for young adults.
Katniss, Tintin, and the creative minds behind their adventures have shown us that there really is no limit to our creativity, to our abilities to generate new stories and ways of telling stories that bring an ever-wider audience into our embrace.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
We could learn a lot about finding our life’s purpose from a boy detective and a woman who refused to let someone else define her. These are the palpable lessons of Tintin and Katniss, the protegonists at the centers of the book The Adventures of Tintin and The Hunger Games, respectively. What’s perhaps more subtle is what the movie versions of these stories teach us about creativity and the relentless pursuit of growth, transformation, and continuous improvement.
Christa Avampato 