When President George Bush was about to give a speech to thousands who would gather at Federal Hall in New York City, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the inauguration of America’s first president, his speech office needed some good stories. They heard about our expertise in finding and telling stories surrounding New York City’s rich history and asked for our help.
BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS
Challenge.
Battery Park City Parks Conservancy was eager to attract visitors to its growing waterfront development. But the area was remote, sitting at the southern tip of New York City, with no real attractions other than residential apartment buildings and office towers.
Solution.
We created a series of storytelling walking tours that brought the area’s vibrant history to life including Ghosts on the Hudson, an annual Halloween walk that regaled audiences with ghoulish stories surrounding the Hudson river and its ghosts, and Writers on the Hudson, a staged show in which actors portraying historic New York writers emerged from behind lampposts and trees to surprise audience member and share their stories.
The events became hugely popular, drawing sold out crowds to each event. Media attention including coverage in Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, CBS, NBC and public television led to increased traffic to nearby Hudson River Park, and a renewed interest in the area. The events ran for seven years through 2002.
Challange
Solution
We reached in to our existing storehouse of rich material and we combed historical archives for rarely heard anecdotes about George Washington’s tenure in New York City, during the nations first two years. The White House Speech office was thrilled with the unusual, humorous, and imaginative material, which they had never run across. The new stories were included in the president’s opening remarks.