Eli Rarey tells stories.
Eli Rarey works at the intersection of storytelling and technology. He is a filmmaker, writer, and performer.
He provides workshops and one-on-one coaching on how to tell stories effectively in order to connect with others.
Eli Rarey has spent twenty years working at the intersection of storytelling and technology. As a filmmaker, he has written and directed award-winning films shown all over the world, including fiction, documentary, and interactive cinematic experiences. As a performer, he has brought to life folktales, literary stories, and personal stories. As a professional in the film industry, he has worked on blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, Fast and Furious, and Die Hard—as well as doing pioneering work in broadcast graphics and virtual set technology early in his career. As a technical sales professional at Autodesk, he has worked with executives at clients such as Disney, Sony Playstation, Technicolor, Netflix and Amazon.
Rarey received his MFA from the Film & TV Production Division at USC School of Cinematic Arts and taught in their Interactive Media Division. He studied storytelling as an art form with master storyteller Diane Wolkstein and was a founding member of the experimental theater company Science Project with performance research pioneer Yelena Gluzman.
He provides workshops and one-on-one coaching for professionals who want to learn how to integrate storytelling into their professional skills.
Learn more about Eli Rarey as a filmmaker.
Eli Rarey has written and directed award-winning films shown all over the world, including fiction, documentary, and interactive cinematic experiences. He produced Two Faiths, One Prayer, a short documentary with over 250,000 views on YouTube. His short film The Famous Joe Project, which he later adapted into a feature (available on Amazon Prime) was an official selection at the Slamdance Film Festival and won Best Narrative Short at the Lisbon Digital Cinema Festival.
Watch his recent short comedy about life in the corporate world.
Learn more about storytelling pioneer Diane Wolkstein.
Eli Rarey’s storytelling teacher Diane Wolkstein was a folklorist, author, and performer. She authored over 20 books for children and adults, including Inanna: Queen of Heaven, Treasures of the Heart, and The Magic Orange Tree. Her radio show, “Stories from Many Lands,” was broadcast on WNYC from 1968 until 1980, and she was the official storyteller of New York City during that period. She helped create a national wave of interest in storytelling as both an ancient and modern art form.
Watch this short documentary to learn more about this master storyteller.