Eli Rarey coaches leaders on how to make an impact.
He provides coaching and training on how to be more effective interacting with clients, colleagues, and decision makers. As a filmmaker, writer, and performer, he understands how effective storytelling changes hearts and minds—and the world.
Eli Rarey has spent twenty years working at the intersection of storytelling and technology. As a playwright he has made work for sold-out audiences in the United States and Europe. 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 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 communicate in a memorable way that inspires teams and influences decision-makers.
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. His play Seagull: True Story sold out during its run at LaMama Experimental Theater workshop and was the subject of a column by M. Gessen for the New York Times. 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 produced by Eli Rarey to learn more about Diane Wolkstein, master storyteller.