From Crime Scenes to Med Tech — How Storytelling Drives Technology Adoption | Jason Ellinger

How does a news photojournalist covering crime scenes become a med tech storyteller funding nonprofit impact? In this episode, Donna P. Mitchell speaks with Jason Ellinger, Co-Founder of Beard & Bowler Productions, about how covering an 11-year-old's funeral made him rethink his entire career — and how his company now uses the HERO Grant model to fund nonprofit storytelling through corporate revenue. TOPICS COVERED: The StoryBrand 7-part formula: why you're the guide, not the hero How the HERO Grant model funds nonprofit storytelling through med tech revenue The number one mistake businesses and nonprofits make with storytelling Why 70% of Beard & Bowler's revenue comes from med tech filmmaking The Master Operating Prompt (MOP) and voice maps for AI-driven operations Custom GPTs that turned days of story editing into hours Second-degree recon: AI-powered LinkedIn outreach Why protecting your network matters more than automating it (00:00) You're Not the Hero, You're the Guide (00:09) Introduction (01:58) Jason Ellinger — Who Is Beard & Bowler (04:09) The 11-Year-Old's Funeral That Changed Everything (06:31) Deacon Willie Davis and the Community Garden (08:11) Finding the Why — Storytelling for Impact (08:52) How the HERO Grant Was Born (10:31) The Number One Mistake Businesses and Nonprofits Make (11:05) The 7-Part StoryBrand Formula (12:23) Why 70% of Revenue Came From Med Tech (14:40) The Impossible Goal — 50 HERO Grants in One Year (15:48) The Flip — Team Buy-In and 100% Conviction (17:15) Pivoting From Nonprofit to Enterprise (21:45) AI Adoption — Automation for Nonprofits and Executives (24:01) Master Operating Prompt and Voice Maps (26:18) Custom GPT for Story Editing — Days to Hours (28:13) Second-Degree Recon — AI-Powered LinkedIn Outreach (30:19) Donna's Gut Check — Protecting Your Network (33:22) Med Tech Storytelling — Nerve Blocks to Ankle Replacements (35:05) Who Jason Wants to Reach (36:29) How to Connect With Jason (36:57) Closing ABOUT THE GUEST: Jason Ellinger is the Co-Founder of Beard & Bowler Productions, a commercial filmmaking company focused on helping medical device companies tell the human stories behind life-changing innovation. His career spans hard news photojournalism to nonprofit storytelling to enterprise med tech filmmaking. His company built the HERO Grant model — using purposeful corporate work to fund nonprofit storytelling so world-class stories don't come out of mission-critical budgets. ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL: Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals. GET THE BOOK: Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H CONNECT WITH JASON: Website: beardandbowler.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mrbow1er CONNECT WITH DONNA: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619 YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority Website: pivotingportal.com NEWSLETTER: The Transformation Brief™ transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe SPEAKING & ADVISORY: pivotingportal.com/speaker New episodes every Tuesday. Official Member of Forbes Business Council