In February, Atlantyca took the podium at the Holden School (named after J.D. Salinger’s character) for a cycle of three lessons especially designed for College Scrivere – Writing College – where students learn how to master the art of writing in any professional field and in all its forms, under the guidance of teachers and storytelling experts. The lessons, entitled Atlantyca – How to plan a Children’s Series, were developed by Alessandra Berello, Atlantyca Publishing Manager. With the exceptional experience of an internationally renowned transmedia company as the starting point, case studies and practice exercises were used to reveal to Holden students all the mechanisms and ‘behind the scenes’ work that go into developing children’s series projects for the global market. The Holden School, founded in Turin in 1994, is a Storytelling & Performing Arts School for young adults that teaches the art of telling stories. Students study to become professional writers of narrative in all its guises, and therefore not just writers, but also film directors, copywriters, screenplay writers, social media managers, reporters, tv and radio authors: because there are no limits when it comes to writing books, directing films, designing videogames or managing social media for a company. What it all boils down to is : how to tell a story. It is highly probable that students studying at the Holden will have jobs in future that do not yet exist. Each year at the Holden School many International and Italian professionals from highly diverse backgrounds and experiences teach students all about what it means to do their job, and what it takes to become storytellers today. Besides this, the Holden School is also a workshop for narrative projects and a cultural production center: it works with companies, bookstores, publishers, festivals, schools and theaters to put together diverse projects – from the most classic, such as how to publish a book, to more complex endeavours such as how to put on a theater production in 6 acts. One of the founders of the School is current headmaster, Alessandro Baricco.
