Find the Story
Uncover the history, knowledge, experiences, proof, people, and patterns that give an organization its story.
Award-Winning Storytelling Company
Storytelling is a lifecycle.
Not an act.
Most organizations treat storytelling like a tool—something they pull out when they need a campaign, a video, a presentation, or a pitch.
But the story doesn't begin when someone starts writing. And its value shouldn't disappear when the project is over.
For 26 years, DuckPunk has worked across the storytelling lifecycle—from discovering what an organization already knows and has earned, to bringing stories to life, putting them in front of audiences, and preserving their value for what comes next.
The Storytelling Lifecycle
Every story moves through six stages.
Build the Story
Select the right narrative elements for the audience, objective, and moment — and construct the story that needs to be told.
Align the Story
Make sure the organization’s reality — identity, strategy, operations, communication, and audience experience — actually supports the story before it goes public.
Execute the Story
Bring the story to life in the right format — from video and campaigns to presentations, keynotes, written content, and other narrative formats.
Show the Story
Deliver the story to its intended audiences through the right channels — owned, earned, social, live, internal, and stakeholder channels.
Protect the Story
Capture the stories, proof, results, audience response, and knowledge into a narrative asset vault that strengthens every story that follows.
Protect feeds Find. That's why storytelling is a lifecycle, not a six-step process.
Trigger Moments
Some stories carry more weight than others.
- Before a merger, acquisition, or ownership transition
- Before a major launch, campaign, or strategic initiative
- When entering a new market or pursuing a major opportunity
- When leadership, strategy, or direction changes
- When an organization needs to preserve knowledge, history, or legacy
- When the stakes of being misunderstood are high
These are the moments when storytelling shouldn't start with a blank page.
From Strategy to Execution
We don't just develop the story. We bring it to life.
DuckPunk works across the storytelling lifecycle—from uncovering and developing the story to aligning it, producing it, and helping it reach the people who need to experience it.
Story & Narrative Development
Discovery, interviewing, research, positioning, messaging, presentations, executive stories, and keynote development.
Narrative Alignment
Ensure the story is supported by the organization's identity, strategy, operations, communication, and intended audience experience before visibility increases.
Creative & Production
Commercials, branded content, video campaigns, multicultural production, presentations, social content, and AI-enabled creative execution.
Narrative Assets
Capture and organize the stories, knowledge, history, proof, successful language, and audience response the organization has already earned.
Strategize to target. Produce to reach. Continuity across the entire lifecycle.
Trusted By
What Clients Say
"The session set the tone and gave us a path forward. Mellissa got everyone on the same page and helped the team understand why this work matters."
Melanie StrohDirector of Hotel SalesThe Westin Los Angeles Airport"Mellissa and DuckPunk delivered two award-winning Nissan campaigns that made a memorable impact within the younger Asian American community. The quality of work was exceptional, and Mellissa consistently found solutions."
Vivian Lau GuerreroVP / Production DirectorAmerasia"Mellissa listened carefully to what I was saying—and what I wasn't saying. Through a series of insightful questions, she helped me get to the true essence of my project and articulate its purpose in a much more powerful way. It was a level of clarity I could never have achieved on my own."
Lynn MurphyAuthor
Founder
Mellissa Tong, Founder & Chief Storytelling Officer
Mellissa Tong is an award-winning storyteller with more than 30 years spanning broadcast journalism, prime-time scripted television, Hollywood indie films, TV commercial production and branded content, and 26 years building and leading DuckPunk.
Across those very different environments, she developed a perspective on storytelling that extends far beyond marketing and communication. She sees storytelling as an organizational lifecycle — from discovering the stories, knowledge, history, and assets an organization has accumulated, to building and aligning the story, bringing it to life, reaching the right audiences, and protecting what was learned and earned for what comes next.
That perspective led Mellissa to develop DuckPunk's Storytelling Lifecycle, along with frameworks around Narrative Assets and Enterprise Narrative Alignment.
Read Mellissa's Story →When Your Story Matters Most