For some of us, there may be no scarier, paralyzing question than “Why does this matter?” If the answer to that question is, “it doesn’t” or “I don’t know,” we can easily slide into a “nothing matters” mindset. Over time, I learned to conquer this fear by identifying my core purpose: facilitating connections, relationships, love, joy, understanding, and empathy through creative storytelling. At the job in Chicago, I was not connected to my purpose, and I was having a hard time. If I could find paying work that fulfilled my raison d’etre, then I could get out of bed every day. Thanks to a good friend and a lucky networking connection, in 2009 I moved to Denver for a job that would certainly fulfill my purpose: creative writer at Children’s Hospital Colorado. There, I would have the rare privilege of meeting hundreds of people at the most crucial point in their lives. These were life and death stories — the biggest stories there are — and they mattered. It wasn’t just my job to report on the life and death situations in the hospital. Contrary to popular practice in corporate writing, simply stating that something is dramatic does not inspire readership. People read stories because they want to go on a ride; they want the satisfaction of answered questions, of resolved tension. Thus, it was my job to draw the reader in and connect them to the people living these stories in the place where it was happening. Furthermore, because the hospital was doing such an excellent job treating sick children, it turned out that most of the stories were not life and death. They were smaller and less risky, but nevertheless in need of promotion. The bigger challenge I faced as a writer was how to tell stories of connection when the story beats were less dramatic. I thrived on this challenge because I got to know the detailed characters of so many people, to discover what it was about their story that would resonate with the rest of us. These journeys made me a better writer and better storyteller. To this day, my experience writing thousands of stories about the people who passed through Children’s Colorado informs my approach to all storytelling. Soon, my storytelling extended beyond the page to the camera and I created the video team at Children’s Colorado. Though the details were far different from writing prose, the takeaway was the same: People wanted stories that captivated them. At that moment, I realized that my special combination of abilities could differentiate me in the Denver video industry. Shortly thereafter, in October 2017, I started Costello Productions. I named the company to honor my dad who died in 2016 and left his legacy of changing lives by connecting with everyday people and advocating for positive community change. This still is my vision for Costello Productions: To change lives by lifting remarkable stories from everyday life.