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AKO Storytelling Institute

Four panel speakers sit onstage in front of a large projected still from Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which shows a man on the phone beside a computer monitor.
Four panel speakers sit onstage in front of a large projected still from Mr Bates vs The Post Office, which shows a man on the phone beside a computer monitor.
Panel discussion at an AKO Storytelling Institute event, featuring a projected still from Mr Bates vs The Post Office as part of a conversation on storytelling, character and social impact.

Equipping storytellers to amplify change

About us

We work at the intersection of storytelling and social change.

Through creative labs, interdisciplinary research, training and education, we explore how evidence from psychology, communication studies and campaign strategies can help creatives make greater social impact.

The AKO Storytelling Institute has been established with the generous support of the AKO Foundation, as part of UAL Social Purpose Group.

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  • A panel of five speakers discuss Impact Production on stage at an AKO Storytelling Institute event, while a large audience listens and takes notes.
    Panel session led by the AKO Storytelling Institute at the OKRE Summit, bringing together researchers and practitioners to explore storytelling, impact and collaboration.

    About us

  • Image of Fran Panetta in a workshop
    Image of Fran Panetta in a workshop

    Our team

Our work, research and events

  • Several human figures in full black bodysuits stand and lean in a grassy landscape, their bodies covered with glowing white dots, against a backdrop of hills and open sky.
    Human Safari by Xin Feng, 2023 MA Commercial Photography, London College of Communication, UAL.

    Experimentation

  • A speaker stands onstage beneath a large projected slide reading “The story paradox: imperfect abundance, fatalism, hope and pathways to the future,” gesturing with hands in front of red curtains.
    A keynote presentation exploring ‘The Story Paradox’ during an AKO Storytelling Institute research event, examining how narrative shapes hope, fatalism and future pathways.

    Research

  • A panel speaker holding a microphone sits in front of a projected image showing a sweatshirt with the words “Justice for Post Office Victims” in large red text.
    A speaker contributes to a panel discussion at an AKO Storytelling Institute event, set against projected imagery referencing the campaign for justice for Post Office victims.

    Events

Courses

  • 'Danny's Farm', Eva Sykes, 2025 MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins, UAL | Photograph: Paul Cochrane

    Diploma in Storytelling

Stories

  • STIGMATA, Davide Lhamid, 2022 MA Photojournalism and Documentary Photography, London College of Communication, UAL

    What can creative storytellers learn from organising leader, Marshall Ganz?

    In May 2025, a group of folks from across the broad social and environmental justice field gathered in Central London to hear from legendary organiser, Marshall Ganz. In this guest blog, writer and facilitator Ruth Taylor reflects on the

  • Still from The White Lotus, courtesy of HBO

    A Wealth of Stories: Exploring Wealth Inequality through Storytelling

    The AKO Storytelling Institute has partnered with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation to explore how storytelling shapes public understanding of wealth inequality.

  • Cover of the report Countering disinformation through games, published by the AKO Storytelling Institute in collaboration with More in Common, exploring how game design can support media literacy for disengaged and low-trust audiences.

    Countering disinformation through games report

    A new report from the AKO Storytelling Institute and More in Common exploring how game design can help counter disinformation and build media literacy.

  • Image by AKO Storytelling Institute.

    Embedding Impact Production in Entertainment

    n this blog, Fran shares what she learned from the panel discussions and roundtables—highlighting key questions, tensions and moments of insight that continue to shape the Institute’s thinking about how impact production could be more widely

  • All stories