Telling Your Story: The Intersection of Digital Archiving & Documentary Filmmaking

Ron Watermon • April 28, 2023

St. Louis, MO – April 28, 2023 - When we hear about a person's life story, we are often inspired by their struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. Personal narratives can be incredibly powerful, especially when they are shared in the form of a documentary film.

However, creating a compelling documentary requires more than just a good story. It requires great imagery that can bring that story to life on screen and in our hearts. This is where the intersection of digital archiving and documentary filmmaking becomes essential.

Consider the case of a former professional athlete who has thousands of photos in their collection. These photos can serve as a treasure trove of visual material that can help to tell their story in a documentary film. By digitizing these photos, they can be easily accessed, organized, and incorporated into the film's narrative. Moreover, digitizing these photos also helps to preserve them for future generations, ensuring that the athlete's story will continue to inspire and impact others long after they are gone.

Investing in a professional documentary filmmaking process that begins with the creation of a digital archive can be a game-changer for personal storytelling. By combining the power of digital archiving with the art of documentary filmmaking, we can create films that truly capture the essence of a person's life journey. These films can become a legacy for the person and their loved ones, as well as a source of inspiration for others who may be going through similar struggles.

In addition to creating a personal archive of photos, it's also important to invest in a professional documentary filmmaker who can bring that archive to life on screen. A skilled filmmaker can help to shape the narrative, select the most impactful images, and use music and other elements to enhance the emotional impact of the story. By working with a professional filmmaker, the athlete can be assured that their story will be told in a way that does justice to their experiences and achievements.

Storytelling is an essential part of the human experience. It allows us to connect with others, to learn from their experiences, and to be inspired by their journeys. But let’s be honest, a good story comes down to the telling. How a story is told can make all the difference in the world in terms of how an audience connects with it.

I’m a firm believer that while there are millions of ways you can tell a story well, there are likely just as many ways to screw it up. I believe everyone matters and deserves to have their story told in an amazing and memorable way.

As the founder of video storytelling company with a mission to provide storytelling for all, what keeps me up at night is trying to figure out a way that guarantees the best storytelling results. How do you do that?

Time and again, I come back to the intersection of digital archiving & documentary filmmaking.

By investing in a professional documentary filmmaking process that begins with the creation of a digital archive of photos, we can ensure that these stories are captured and preserved for generations to come.

And for anyone with hundreds of photos in their collection, this can be a smart and powerful way to tell their story.

-- Ron Watermon , with Ghostwriting Assistance from ChatGPT


About STORYSMART®


Nothing is more enduring than a beautiful film that brings a story alive on screen and in our hearts. Great stories demand nothing less than cinematic Hollywood-quality storytelling. STORYSMART® specializes in helping public figures such as professional athletes, entertainers, former elected officials and celebrities make the most of their story using a proprietary approach that blends Hollywood-style cinematic storytelling with museum-like collection curation and story-focused brand licensing.


STORYSMART® provides Hollywood Quality filmmaking and storytelling consulting services, functioning as a high-end work-for-hire ghostwriting service specializing in cinematic storytelling rather than being limited to traditional book publishing (hint - you can do both if your are smart about your storytelling derivative rights). STORYSMART® services range from story preservation digital archive services like those used by Oprah Winfrey, Bon Jovi and Billy Graham, to story development, screenwriting, licensing, and professional documentary filmmaking.


STORYSMART® is ideal for clients interested in controlling and monetizing their own storytelling through story-based media production, publishing, and merchandising.


Learn more about our customized white glove approach and book your FREE CONFIDENTIAL consultation at storysmart.net


Filmmaking For ALL™ My Own Story™ Storytelling For ALL™


About Ron Watermon

Ron Watermon is the founder and CEO of STORYSMART, a nationwide premium filmmaking and video storytelling service that empowers clients to have their stories professionally produced by experienced Filmmakers and TV Reporters while retaining their intellectual property rights.

A creative and innovative communications leader with nearly three decades of experience, prior to founding STORYSMART, Ron spent 18 MLB seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals where he was responsible for modernizing the team's communications by leading their investment in video storytelling, brand journalism, fan engagement and social media.

The Real Story Behind The Sopranos

By Ron Watermon • June 15, 2026
How David Chase Turned Family Pain Into One of the Greatest Shows of All Time

The Real Story Behind The Wire

By Ron Watermon • June 2, 2026
The Wire Wasn't Just Invented. It Was Reported.

Making Steak on a Hamburger Budget

By Ron Watermon • May 30, 2026
Filmmaking for ALL™ Lesson One

Who Gets to Profit From a True Story?

By Ron Watermon • May 24, 2026
Exploring the Ethical Tensions of Investment and Profit Sharing in Documentary Filmmaking

The Real Story Behind Michael

By Ron Watermon • May 19, 2026
What the Michael Jackson Biopic Teaches Us About Storytelling

From Amityville to The Exorcist

By Ron Watermon • May 5, 2026
Why "True Story" Horror is So Profitable

The Cobbler's Son Finally Gets Shoes

By Ron Watermon • May 1, 2026
Why I'm Changing How I (and STORYSMART®) Tell Stories

MEDIA LENS: From Rescue Mission to Movie Deal

By Ron Watermon • April 26, 2026
How a Story of a U.S. Airman Shot Down in Iran is Already Becoming a Feature Film

From Shoebox to Screenplay

By Ron Watermon • April 21, 2026
Turning Photos into Cinematic Storytelling Assets

From Brand Storytelling to Owned Media

By Ron Watermon • April 7, 2026
There are moments in your career that don’t feel particularly significant at the time, but years later, you realize they changed everything. The television show we started when I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, Cardinals Insider, is now heading into its 11th season. In an industry where most things don’t last, there’s something meaningful about building something that endures. While I've already shared the story of how the show almost didn’t happen, what’s been on my mind recently is what we were doing before it ever aired. For me the show was never the starting point, it was a destination on a journey that began seventeen years ago when I decided to fully commit to becoming a brand journalist. A Baseball Brand Journalist When I moved over to the Baseball Operations Department to work with our Media Relations team in September 2009, the media landscape looked very different than it does today. Social media was still in its infancy. We had exactly one platform we controlled, Twitter, and even that was a bit of a mess. Our account was @MLBstlcardinals, while Major League Baseball operated @stlcardinals out of New York. It was confusing for fans and limiting for us. But it also created an opportunity. Instead of waiting for others to tell our story, we decided to start telling it ourselves. Not as marketers, but as actual storytellers. More specifically, we adopted a mindset rooted in journalism. The fundamentals I learned years earlier in college—who, what, when, where, why, and how. The discipline of getting it right. The importance of clarity, structure, and credibility. We weren’t trying to spin the story. We were trying to tell it honestly, accurately, and from a clearly defined point of view. That point of view mattered. We made a promise to our audience: we would cover the team like journalists, but from the inside. We weren’t going to pretend to be something we weren’t. We were insiders. That was the advantage. And instead of hiding from it, we leaned into it. At the same time, we understood the responsibility that came with that position. We didn’t need to be first. We needed to be right. That meant establishing standards. It meant covering the good moments like the wins, the milestones, and the behind-the-scenes access fans couldn’t get anywhere else. But it also meant not ignoring the harder stories when they arose. Credibility was always at stake, and we treated it that way. I knew were building something. A system. A mindset. A way of approaching storytelling that went beyond promotion and into something far more durable. Over time, that approach evolved into a weekly TV show that’s still on the air more than a decade later. But none of that happens without what came first. The decision to think as brand journalists with a point of view. Brand Journalists with a Point of View What we were building in those early days didn’t look like much from the outside. There was no studio. No formal production schedule. No distribution strategy beyond posting to social media and linking out to photos and video. In fact, some of the earliest tools we used would feel almost laughable today.
Show More