Lars Jessen is one of the best-known film and television directors in Germany; he has directed many episodes of "Tatort" and "Polizeiruf 110," adapted the books of Rocko Schamoni and Heinz Strunk for the screen, and last year, filmed the Dörte Hansen bestseller "Mittagsstunde." Jessen therefore knows which stories work and how to move people. And that is exactly what we are talking to him about today in the podcast.
Jessen's latest project is a documentary series with the programmatic title "Wir können auch anders" (We Can Do Things Differently). Together with Anke Engelke, Bjarne Mädel, and others, he introduces people who have simply taken the future into their own hands instead of lamenting the hopelessness of the present. "Catastrophe reports about melting glaciers, starving polar bears, and the supposedly imminent end of the world only demotivate people," says Jessen, who tells the stories in his series of people who have sought and found solutions. His conviction: every change begins with a credible story. We learn from one of the most interesting German filmmakers what companies can learn from this, how sustainable storytelling works, and how to motivate rather than frustrate people.