Starting an online community is like casting a film and picking the right sets. Adopting a community strategy is like writing a script and building the right soundtrack with the best crew. Getting community right is a lot like making movies, but it’s no field of dreams. Learn how to build the community you need and the community your audience wants by thinking like a filmmaker. All images in this presentation were generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) library called Stable Diffusion. Credit: Ian Boyles Flywheel’s Triad Startup Expo joins ConvergeSouth for two full days of entrepreneurial programming. The event features expert-led breakout sessions, a startup expo with 75 exhibiting companies and investment firms from across the Southeast. On day one, there is a full agenda of multi-track educational programming led by national and regional experts on all things digital. Speaker bio: Ryan Boyles is an early adopter and technology whisperer. He leads the social media team responsible for corporate brand and B2B solutions at AMD. Ryan held several transformational roles at IBM in Research Triangle Park, spanning social media and growth marketing, community management and influencer relations, global tech conferences and technical evangelism, employee advocacy and executive coaching, branding and product launches; and once upon a time, he was a darn good front-end developer. He is an accomplished inventor with 12 software patents. Ryan received his bachelors of science degree in Computer Science from the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University. You can find Ryan co-hosting a stream show about useless nerd knowledge most Friday afternoons. When not working, he is probably traveling the country to an Avett Brothers concert.

1. PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR
CAMERA
DATE SCENE TAKE
IN A WORLD
47 #3
#ConvergeSouth
09/08/2022
Ryan Boyles

2. Classic films have 3 acts and so does my
presentation
Take action
Exposition
Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Resolve things

3. Hello! I’m RAB
Ryan Alexander Boyles.
Film nerd.
Community Builder.
Avett Brothers band follower.
Connect with me @theRAB

4. I work for AMD
Advanced Micro Devices.
Semiconductors. Processors.
Gaming GPU. PC CPU.
Data Centers. Cloud. AI.
Embedded. Accelerators.
HPC. Supercomputers.
Connect with us @AMD

5. Convergence
1991
Bloggers unite!
Also, what’s this
new Twitter thing?
2007-09
Big digi keynote:
How the web is
changing
2013
Web Workshop:
Creepy vs Magic
Continuum
2014 2022
Learning Pascal
programming on
Apple II at North
Forsyth HS
Lorem ipsum dolor
sit amet,
consectetuer
adipiscing elit.

6. Obsession, intelligence, and social ineptitude are key to making good things and finding your tribe.
Be a nerd.

7. Community : Platforms :: Movies : Formats
1999
phpBB
WordPress
Open Source
Early 2000s
Twitter
BizarreVoice
Tumblr
Late 2000s
Facebook Groups
Reddit
LinkedIn Groups
StackOverflow
2010s 2022
Geocities
AOL
Discord
Slack
GitHub
G2

8. Storytelling has got to be
one of the most
underrated community
skills.
― VP of Community for London-based Fintech startup

9. Discussion. Action. Support. Fan. Social.
Learning. Networking. Local.
What is your
genre?

10. What is your
story?
Establish purpose. Elicit emotion. Make
clear goals. Build history. Envision future.
Build Narrative: Linear. Non-linear. Quest.
Viewpoint.
Provide a specific value. Transform words.

11. Talent. Empathy. Story arcs. Chapters. Role-playing. The Face of. Protagonist and antagonist.
Cast good Actors!

12. Who is the
Director?
Visualize the story. Set artistic and dramatic
vision. Pick key roles. Find muses and
moments. Listen for rhythm.

13. Cultivate visionary
Cinematographers!
Recording. Scouting. Set-up. Shoots. Crew. Equipment. Framing.

14. Who is the
Editor?
Beats. Choices. Notes. Technology.
Innovation. Continuity. Style. Invisible art.

15. Planning. Coordination. Pre-production. Budgets. Negotiations. Logistics. Liaison. Pitch.
Find dedicated
Producers!

16. #CommunityFacts
Follow Marvel Super Fan Girl and Hubspot Senior Manager, Offline
Community + Advocacy @ThatChristinaG

17. Don’t be afraid
to improvise
Trust the process. Cultivate ideas. Ask
what-ifs. Read the room.

18. Make it fun
Go behind the scenes. Interview fans. Give
awesome merch. Do events.

19. Celebrate
success
Support crew and talent. Recognize your
audience. Reward good work.

20. What are these
cinematic visuals?
All images in this presentation were generated
by an artificial intelligence (AI) library called
Stable Diffusion. Visit stability.ai
Art Credit: Ian Boyles

21. Thank you!
Let’s talk
@theRAB
raboyles at gmail
beacons.ai/therab

22. #ConvergeSouth
#csws22

23. Credits.
Presentation Template: SlidesMania
Sample Images: Unsplash
Fonts used in this presentation: Questrial and Rubik