90. Kurt McClung: Worldbuilding, Communities and the Storyteller's Responsibility

In this episode of Future of Film, Alex Stolz speaks with worldbuilding pioneer Kurt McClung, a narrative designer whose “world-first” methodology has helped build over 100 fictional universes across AAA games, film, TV, animation, and transmedia. From major gmaing franchises such as Ghost Recon and Beyond Good & Evil 2 to original IPs in development for the screen, Kurt has worked at the intersection of storytelling, design, and audience engagement for over two decades. Kurt shares why the traditional focus on characters and plot is no longer enough and how starting with a flawed world, defined by a central metaphor or societal question, can unlock new creative possibilities and commercial longevity. But more than that, Kurt explores how powerful worlds don’t just contain stories they create space for audience participation, debate, and community-building. With real world and practical examples, Kurt explains how worldbuilding is not just a storytelling tool, it’s a strategic engine that can align creative teams, connect with real-world conversations and give audiences something they want to explore, contribute to, and advocate for. Whether you're developing a game, a TV series, or an immersive transmedia experience, this conversation offers essential insights into designing IP that’s both creatively bold and culturally resonant. In this episode, you’ll learn: - Why starting with a flawed world — not a character — leads to stronger stories - How to frame your world as a metaphor for a meaningful societal question - The three essential elements of a compelling narrative bible - How world-first storytelling creates alignment across large creative teams - Why audiences gather around problems, not plots and how to build a community around your story -Practical strategies for involving marketing and distribution early through theme-based outreach - How to design IP with built-in potential for audience expansion and participation About Kurt McClung Kurt McClung is a transmedia storyteller with a passion for epic inspirational experiences. He started his career writing graphic novels and interactive children’s books, and then blossomed into videogames and recently television and cinema. He has worked on over on one hundred fictional worlds for more than forty studios as a Creator, Writer, Lead Writer, Script Doctor, Content Director, Narrative Designer and World Designer. A specialist of IP creation, narrative structure and world logic with an industrial engineering education, he builds fictional journeys like one would plan the construction of a work of architecture. He has developed his own set of creative vision tools, and has shared his passion teaching transmedia strategy, interactive script writing, world design and 360 narrative design in several universities and for master class circuits. He serves as narrative Content Director on several boards of game studios he helped found. Kurt is an excellent team builder and creative alignment lead, whether on small scale projects or those of AAA scale. He strives to give audiences a novel point of view, an “extra life”.