McCann Creative Studios
Writer, Editor & Story Developer
Before the bylines and the deals, there was this:
A creative practice I built to make good stories happen.
I didn't just open a studio–I created a space for stories to thrive.
Across mediums, across markets, and into the hands of people who needed them.
At McCann Creative Studios, I was the writer, the editor, the strategist, the closer. Sometimes I came in to elevate someone else's vision. Other times, I was the voice that launched it–from pitch to payoff.
Some stories made it to the screen. Others landed in a video game, a book on a restaurant table, or the hands of a donor who gave more after reading a single page.
Whatever the format, the mission stayed the same:
Make it matter. Give it shape. Make them feel.
Narrative Design in Games
Crimson Tide
Some games are about survival.
This one is about finding your way back to yourself.
Based on a concept by game developer Nick DePalo, I created the story pitch and shaped the narrative arc for Crimson Tide, an emotionally immersive game now on Steam.
The player follows a solitary protagonist navigating grief, memory, and disconnection–drawn toward a distant lighthouse that may hold more than just light.
Collaborating closely with Nick, I helped craft the act structure, emotional pacing, and symbolic resonance.
Every choice shifts the terrain, mirroring the unpredictable path of self-discovery.
Partnered with Marcia Clark to develop a legal drama that sold to F/X.
IPhoto by Larry D. Moore, licensed under CC BY 4.0
From Idea to F/X
Co-Writing with Marcia Clark
Some ideas stay at the table.
I took this one all the way to the network.
I co-created a one-hour legal drama with prosecutor and author Marcia Clark, developing the concept and co-writing the pitch that sold to F/X Networks.
I led the outreach, set the meetings, and helped shape the arc, tone, and structure—from first idea to final deal.
It started as a conversation over dinner.
I made sure it didn’t end there.
Some of My Biggest Work. Zero Credit.
Ghostwriting in Hollywood
Four major theatrical releases.
No screen credit.
Career-shaping experience.
I ghostwrote four major theatrical releases for a well-known writer/director–films that opened wide and made real money.
I'm contractually bound not to name them. But I shaped full scenes, rewrote dialogue, and pulled emotional arcs into focus–sometimes from a rough first draft, sometimes in a rewrite sprint just days before cameras rolled.
The deadlines were tight.
The stakes were high.
The work was off the record.
But the impact on me?
Undeniable.
Dirty Diapers Lands Over the Rainbow
Featured Magazine Columnist
Most boats in the Caribbean were christened Serenity or Second Wind.
Ours? Dirty Diapers.
Because we had an 8-month-old on board–and a dubious naming strategy.
This column–one of eight I wrote during our sail to 42 islands over eight months–recounts our first overnight crossing through the Anegada Passage, from the Virgin Islands to St. Barts.
When I first stepped aboard, all I had was twelve hours of sailing classes, a four-pound dog, a spirited baby, and the kind of optimism you only carry when you truly have no clue what's ahead.
Somewhere around hour three, I thought:
What was I thinking??
In this installment, I leaned into The Wizard of Oz–because metaphors made more sense than the GPS. And by the time we made it through–exhausted but proud–I realized something unexpected:
I wasn't wishing for home the way Dorothy did.
I'd already found it.
Click the image to read the full column.
For easier viewing, the article has been split into sections. Each section can be magnified. The original ran as one continuous piece.
The Story That Didn't Fit on the Menu
Biographer & Narrative Researcher
The restaurant may be called Estia's Little Kitchen.
But the story behind it was anything but small.
I was commissioned to write the biography of its Michelin-starred chef–whose food had drawn both A-listers and locals to his Hamptons kitchen for decades.
I spent several weeks at his estate conducting interviews and narrative research. I shadowed him during service, spoke with his wife and daughters, and interviewed longtime customers–including a few celebrity regulars–to trace the full arc of his life and work (and yes, I took full advantage of the open kitchen!).
The finished book now lives in his personal library–and on a shelf inside the restaurant–capturing a career that earned its star, and kept the tables full.
College Survival
Chapter Author
Volunteerism wasn't just a buzzword.
It was something I lived, chased down, and wrote into the record.
My chapter in College Survival-published by Arco Press and released in multiple editions–explored how students could give back: who they could help, how to get involved, and why it mattered. I interviewed Stanford classmates and high school peers, and added my own story to the mix.
The result? A guide to the how–and a case for the why you couldn't ignore.
The Caffeinated Chronicles
Manuscript Editor
This wasn't your average manuscript–and he wasn't your average writer.
The Caffeinated Chronicles came from a globally known specialty coffee producer who had spent years visiting cafés, observing behavior, and documenting the psychology of group dynamics–one cup at a time. The manuscript blended philosophy, satire, and storytelling, with a rotating cast of coffeehouse regulars and a voice that leaned bold.
I came in as editor to shape the raw draft–refining tone, tightening structure, and sharpening dialogue.
Every chapter had a distinct flavor.
My job was making sure it didn't spill over.
Hogar Ruth Fundraising Speech
Delivered to a crowd of over 100 people, this speech raised more than any previous fundraiser for the shelter–and I had the honor of writing and delivering it.
Read the speech here.
A Bark for Help
A personal campaign that raised over $28,000 to fund a life-changing service dog–surpassing its goal.
Click the image below to enlarge.
Alexandros Fundraising Campaign Letter
Commissioned to support a mother's fight for her son's rare surgery, this piece combined clarity, urgency, and emotional pull–to help turn hope into action.
Read the campaign letter here.
Hogar Ruth Fundraising Letter
Written from the inside, this letter brought a personal voice to a critical mission–connecting readers to the cause with honesty, heart, and resolve.
Read the letter here.
Words That Opened Eyes–and Wallets
Fundraising Writer
With fundraising, you're not just telling a story.
You're inviting people to change it.
I've written pieces that helped raise tens of thousands of dollars–each one grounded in stories that didn't just stir emotion, but shifted perspective.
A mother fighting for her son's rare surgery.
A personal campaign to fund a service dog.
A shelter that once saved me.
And a speech I wrote and delivered on domestic violence, to a room of over 100 people–mostly men, many of them professional athletes. One of them came up to me afterward and said,
"You made me realize this could be my sister. My best friend's wife. I never thought like that before you."
That speech helped raise more than any previous fundraiser for the shelter.
The service dog campaign? It reached its goal–and then some.
My aim?
Help people see differently.
And act because of it.
Great stories don't write themselves. Let's talk.
Tara McCann