The Whole Story

What The Whole Story does

The Whole Story is a Phoenix-originated creative initiative founded in 2017 by Rachel Egboro Ojo that produced quarterly live storytelling events featuring Black storytellers, hosted in partnership with the Phoenix Art Museum. Over the course of 16 productions, the initiative curated 70 stories into an archive now distributed via SoundCloud and YouTube. Live in-person programming concluded in February 2022 and has not been restarted, leaving the core product as a digital archive plus founder-led coaching and organizational consulting.

The business model combines a non-monetized cultural/arts surface with a small commercial coaching and consulting line. Live events were free to attend, so the archive generates no direct revenue; the consulting arm sells bespoke workshops and engagements on a quote basis to a handful of nonprofit clients, including a recent partnership with Dan Hull and The Storyline that extends the offering into organizational storytelling curricula. There is no SaaS product, no subscription tier, no advertising business, and no disclosed funding.

The company operates with 1-10 employees and is effectively a founder-led personal practice. The founder relocated from Phoenix to New York City in August 2022, suggesting a repositioning of the coaching practice into a larger market, while the storytelling brand remains anchored to its Phoenix roots and the existing digital archive. The venture is not structured for venture-scale growth and should be read as a cultural venture and personal services practice rather than an investable growth company.

Name

The Whole Story

Legal name

The Whole Story

Website

https://thewholestoryshow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Whole Story is a founder-led creative initiative that ran quarterly Black storytelling shows at the Phoenix Art Museum and now operates as a digital archive on SoundCloud and YouTube, complemented by a small coaching and organizational consulting practice led by founder Rachel Egboro Ojo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Storytelling Events & Cultural Content

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115)

akta.pro primary industry

Author Talks & Book Readings (MPAGACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reality & Factual Entertainment (Unscripted) (MPADADAO)

Keywords

• Live storytelling events
• Black narrative archive
• Storytelling coaching services
• Cultural storytelling curation
• Personal narrative platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Live Event Tickets: Free admission live storytelling events at Phoenix Art Museum
2. Coaching Services: Rachel Egboro Ojo offers coaching services to help people tell better stories about themselves, including organizational consulting for incorporating personal storytelling into programming

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Whole Story is a storytelling initiative that produced a quarterly live storytelling show featuring five Black storytellers presenting personal stories on life, loss, and identity to live audiences of approximately 300 people at Phoenix Art Museum. The initiative also maintains a digital archive of those Black narratives on SoundCloud and YouTube, and the founder offers paid storytelling coaching to individuals and organizations.

Product overview

The Whole Story operated as a live storytelling show and content archive focused on expanding Black narratives through the art of storytelling. The core offering was a quarterly live event in partnership with Phoenix Art Museum, where five Black storytellers presented personal stories to a live audience. After the show concluded its live run in February 2022 (after 70 stories across 16 shows), it transitioned to a digital archive available on SoundCloud and YouTube. Additionally, founder Rachel Egboro Ojo offers storytelling coaching services to individuals and organizations seeking to incorporate personal narrative into their programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Whole Story Live Storytelling Show A quarterly live storytelling event where five selected Black storytellers develop and deliver personal stories on life, loss, and everything in between, presented to audiences of approximately 300 people in partnership with Phoenix Art Museum. Free admission; operated from January 2017 to February 2022.
• The Whole Story Archive An ongoing digital archive of Black narratives from the live shows, distributed through SoundCloud and YouTube, preserving stories told during the live events from January 2017 to February 2022.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70 stories told and archived
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Phoenix Art MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The Whole Story was created in partnership with Phoenix Art Museum. Rachel Egboro curated quarterly live storytelling shows at the museum, featuring five Black storytellers per event with 300-person audience capacity. The partnership ran from January 2017 to February 2022.
• Dan Hull / The StorylineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Hull of The Storyline partnered with Rachel Egboro to co-create and direct the live storytelling show.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Stoop: The Stoop is a podcast and live series from WYPL FM 89.3 highlighting stories from the Black community, directly comparable to The Whole Story's focus on Black personal storytelling across live and digital formats.
• The Moth: The Moth produces live curated personal storytelling shows with a global network of venues and a podcast archive, the closest direct comparable to The Whole Story's live narrative events plus digital archive model. Both feature coached amateurs telling true personal stories on stage.
• StoryCorps: StoryCorps records and archives personal stories from Americans across backgrounds, producing a large publicly accessible audio archive at the American Folklife Center. Comparable to The Whole Story's practice of curating, coaching, and archiving Black personal narratives in digital form.
• RISK!: RISK! is a live storytelling show and podcast featuring true stories performed live, similar in format to The Whole Story's quarterly live narrative events that were also archived digitally for ongoing distribution.
• First Person Arts: First Person Arts produces storySlam live storytelling events and a memoir-style festival in Philadelphia. Directly comparable as another live personal storytelling platform that builds community around true personal narratives.
• Mortified: Mortified stages live storytelling events featuring ordinary people sharing personal stories in curated formats with digital extensions. Similar to The Whole Story's blend of live curated personal narrative and accessible online archive content.
• National Association of Black Storytellers: NABS is a national organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the Black storytelling tradition through festivals and programs. Comparable to The Whole Story as a Black-led venue that advances Black narratives through the storytelling arts.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thewholestoryshow
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewholestoryshow/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thewholestoryshow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Whole Story