Sharing the Joy of Storytelling in Hawaii with Xperiential

In January, Xperiential Co-founders Elyse Klaidman (CEO) and Tony DeRose (CTO) travelled to sunny Hawaii to present Story Xperiential to educators and students at several schools and the Shoots Summit in Honolulu. Creative Industries Division (CID), a part of Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) sponsored the trip as part of a continued partnership.

The Xperiential team was invited to present at two locations on Friday, January 16th, organized by Kevin Matsunaga who, along with his team from the Kauai Economic Development Board, is behind Shoots Summit. Their first stop was Honolulu Community College to present a storytelling workshop for adults; "Turn Your Idea into a Pitch" before they headed to the University of Hawai‘i-West O‘ahu, to the Academy of Creative Media, to share the same workshop with an audience of college and high school students. These workshops were all about turning the spark of an idea into a clear, compelling story pitch. 

Tony DeRose presenting a workshop to

Tony explaining the Story Spine!

Elyse talking about Character Identity

Youths creating their stories!

Elyse Klaidman said, “There is a real magic in storytelling in Hawaii. We are continually amazed and inspired by the deeply relevant spiritual stories that come from the Hawaiian community”.   

Over the weekend of January 17th to 19th, the co-founders spent their time at Shoots Summit 2026, held at Moanalua High School, Honolulu. The Shoots Summit, which has been running since 2023, aims to bring students, teachers, and industry professionals together from across the state, and some from out of state, to share in their passion for digital media, creativity, and storytelling. The professional-led workshops and competitions for students focus on photography, graphic design, film, and broadcast media. Hawai’i is overflowing with young aspiring creators and the Shoots Summit looks to help them grow.

Shoots Summit 2026 Award and Closing Ceremony

“The energy, excitement and talent on display at the Shoots Summit was amazing. Hats off to all involved!” said Tony DeRose of the conference.  

Elyse and Tony, joined by local Honolulu Xperiential staff members Nova and Skye Sonomura, taught several workshops on Saturday and Sunday. Conference goers enjoyed both the workshops: "Tell Your Story the Pixar Way with Story Xperiential" a hands-on interactive class for students and educators, where participants learned how to turn personal or community ideas into a story outline, and "Careers in Animation - Roles, Reels and Real Paths" which explored the many careers in animation, from story development to production, and included a Q & A session about Pixar and the animation industry. Over 900 people from 50 schools attended Shoots Summit 2026! The Xperiential co-founders capped off their trip at the closing and awards ceremony on the final day of the conference. 

“Seeing kids editing their films in stairwells, and spreading out and finding places to film on this one large campus was very inspiring. I found myself thinking even more so that you can make a wonderful story anywhere you are, at any time, and out of anything. You just gotta look at it with that kind of vision.” said Skye Sonomura of the Shoots Summit. 

Skye and Nova Sonomura presenting how to create a story spine as a team!

Sprinkled in amongst these fast-paced and energetic workshops, Elyse and Tony found time for a few wonderful  dinners with the Sonomura family, What Schools Could Be CEO Josh Reppun, and with Georja Skinner, Chief Officer of Creative Industries Division from Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and Tiffany Taira, Production Center Director, Educational Specialist and Lecturer at University of Hawai‘i Manoa, who worked at Pixar with Elyse and Tony.

From Left to Right: Tiffany Taira, Georja Skinner, Elyse Klaidman and Tony DeRose.

All in all, the trip was inspiring, invigorating and fun!