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Why Stories from Rural Minnesota Matter

July 16th, 2026

By: Lynn Melling We recently had the privilege of partnering with The McKnight Foundation on a short film about my small hometown of Melrose, in Stearns County. We decided to call it “Great(er) Minnesota” because, as someone who grew up in “Greater Minnesota”, I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder about that identifier. It’s e...

Emotional Resonance is How People Understand What’s at Stake

May 6th, 2026

There is a tendency in business communication to treat emotion as decoration. Something added after the “real” message is figured out. But emotional resonance is not fluff. It is how people understand what matters. When a story creates an emotional connection, it does not distract from the message. It gives the message weight. It helps an...

The Future of Public Affairs Content Is Emotional Intelligence

April 2nd, 2026

By: Lynn Melling, co-Founder of 515 ProductionsI keep coming back to this idea: the future of public affairs content is not safer messaging. It is more emotionally intelligent storytelling. Too much public-facing communication is built around control — tightening the language, softening the edges, sanding down anything that fe...