Our Team

People often refer to us as “the storytellers,” but in truth it is our clients who have the stories to tell.  It’s our job simply to help give those stories a voice, an audience or a face.  We are a team of award winning news journalists and public relations professionals. We care deeply about the success of our clients and are committed to helping them share their stories through content marketing, search marketing, online video marketing and public relations.

“Our goal is to be indispensable stewards to our clients, our business partners and to each other.”

Ed Heil

Owner/President

Birthplace:  Seoul, Korea

Hometown:  Birmingham, Michigan

Family:  Married to Kathy and have 3 kids

Favorite food:  Athen’s Coney Island

Favorite place:  Martha’s Vineyard, MA

Favorite sports team:  Anything Michigan State

Coming out of Michigan State University in 1987, I had one main career objective: Find a job that doesn’t require me to wear a suit!  I failed in my first attempt and got a job selling telephone equipment.  That lasted six years until I decided to follow a dream and venture into the world of television news.  Twelve years and three cities later we ended up in the Twin Cities where I worked at WCCO-TV for nearly five years.

On March 11, 2005 I signed off for good and hung a shingle for what was then StoryTeller Productions, the following Monday.

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Kathy Heil

Partner/Vice President of Business Development

Hometown: Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Favorite Hobbies: Cooking, working out, photography, golf

Places I Can’t Wait to Visit: Italy, France, Greece, Spain

As a Michigan State graduate, I left the University not only with a degree in business, but with a husband.  The next 20 years I spent in Corporate America (Xerox and RR Donnelley) learning all I could about sales and marketing.  I joined Ed in 2009 to create a new chapter at StoryTeller.

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Susan Bordson

Creative Director

Hometown:  Kandiyohi, Minnesota

Family:  Married with two children and a cat

Favorite Sports Team:  Golden Gopher Basketball

Favorite Food: All things SPICY….Indian, Thai and Mexican

Favorite Band:  Any live music – real people playing instruments and singing with their own voices.

Susan’s expertise is in message development and media production in both the nonprofit and corporate worlds. Before working at StoryTeller, Susan worked for organizations such as HBO Asia, BI Worldwide and WCCO-TV. Originally from Willmar, Minnesota, Susan attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a degree in Communications.

Susan joined StoryTeller Media and Communications in 2012 and her favorite part of her position is getting an inside look at the amazing organizations that are our clients.

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Alyssa Derby

Associate Account Strategist

Hometown:  Rapid City, South Dakota

Favorite Sports Teams:  I always root for the underdog

Favorite Food: Nutella

Favorite Band:  Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and ZZ Ward

Nickname:  ”Derbs”

Alyssa made the move from South Dakota to Minneapolis to pursue an education in public relations at the University of Minnesota. There she was able to intern in different focus areas. After interning for GUESS and Gc Watches and Jewelry in London, she decided her passion was in consumer PR. Alyssa joined the StoryTeller team in January 2013 and is looking forward to working with clients.

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Michael Ewen

Associate Multimedia Producer

Hometown:  Apple Valley, Minnesota

Favorite Place:  Anywhere on the tennis court

Favorite Sports Teams:  Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and of course, St. Thomas sports

Favorite Food: Matt’s Bar – the Jucy Lucy

Michael attended the University of St. Thomas and graduated in 2011 with a degree in Communications and Journalism. Michael gained a lot of experience through student media and his internship at KARE TV.  In fact, he won his first Emmy in college!

Michael’s journey started at StoryTeller as a Video Production Intern after graduation. After a 3-month hiatus, Michael returned to StoryTeller as an Associate Multimedia Producer.   Words of wisdom….don’t challenge him in a game of ping pong!  He won his high school championship.

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Kari Jo Johnson

Video Producer

Hometown:  Aitkin, Minnesota

Favorite Sports Team:  Minnesota Twins

Favorite Hobbies:  Dancing, yoga, cooking, camping and spending time on the lake.

Places I Can’t Wait to Visit:  I hope to visit Hawaii or Bora Bora for my honeymoon, but also looking forward to someday visiting the Redwood Forest and wine country in northern California, Switzerland, Tahiti and Italy.

I graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2010 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and Communications. While exploring the non-profit world doing communications for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, I was fortunate to work with StoryTeller on a video project together.  I joined StoryTeller Media + Communications in 2013.  My family has always called me a “storyteller”, so the fit couldn’t be more perfect.

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Katie Miller

Account Director

Birthplace:  Omaha, Nebraska

Hometown:  Coon Rapids, Minnesota

Favorite Sports Team:  Any professional Minnesota team, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Real Madrid

Favorite Hobbies: Playing golf, soccer and hockey, reading, baking/cooking, traveling, making things from Pinterest and running races.

Places I Can’t Wait to Visit: Denver, Germany and Sweden

Katie graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, Katie worked at a mid-size agency in Minneapolis and then ventured to New York City.  While in the Big Apple, Katie provided strategic planning and community management for numerous global consumer and healthcare brands. Katie moved back to Minnesota in December 2012 and started working at StoryTeller Media + Communications. She has been on the front page of the WSJ and quoted in several smaller publications about social media platforms.    

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Lori Money

Controller

Hometown:  Appleton, Wisconsin

Side Job:  PGA Professional

Favorite Food: Mexican

Favorite Band:  Bon Jovi

Her name says it all. When it comes to managing business financials, Lori Money has the name and the skill set! The daughter of entrepreneurs, Lori has built a career in managing and operating small businesses – primarily in the golf industry. At StoryTeller, there are few things she doesn’t do, but officially Lori wears the hat of Controller and Operations Manager.  We also like to call her our CFO (Chief Fun Officer).

If ever you’re looking for someone to add to your scramble foursome, let us know and we’ll lend you Lori for an afternoon. She’s a PGA Professional and yes, she has the lowest handicap at StoryTeller!

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Chad Whisnant

Multimedia Producer

Hometown: Minnetonka, Minnesota

Family: Wife and 2 kids

Favorite sports teams: University of Iowa Hawkeyes, Minnesota Wild,  Minnesota Twins

Favorite Music: Green Day, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake

When I was 12 years old my parents got a video camera, and I’ve been behind the viewfinder ever since. My brother and I used to make all sorts of home movies, from horror flicks to 80′s-style music videos.  I am always looking for new ways to bring the viewer ‘in’ to the story, through shooting and editing, to make them feel ‘as if they were there.’  After 13 years in the television news business, I decided to bring my storytelling skills into the public relations arena, where I can help clients tell their stories.

You may be surprised to know: I have been to over 85 different football, baseball and hockey stadiums and arenas.

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