The force of storytelling is strong in Gary Kayye

Assistant professor Gary Kayye realized he loved storytelling 47 years ago when he saw the first “Star Wars” movie.

“You see this amazing story on a gigantic screen. It’s literally bigger than life,” Kayye said. “Once you realize that sort of thing exists, it takes you down a rabbit hole. It’s never-ending.”

Kayye knew he wanted to be a storyteller. He first used his skills working in advertising and marketing for technology companies. Kayye switched to teaching after then-journalism dean Jean Folkerts talked to him in 2008 about creating an advertising class that incorporated technology.

Kayye, a faculty member since 2009, won a Chancellor’s Award this year for his teaching, which includes both introductory and advanced courses in advertising and public relations.

“I was excited just because it brings exposure to our school,” Kayye said of the award. “And so anytime you can bring exposure to our school, it’s going to be good for everybody.”

Raul Reis, dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, praised Kayye’s “passion, expertise and innovation,” saying that he has inspired countless students over the past 15 years.

“He was recognized last year with the school’s prestigious Edward Vick Prize for Innovation in Teaching, and this Chancellor’s Award — selected by students — demonstrates the degree to which his excellent teaching resonates with our students,” Reis added.

Selling with storytelling

Kayye still teaches an updated version of that first class, MEJO 477: New Media Technologies, which changes along with media technology. This year, Kayye assigned the class to advertise two free Duke-UNC basketball tickets by creating and branding an original advertising campaign — without using any money.

The resulting campaign — a student-led Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament called Dook It Out — used social media, launch videos and other storytelling techniques to attract a significant number of participants. Not only was the campaign a success, but it also helped students explore the fun of advertising, Kayye said.

“Advertising is about a lot of fun things, like storytelling,” Kayye said. “I think the kids grew up being told stories by their parents. They don’t think of advertising that way. They think of advertising as trying to convince you to buy a product. But what’s interesting is that advertising works when it connects with you emotionally and tells you a story.”

That’s why the concept of “Star Wars” was so compelling to Kayye, who keeps an assortment of “Star Wars” memorabilia in his Carroll Hall office.

“The whole idea that this one guy, from his brain, could create those stories from scratch and literally do anything he wants — that’s what’s great about advertising,” Kayye said. “If something doesn’t exist, you can totally make it up and build on it.”

Time for creativity

Kayye said teaching comes down to being intentional with the time he gets with students in the classroom.

With “all the drama in and around campus, in the world, I like to compartmentalize and make the classroom sort of its own little microcosm for advertising,” Kayye said. “And just kind of free their brains for an hour and 15 minutes so they can be creative by being inspired.”

He also enjoys keeping up with students after they graduate. Some might thrive in advertising, some might go into marketing, and some might explore other storytelling paths. One might even invent the next Luke Skywalker.

“I love seeing what they do, what they produce and what they become,” Kayye said.