The Hidden Layer
Behind most outcomes lies a communication decision.
Markets, institutions, leadership, reputation, culture — long before people change their behavior, they change their perception.
Published twice a year in English, The Storyteller is a proudly print-only magazine built from Morocco with an African vantage point.
The Storyteller looks at the world through communication, and communication through the world.
First Edition
Issue 01 — Winning with Words
Spring 2026 · 88 pages · Print only
Theme
This first edition explores sport as one of the world’s most powerful communication arenas: where identity, pressure, leadership, crisis, fandom, and performance become visible.
Available in print only. Read slowly, and kept.
Selected Pieces in this Edition
Global Stage. Tribal Game.
Half the planet watches. Forty-eight nations compete. Sixteen cities host. How do you brand the FIFA World Cup without losing the nations inside it?
By Kristian Manchester, Creative strategist, former Chief Creative Officer at Sid Lee
When Fear Enters the Room
“Now or never.” “Do or die.” The language leaders use under pressure is meant to sharpen performance. Why does it so often undermine it instead?
By Meryem Bennani, Editor and program Lead at Story School
Visibility Is a Side Effect
Strong credentials, agency career, professional recognition — then Nawal Sfendla left for Tanzania to climb mountains. A story about personal branding, positioning, and the signals people choose to send.
By Lucie Lebaz, Personal branding strategist and author
When the League Lost the Lead
In 2005, the NBA imposed a dress code to protect the league’s image. Twenty years later, the players control the brand themselves.
By Elana Gorbatyuk, Chief Strategy Officer at Collectivisme, former Global CSO at Sid Lee
The Kiss on Pepe’s Head
One gesture in the final minute against Portugal. Three international interpretations. A lesson in symbolism, narrative control, and cultural perception.
By Reda Allali, writer, columnist, and frontman of Hoba Hoba Spirit
Pre-Order
Reserve a copy of the 1st Edition.
88 pages. Summer 2026.
Available exclusively in print. A finite run..
Correspondence
For Partners
The Storyteller collaborates with institutions, brands, hotels, travel lounges, campuses,
executive spaces, and cultural venues aligned with its editorial sensibility.
For partnership and distribution inquiries:
meryem.bennani@um6p.ma
Letters to the editor
We read everything. We answer most.
robin.wijnhold@um6p.ma
Based in Rabat, Morocco.
Published by Story School — UM6P Press.