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Telling Creatively Educational Stories With Education Evangelist Claudio Zavala

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How can you teach through creative tools?

Claudio Zavala is an Education Evangelist at Adobe. He is a creative based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area with over 25 years in the education world. He has served in capacities as an educator, mentor teacher, educational technology trainer, and digital designer. He has a passion for helping students and educators share their stories with digital tools. In 2017, he founded I Am Claudius LLC, a creative media consulting company providing workshops and webinars on subjects like innovation, video creation, and storytelling. Zavala has presented at various national and regional conferences including ISTE, SXSWEdu, FETC and TCEA. He was a part of the Adobe Express Ambassador program for two years. Claudio has spent the last 5 years creating tutorials for his YouTube channel. Zavala sat down with Forbes to talk creativity, storytelling and education in a career.

Goldie Chan: Hello Claudio, thanks for joining us. What has your career path been?

Claudio Zavala: My journey has been a meandering one. In high school, I had dreamed of being an architect. Took drafting and woodshop. In college, I took courses in graphic design and also worked at the campus print shop the three years I attended. I did everything, design, photograph, print, collate, ship, etc. Great experience! Sometime in college I lost interest in becoming an architect and went all in to becoming a paramedic/firefighter. I know, a totally different shift. LOL! That wasn't for me so I decided to become a Spanish teacher and coach baseball. I graduated and got my teaching credential through an alternative program in San Diego. I fell in love with teaching!

Throughout my 25 year education career, I continued to explore graphic design, web design, educational technology, in addition to photography and videography. The last 12 years in my career, I became a digital learning coach and trainer. I trained teachers on how to use digital tools like Adobe Express to tell stories and help students share theirs. I was asked to present at conferences for Adobe and other tech companies. In 2017, I launched my own creative media consulting company. I also launched my YouTube channel. Then this year I joined Adobe as an Education Evangelist.

Chan: With such a varied career and history, what has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on?

Zavala: I would have to say my favorite has been launching and maintaining my YouTube channel. It’s become a passion of mine. I not only get to help others improve their storytelling skills, I get to use video and photo gear.

Chan: This is a little bit out there but how would you describe your personal brand?

Zavala: That’s honestly something I have not been asked before. I would say my brand is clean, chill, simple yet elegant, and accessible and easy to follow.

Chan: I know you’re always working on something new. What are you currently working on?

Zavala: Right now I’m working on several projects. I have virtual training scheduled for the rest of the year. I’m also working on short form videos to share on social highlighting Adobe Express features. Lastly, I am working on a creativity playground event happening in October. Attendees will rotate through stations working on different creative tasks.

Chan: I think we all enjoy having great creative partners. Who is collaborator that you’d love to partner with?

Zavala: Wow! That’s a great question. The musician in me would love to play with one of my favorite bands, Toto. :-) But I would defer to my photo/video self and say I would love the opportunity to collaborate with Peter McKinnon. He’s such a great visual storyteller. Very inspiring!

Chan: What is your favorite part of your community?

Zavala: I’m part of a unique community of educators who enjoy working with educators. All are passionate about improving learning and education with digital tools.

Chan: What do you believe makes a story come alive?

Zavala: Authenticity. People can see through anything fake. When sharing your story, be yourself. It’s great to be inspired by others, but don’t be them, be you. There’s only one of you. Technically speaking, vlogs are perfect for storytelling. Viewers enjoy seeing your space, it’s like you’re inviting your audience into your room.

Chan: Do you have any last branding or career advice for this year?

Zavala: Don’t wait, start now. The perfect time to begin won't happen, you have to make the moment happen. Be yourself! It’s ok to copy and steal ideas, but you want to remix them and find your voice. Lastly, never stop learning!

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