Meet the Story Fellow Maruša Levstek

Maruša is a creative researcher who bridges psychology, storytelling, and social change. With a PhD in the psychology of creative engagement and four years at StoryFutures – National Centre for Immersive Storytelling (Royal Holloway, University of London), they specialise in applying psychology and behaviour change science to co-create and evaluate creative experiences that drive real-world impact. Maruša has contributed to major projects including The Green Planet AR Experience (Factory42 & BBC) and The Keeper of Paintings AR App (The National Gallery). Their work is rooted in interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and social impact. 

The Challenge

Maruša’s research project investigates collaborations between storytellers and the social impact sector — addressing the challenge that such collaborations are rare, even though they often drive greater social impact. Specifically, the research focuses on storytellers working across moving image, performing arts, audio, interactive, and writing, who have collaborated on a creative project with a social impact organisation, such as communications and media organisations, organising, advocacy and campaigning groups, as well as policy and research organisations. The aim of Maruša’s project is (1) to better understand the processes storyteller collaborations with the social impact sector in the UK, and (2) to inspire future collaborations through a series of diverse case studies and workshops. 

Maruša’s First Steps

Maruša has already spoken to 27 organisations and individuals working at the intersection of storytelling and the social impact sector, and captured 61 potential case studies. As part of this research, Maruša has travelled across London for some lovely in-person conversations and even to Venice to visit Venice Biennale Immersive to experience some new interactive collaborative projects. 
 
Initially, Maruša intended to dive deep into individual case studies of projects in progress. However, through rich and varied conversations, Maruša discovered that organisations facilitating connections between storytellers and social impact partners holdbroader, strategic insights that are crucial for understanding the ecosystem. This learning prompted a pivot in the project’s approach. Maruša is now focusing on interviewing these organisations about their experiences in fostering collaborations, exploring how they navigate timelines, relationships, power dynamics, and impact. This shift has expanded the scope of the research and provided a range of diverse projects that can inspire and support future cross-sector collaborations. 

By the end of the project, Maruša aims to produce a report for future storytellers seeking to elevate the impact of their work through cross-sector collaborations, hosted on the AKO Storytelling Institute site. Maruša is currently experimenting with different formats, which will be informed by insights from research—potentially taking the form of an interactive chatbot, game, or podcast. Alongside this, Maruša plans to pilot a workshop for students and creatives, offering practical guidance on forging collaborative projects. Ambitiously, they are also considering writing an academic journal paper exploring power dynamics, social norms, and models of collaboration more broadly. Ultimately, these outputs aim to inspire and elevate the impact of future storytellers. 

Maruša’s key story skills lie in enabling, connecting, and translating narratives. They create spaces for people to share their stories—whether by asking the right questions, listening attentively, or designing physical experiences to ensure diverse voices are represented and heard. Maruša brings stories together to identify patterns and overarching insights, using research and curiosity to highlight the collective power of individual experiences. As a bilingual storyteller working across academia, creative, and technology sectors, Maruša translates stories for the right audiences, advocating for voices to reach those with the influence to drive real-world change. 

Interested in storytelling with technology? Why not see how Story Fellow Kate Stonehill is using these skills.

Meet another Story Fellow partnered with University of the Arts London: _____

Have a look at some of the our Fellows who have reached the end of their projects: _____