We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Monique Elwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Monique below.

Monique, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

One of the most impactful customer success stories I can share is our work with Novartis, particularly in helping their sales teams engage with healthcare providers (HCPs) through personalized video messaging.

When the COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced in-person access to HCPs, Novartis faced a significant challenge. Sales reps were struggling to maintain engagement and drive sales in a world where face-to-face meetings were no longer the norm. Novartis needed an innovative solution that would not only help improve engagement but also be scalable, efficient, and compliant within their highly-regulated environment.

To address this, we introduced our automated, Guided Video platform, which enabled Novartis Sales Associates to create short, personalized video messages that could be embedded in email outreach. These videos helped break through the “email noise” and captured the attention of HCPs in a way that text-only emails simply couldn’t. The solution was fully compliant, allowing Novartis to stay within regulatory guidelines while maintaining a personal touch.

The results were astounding. One sales associate reported a 5x increase in meeting bookings from his video messages compared to text-only emails. In another example, one associate went from securing just two meetings from 40 text emails to 10 meetings from 40 video emails. Additionally, another associate saw a double-digit increase in new prescriptions as a direct result of the video outreach.

The success of the project didn’t just come from the technology; it was also about collaboration. We worked
closely with Novartis’ compliance and regulatory teams to ensure that the videos met all required guidelines. Furthermore, we made sure that the process was easy and convenient for the Sales Associates. With Storyvine, creating a video was as simple as answering a few questions on a tablet or phone, making it a highly efficient use of their time.

Ultimately, the project proved that personalized video messaging could drive significant results in terms of customer engagement, meeting bookings, and sales. It was truly rewarding to see how this innovative solution empowered Novartis to adapt and succeed in a rapidly changing environment, and it reinforced the power of human connection, even in a digital-first world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Monique Elwell, President, COO, and Co-Founder of Storyvine. My career has been anything but linear, but that’s exactly what’s made it so rewarding. I started in the fast-paced world of Wall Street during the dot-com boom, covering internet stocks right as email was becoming a standard tool in the office. That time taught me how to think strategically and analytically in industries undergoing massive technological change, which set the foundation for everything I’ve done since.

After Wall Street, I took a 180-degree turn into the creative and strategic side of business, working in consumer insights and brand strategy. I found my sweet spot at the intersection of analytical and qualitative thinking. As a result, I’ve been able to turn other people’s ideas and technologies into viable businesses. I founded several startups, including Amisto.com, a travel platform, and co-founded Conversify, an early pioneer in social media. But it was about 14 years ago that I co-founded Storyvine, a company built to transform how businesses use video at scale.

At Storyvine, we help organizations—especially in highly regulated industries like healthcare—create personalized, scalable video communications that drive real engagement. Our platform makes it easy for companies to connect authentically with customers and clients, all while staying compliant with regulations.
What sets me apart, I believe, is my ability to blend left-brain and right-brain thinking. I understand the technical side of business, but I also bring a deep creativity to how we communicate and connect with others. That combination is at the core of Storyvine, where we’re not just providing a tool but creating a new way for our clients to engage with their audience and scale their efforts effectively.
Outside of work, I’m an avid traveler and have visited over 70 countries. My love for adventure and curiosity about the world fuels everything I do.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience has been a key theme throughout my life, and one experience that stands out is the time I launched Amisto.com, a travel startup focused on Latin American destinations. It was right before the dot-com boom. The online travel industry was still nascent. Expedia had only launched a year or two before. Our timing couldn’t have been worse—only moments after we launched, the stock market tanked and raising a second round wasn’t an option.

Right at that moment, a bunch of press hit. I was headed to a travel conference and CNN was looping an interview with me on Amisto.com on the plane. Dozens of people came up to me to tell me that they saw it and tell me how successful I was. The reality was that I had just laid off my whole staff. I learned the power of PR in that moment.

I attended to create a roll up, combining Amisto.com and other travel companies, package them and sell them. As time went on, my financing source dried up.
Sadly, Amisto.com didn’t survive. But I learned a tremendous amount, including how it’s bad if you don’t properly grieve, even for something (as I thought at the time) as silly as a company I created going under.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Kyle Shannon at an event hosted by Jerry Michalski, an amazing industry analyst who founded PC Forum along with Ester Dyson. Kyle and I were seated across from each other at a dinner party and we hit it off immediately. He was well known for founding Agency.com and the Worldwide Artists Consortium (WWAC). Years later, I asked for his advice while running Conversify. Later, he asked for my advice. He has this vision for creating high-quality video content at scale.

I was looking for a job, so I decided to do a little research for him and showed the idea to about 25 contacts of mine from the Consumer Insights division in Coca-Cola to the Social Media department at AT&T. ALL OF THEM said they would be interested in what Kyle envisioned.

Kyle was a visionary, or a Wizard, in our parlance. He needed someone to run the business. That was me, aka, “The Warrior”. Fourteen years later the Wizard and the Warrior are still in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.storyvine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyvineinc/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/StoryvineInc