Brian Seth Hurst — Storyteller
Brian Seth Hurst Brian Seth Hurst
Brian Seth Hurst
Brian Seth Hurst

“I’ve had many careers in my life, but only one calling: storyteller. Stories that truly touch the heart live on long after the final page is turned, the curtain falls, or the credits roll.”

Welcome

Brian Seth Hurst has spent a lifetime collecting stories… and occasionally finding himself in the middle of a few.

Growing up in a show business family, he learned early that stories have a remarkable way of bringing people together. Whether standing just off camera while his father interviewed legendary entertainers, performing on stage, writing books, producing groundbreaking media, or exploring the frontiers of immersive technology, one thing has remained constant: a fascination with the moments that change how we see ourselves and each other.

Today, Brian’s work spans theater, books, live performance, immersive experiences, and emerging technologies. His award-winning play Thanksgiving recently received the Top Script Award at the New Media Film Festival, while Volentem, a new story universe he’s co-creating with television producer Tim Kring, blends mythology, science, mystery, and gaming into an entirely new kind of entertainment experience.

He is also the author of the personal transformation books WHOLE and The WHOLE Companion Workbook, which explore how our beliefs shape our lives and provide practical tools for lasting change. He co-authored the bestselling children’s book A Pig Tale with Olivia Newton-John.

After nearly forty years behind the scenes as a producer and entertainment executive, Brian happily found his way back to the stage with his autobiographical musical Full Circle. Because whether he’s writing, producing, performing, or simply sharing a conversation over coffee, his favorite stories are still the ones that remind us to laugh a little more, think a little deeper, and leave seeing the world just a little differently than when we arrived.

Welcome.

Read the full bio →
Meet Brian

A storyteller, first and last.

Brian Seth Hurst

Brian Seth Hurst is a storyteller whose work spans books, theater, immersive media, and emerging technologies, united by one enduring theme: the power of story to transform how we see ourselves and the world.

Long before building a career behind the scenes, Hurst was watching from the wings — quite literally. Growing up in a show business family, he spent his childhood backstage and in the studio, absorbing the craft from the inside. He remembers standing just out of frame as his father interviewed icons like Tony Bennett and Michael Jackson, close enough to see the effect a well-told story had on people in real time. That early, front-row view of storytelling’s power to move an audience — to make them laugh, feel understood, see themselves anew — shaped every chapter of his career since.

His new play Thanksgiving, a poignant comedy about life, death and being caught in between, recently received the Top Script Award at the New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles, honoring this deeply human work about family, love, loss, and redemption during the AIDS epidemic. He is currently in development as co-creator, with acclaimed television producer Tim Kring, of Volentem, an original cross-platform science faction franchise that blends mythology, mystery, science, gaming, and cinematic storytelling into an expansive entertainment storyverse.

As an author, Hurst co-wrote the bestselling children’s book A Pig Tale with the late Olivia Newton-John. He is also the author of WHOLE and The WHOLE Companion Workbook, which explore how our beliefs shape our lives and provide practical tools for personal transformation. He is at work on his next book, Transition: Gracefully Navigating the Space Between What Was and What’s Next.

After stepping away from performing for nearly forty years to build a distinguished career as a producer, strategist, and entertainment executive, Hurst returned to the stage with Full Circle. Having grown up in a show business family, the show is an autobiographical musical that draws on his extraordinary life, past and present, in and around the entertainment industry. Filled with humor, music, and deeply personal stories, the show reflects a lifetime spent both behind the scenes and in the spotlight. He is currently developing A World That Swings, a theatrical journey through the remarkable decade between 1955 and 1965, when music, culture, politics, and technology transformed America.

A pioneer in immersive entertainment, Hurst has produced projects including My Brother’s Keeper (PBS Digital Studios), The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth 360 (Showtime), Gettysburg: A Nation Divided (Quantum ERA), Rolling Loud Hip-Hop Festival 360 (LiveXLive/Samsung), Super Splat Brothers E-Sports Tournament 360 (Samsung), and Passport to Philadelphia (Quantum Era). His newest immersive project, CLIMATICA, combines cinematic storytelling, virtual production, and emerging technologies to create emotionally engaging experiences around one of the defining issues of our time.

Whether writing books, plays, immersive experiences or developing new entertainment franchises, Brian Seth Hurst continues the conversation he first began on stage decades ago — creating stories that combine emotional truth with compelling ideas that invite audiences to laugh, reflect, connect and discover new possibilities within themselves and the world around them.

Industry Leadership
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Second Vice Chair · Board of Governors
Producers Guild of America
Chairman, New Media Council · Board Member
International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Global Digital Ambassador
Gallery
Full Circle, in performance
Full Circle, in performance
In performance with Michael Orland
In performance with Michael Orland
On the keynote stage
On the keynote stage
VIFF Immersed, Vancouver
VIFF Immersed, Vancouver
On set
On set
NABShow Live, anchor desk
NABShow Live, anchor desk
Rolling Loud 360, on location
Rolling Loud 360, on location
With Olivia Newton-John
With Olivia Newton-John
Books

From a beloved children’s book to guides for personal transformation, each of these books was written with the intention of inspiring curiosity, compassion, and the courage to see life from a new perspective.

A Pig Tale

With Olivia Newton-John · Simon & Schuster

“Now here is the reason for telling this tale
Let’s save the world’s treasures from tin can to whale
Protect our dear earth, don’t throw it away
You too could make magic from garbage someday!”

A Pig Tale, Simon & Schuster

Co-authored with friend Olivia Newton-John and illustrated by Sal Murdocca, A Pig Tale tells the father-and-son story of a young pig named Ziggy, embarrassed and made fun of for his father’s ever-growing collection of junk — until his dad builds a magnificent hot air balloon out of every imaginable piece of previously discarded junk. Together they travel the world.

Inspired by the exchange of environmental jokes around Olivia’s kitchen table, it became — at Olivia’s insistence — the first children’s picture book to be printed on recycled paper.

A Pig Tale balloon illustration
Olivia Newton-John and Brian Seth Hurst
From the archive · 1993
Olivia Newton-John talks about A Pig Tale

WHOLE

Paperback · eBook · Audiobook read by the author

WHOLE is a transformative guide that invites readers to reexamine the beliefs that shape their lives. After experiencing a significant wake-up call, Hurst embarks on a personal journey of self-inquiry, offering readers powerful essays and thought-provoking questions to reflect on their past, present, and future.

WHOLE empowers individuals to reconcile the challenges they’ve faced, reconnect with their purpose, and embrace their full potential. It’s a guide to becoming whole by aligning beliefs with the life one truly desires. Now available on Amazon as a paperback and as an eBook on Kindle, Kobo and Apple Books. The audiobook, read by Brian, is available at Audible and other audiobook providers.

Listen to the interview on eHealth Radio →

The WHOLE Companion Workbook

Guided exercises · Prompts · Reflective journaling

The practical companion to WHOLE, designed to help you turn insight into lasting change. Through guided exercises, thoughtful prompts, and reflective journaling, you’ll uncover limiting beliefs, reconnect with your authentic self, and create new patterns that support the life you want to live.

Whether used alongside WHOLE or on its own, the workbook offers a step-by-step journey to help you reconcile your past, embrace your present, and consciously create your future.

WHOLE — The Audiobook

Narrated by the author

The WHOLE audiobook, narrated by author Brian Seth Hurst, delivers a deeply immersive and personal experience of his transformative guide. Hurst’s authentic voice draws listeners into his journey of self-reflection, sparked by a significant wake-up call that reshaped his understanding of beliefs and their impact on life. In this audiobook, Hurst walks listeners through a series of powerful essays and thought-provoking questions, offering the opportunity to pause, reflect, and reshape the beliefs that no longer serve them.

The narration allows listeners to connect directly with Hurst’s words, adding a unique layer of intimacy and depth to the exploration of topics such as relationships, work, time, and personal purpose. As listeners hear Hurst’s reflections, they are encouraged to apply these insights to their own lives, reconciling their past, arriving fully in the present, and creating a future aligned with their deepest desires.

Ideal for individuals seeking personal growth and self-inquiry, the WHOLE audiobook offers an engaging, accessible, and relatable guide to achieving inner wholeness. With Hurst’s voice guiding the journey, listeners can experience the full transformative potential of WHOLE anytime, anywhere. Available on Audible and other audiobook sellers.

Reviews
4.7
★★★★★ out of 5

What readers say about WHOLE — from verified reviews at Amazon.

“
A Life Changer

“This easy-to-read book comes straight from the heart and soul of a kind and wise person who has much to share. The line ‘you are enough’ really struck me to the core. I had always been reaching and striving. It feels great to be ‘enough’ and Brian will help you get there.”

Steven J. Hoffman Verified
“
What a gift!

“I was guided to start reading WHOLE this morning and what a revelation. Truly this is a gift to mySelf of MySelf. Brian’s language is so clear. This is a book that truly supports your reawakening to the beauty of your own being… inspirational, supportive, illuminating, insightful, loving. Thank you for this gift, Brian!”

J. Hathaway Sheldon Verified
“
Purpose-FULL

“It is such a pleasure reading a book written directly to my soul that doesn’t attempt to hassle with my brain… Indeed, when every word resonates on this level, it’s better than any drug!”

Andrea V. Verified
“
Challenge and inspire

“Inspiring throughout, this book is thought-provoking as well as emotion-provoking from the first page to the last — including the author’s bio page! I feel I’m more ‘on purpose’ now than when I started reading WHOLE and in fact, I feel more whole as well.”

Tim Prentiss Verified
Transition
Coming soon

Transition

Gracefully Navigating the Space Between What Was and What’s Next

A nonfiction book that explores the often-overlooked phase of change — the in-between period when an old identity has ended, but a new one has not yet formed. Transition centers the experience readers struggle with most: uncertainty, loss of identity, and the emotional and psychological process of letting go.

The book reframes this period not as a problem to solve, but as a necessary stage of transformation — one where beliefs can be examined, patterns understood, and a more authentic direction can emerge.
Thanksgiving
Plays
Award
Top Script Award
2026 New Media Film Festival, Los Angeles
Status
Currently seeking theatrical representation and production opportunities.
Inquire

Thanksgiving

A comedy about life, death and everything families leave unsaid.

Set over three consecutive Thanksgiving dinners in early 1990s Manhattan, the play is a poignant comedy about family ritual, denial, decline, and collapse — and the emergence of truth and redemption as the main character Danny and his family confront his life-changing AIDS diagnosis. A disease that, at that time, had no cure.

At its heart, Thanksgiving is a comedy about life, death and being caught in between; an ensemble piece about love under pressure, the stories families tell to survive, and what happens when the façade can no longer hold.
Full Circle
Live

“I believe it is never too late to be inspired in your life, to try something new, to make a change. All it takes is your imagination, passion and the belief in yourself — and a few people in your corner.”

Full
Circle

After nearly four decades behind the scenes as a producer, strategist, and entertainment executive, Brian Seth Hurst returned to the stage with Full Circle, a deeply personal evening of music and storytelling inspired by an extraordinary life in and around the entertainment industry.

Blending beloved standards, Broadway classics, original songs, and unforgettable true stories, Full Circle traces Brian’s journey from growing up in a show business family to finding his way back to the stage he first fell in love with as a child. Filled with humor, heart, and unexpected moments of inspiration, the show celebrates the power of reinvention and the belief that it’s never too late to answer your true calling.

Full Circle is available for theatrical, cabaret, concert, and special event presentations.

Booking enquiries
A World That Swings — Music, Musing and Magic from the Atomic Lounge
In development

A World That Swings

1955 1965 The decade that changed everything

Music, musing and magic from the Atomic Lounge.

Spanning the years 1955 to 1965, the show blends iconic songs, personal stories, humor, and unforgettable moments to capture a world on the brink of extraordinary change.

Written and performed by Brian Seth Hurst, the show takes audiences from the dawn of the Space Age and the Civil Rights Movement to the British Invasion and a cultural revolution that forever changed America. Through music and storytelling, A World That Swings explores a decade filled with optimism, uncertainty, innovation, and hope, reminding us how the songs we love become the soundtrack to our lives.

More than a nostalgic concert, it is a celebration of resilience, possibility, and the enduring power of music to connect us across generations. Currently in development, the show is being created in both a full-length theatrical version and a condensed production for cruise ship and special-event presentations.

A World That Swings
Brian Seth Hurst performing
Full Circle

Selected Performances
Immersive

Stories you can stand inside.

Brian Seth Hurst is an award-winning producer and recognized pioneer in immersive media whose work has helped define the evolution of cinematic VR and 360° storytelling. As producer of PBS’s My Brother’s Keeper, he led the creation of the network’s first VR production filmed in true slow motion at 120 fps, setting a new technical benchmark for immersive filmmaking. He went on to produce groundbreaking experiences including live 360 for Samsung, LiveXLive, and Nintendo, while also shaping the industry’s future as curator and producer of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s VIFF Immersed and as host and programmer of immersive technology coverage and panels for NABShow Live.

My Brother’s Keeper — a cinematic VR experience
PBS Digital Studios

My Brother’s Keeper

Written and directed by Connor Hair and Alex Meader and produced by Brian Seth Hurst. Produced for PBS Digital Studios by StoryTech® Immersive and Perception Squared in collaboration with the Technicolor Experience Center, it gives viewers a fully immersive 3D stereoscopic experience of being in the Civil War.

The experience premiered at VR on the Mountain at Sundance and has played at UN Headquarters in Geneva and the Shanghai Modern Museum of Art. A Civil War inspired narrative that pushes the boundaries of immersive storytelling while remaining anchored in historical fact, it is the story of two estranged brothers who, fighting on opposing sides, unknowingly reunite one last time on the battlefield at Antietam.

Watch MY BROTHER’S KEEPER | PBS Digital Studios (360°)→
Also available on Meta Quest via the Meta Horizon TV app. Open your app library, locate Meta Horizon TV, and search within the app for “My Brother’s Keeper.”
My Brother's Keeper — behind the scenes▶Behind the Scenes
Showtime

The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth 360

Brian Seth Hurst produced the 360° companion experience to Showtime’s political documentary series — putting viewers on the campaign trail and inside rooms most audiences never get to see.

Rolling Loud 360
LiveXLive · Samsung VR

Rolling Loud

When Samsung and LiveXLive set out to produce the first live 360° broadcast of Rolling Loud, the world’s largest hip-hop music festival, they turned to Brian Seth Hurst and StoryTech Immersive to lead the production. Working with Samsung’s 360° camera and live streaming workflow, alongside immersive audio partner Hear360 and the GeniusXR interview and post-production crew, the team delivered more than 48 hours of live immersive coverage — giving Samsung Gear VR users a front-row experience that made them feel as if they were standing in the middle of the festival itself.

Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF Immersed

Brian Seth Hurst served as curator and producer of VIFF Immersed for several years, the Vancouver International Film Festival’s immersive programme — shaping the slate of work that defines where the medium is heading.

VIFF Immersed XR Market
CLIMATICA
In development · Texas A&M Virtual Production Institute

CLIMATICA

An immersive storytelling experience that transforms climate change from an abstract concept into a deeply personal journey through awareness, resilience, innovation, and renewal. Through emotionally engaging narrative and experiential media, participants explore the challenges facing our planet while discovering pathways toward a more sustainable future.

Breathing Room
In development · StoryTech Immersive™

Breathing Room

A virtual reality anthology series created by Brian Seth Hurst in which every story unfolds within a single confined space: an abandoned water tower, a military drone command center, a nuclear fallout shelter, and other extraordinary environments. Trapped together, the characters must confront not only the crisis surrounding them, but also the tensions, secrets, and choices that emerge between them.

The enclosed setting creates an extraordinary intimacy, placing the audience inside the room as an unseen participant rather than a passive observer. Captured in stereoscopic 3D using advanced cinematic techniques, each episode explores the moral complexities of survival, asking a timeless question: what are we willing to sacrifice to save ourselves?

Selected productions
Gettysburg: A Nation Divided
Quantum ERA
Conspiracy for Good
Super Splat Brothers E-Sports Tournament 360
Samsung
Passport to Philadelphia
Quantum ERA
Brian Seth Hurst speaking
Speaking
40+
keynote presentations and moderated conversations at major conferences around the world.

Spanning innovation, storytelling, and the human experience.

Brian Seth Hurst has delivered more than 40 keynote presentations and moderated conversations with some of the entertainment industry’s most influential voices at major conferences around the world.

Today, his speaking bridges two worlds: the future of storytelling, media, and emerging technologies, and the timeless human stories that inspire resilience, purpose, and transformation. Audiences leave with practical insights, fresh perspectives, and a renewed sense of what’s possible.

For speaking engagements

Book Brian.
Brian Seth Hurst
Remembering Olivia Newton-John
Substack

PeacefulBri

A weekly Substack, every Sunday.

PeacefulBri is my weekly Substack exploring life’s big questions through personal stories, practical wisdom, humor, and spiritual reflection. Every Sunday, I share essays about purpose, relationships, resilience, creativity, kindness, and the unexpected lessons that shape us.

My hope is to offer a thoughtful pause in a busy world, encouraging readers to see themselves, others, and life’s challenges from a fresh perspective. Whether you’re navigating change, seeking inspiration, or simply enjoy a good story, PeacefulBri is a place to reflect, grow, and discover that even life’s ordinary moments can reveal extraordinary meaning.

Read PeacefulBri on Substack →
Contact

Let’s start a conversation.

Speaking & appearances
Alison Norrington
hello@storycentral.com 310-426-8347
Theatrical & production

Thanksgiving is currently seeking theatrical representation and production opportunities. Full Circle is available for theatrical, cabaret, concert, and special event presentations.
{{ shotCap }}
{{ shotCap }} {{ shotPos }}