The POW!-er of Storytelling

The POW!-er of Storytelling

From LANDBACK For The People by NDN Collective

November 21, 2025 · 1h 4m · Season 3 · Episode 9

About this episode

In this episode, Nick Tilsen and Joey Clift discuss the significance of storytelling in the LANDBACK movement and the representation of Native American culture in media.

Storytelling is the backbone of our movement. In this episode, Nick Tilsen sits down with writer and comedian Joey Clift to talk about how important it is to use narrative and storytelling as a mechanism to catalyse the LANDBACK movement, the power of modern-day representation, and Joey's upcoming short animation film, "Pow!." LEARN MORE: Pow! premieres 11/24 on FNX, watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOTuVqdwu8Y Pow! is an animated short film about Jake, a young Native American kid scrambling to charge his dying video game console at a bustling Coastal Salish intertribal powwow, where he learns that loving video games and loving your culture aren't mutually exclusive. Written and Directed by Joey Clift (Cowlitz), made by a largely Indigenous team and with an all-Native voice cast. Pow! is a comedic love letter to the communities that raised us. Joey Clift is a Los Angeles-based comedian, Emmy and Peabody-nominated writer, and an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. Growing up, Joey aspired to become a local TV weatherperson because he didn't see Native American comedians on screen and thought a career in comedy was off-limits to him. He has since proven…

People in this episode

Host: Nick Tilsen

Guest: Joey Clift

Topics covered

  • storytelling
  • LANDBACK movement
  • representation
  • animation
  • Native American culture

Keywords

  • storytelling
  • LANDBACK
  • Joey Clift
  • animation
  • Native American
  • comedy
  • representation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Comedy Central, Netflix, PBS, Nickelodeon

Books & works: Pow!

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