When I start talking about story, inevitably the topic turns to one of the characters I’ve met or places I’ve been. I’m fascinated by the way two creatures from opposite sides of our twirling rock can exhibit such emotional warmth and openness, even when our time together is brief.

Think about it: if you were in a southeast Asian jungle and smiled at an approaching elephant or tiger, would you expect it to smile back? (Answer: not unless the tiger was grinning in anticipation of a forthcoming snack.) Yet, when I travel—like on a recent filming trip to India—we exchange smiles, and more. As people we share many of the same hopes, fears and “human” attributes with barely an introduction. This is the beauty of human contact.

While my trip to India wasn’t specifically web-related, it was about sharing a human story—which is our passion here at Domain7. I was there for two reasons: to direct a documentary that will help two...