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Matthew Luhn

  • Former Pixar Story Artist
  • Writer & Story Consultant

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Matthew Luhn, Former Pixar Story Artist, is a writer, story consultant, creative writing instructor and keynote speaker with over 25 years' experience creating stories and characters at Pixar Animation Studios, The Simpsons, and beyond.

Matthew trains Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and other professionals on how to craft and tell stories that bridge the gap between business and heart to build stronger brands and business communication.

Matthew Luhn heard thousands of great ideas while working at Pixar, The Simpsons, and ILM, but how is it that some of these ideas make great movies and TV shows, while others don’t make the cut? The answer: the best innovators and directors have developed a process that focuses their team’s creativity into not only creating great ideas but also fleshing them out – something Matthew has experienced firsthand.


 

Matthew Luhn headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Adidas
  • Foster + Partners
  • Dublin Tech Summit
  • Shopify
  • Google Ventures
  • Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley
  • Quantcast
  • Novo Nordisk
  • Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation
  • Clorox
Rave Reviews About Matthew Luhn
“
Matthew, you were considered a highlight by everyone at the conference – they absolutely loved you and your message of storytelling and connection. People said things like “I realized I’m doing everything wrong!” So your impact was huge! Thanks so much for sharing your energy, enthusiasm and wisdom. We appreciate it!

”
More rave reviews

"We get many good speakers coming in talking about some very interesting concepts and ideas, we don’t get many ‘Matthews” though. This guy will take you on an inspirational ride of emotions that will blow any speaker out of the water!"

-Foster + Partners

"Matthew's ability to connect with the audience and share his valuable insights through stories was truly amazing. There were parts of his talk where the audience would be doubled over in laughter and other instances where the messaging was so touching that many cried. It was a beautiful experience and very inspiring. A great experience that I would recommend for any company."

-Shopify

"Matthew Luhn is not only a master of story himself, but a brilliant educator. In an enjoyable and understandable way, he helps his students understand the links between story and business, and how story is invaluable in making smart, mission-driven, business decisions."

-Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

"Matthew was a true professional to work with. He customized his presentation to match our theme on data, and as he promised made the audience laugh, cry and learn something new about storytelling. He is a truly inspirational and inspiring speaker!"

-Quantcast

"Matthew came in for the day and completely energized the entire Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation. Matthew taught us why to tell stories, how to communicate via storytelling and more importantly, was able to get our entire team going in the same direction, and this, in just one day!"

-Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation

"Matthew was a superstar. A pleasure to deal with and an absolute pro on stage. The content was unrivaled and a continued talking point among DTS attendees over the two days. Inspirational, emotional, enlightening. A master of his craft."

-Dublin Tech Summit

"Inspirational, yet technical at the same time. He managed to convey how to tell a story, all while connecting personally with each and every member of our 400 person department! He is definitely an AMAZING speaker, who brings an interesting background to the stage! He was AWESOME!"

-Novo Nordisk

"Matthew was one of the top speakers at our annual CEO Google Ventures Summit. His session was smart, useful, and entertaining. It's tough to keep an audience of CEOs away from their desks for 90-minutes, but Matthew not only kept the audience engaged, he also captured their imaginations."

-Google Ventures

"We had the pleasure of having Matthew over for a two-day seminar and workshop on storytelling (Bridging the gap between Heart and Business) and he did fantastic. Sharing insights from his 20+ years experience in storytelling and translating its mechanics into every day business life left the whole audience energized and inspired!"

-Adidas
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Talks & Conversations with Matthew Luhn
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StorySelling

Storytelling is the #1 business skill necessary to connect, motivate, and lead people in today’s world. Stories compel us to engage in experiences, learn lessons, and define our values and ourselves within our organization. Matthew Luhn, a 20-year Pixar story veteran, brings his experience creating ...

Storytelling is the #1 business skill necessary to connect, motivate, and lead people in today’s world. Stories compel us to engage in experiences, learn lessons, and define our values and ourselves within our organization. Matthew Luhn, a 20-year Pixar story veteran, brings his experience creating and developing 10 blockbuster films at Pixar, and provides practical strategies that teach and inspire people and teams to connect more effectively with audiences. Matthew uses the power of storytelling to bridge the gap between business and heart, driving your story toward one unforgettable selling point.


Big Data and Story Telling

Big data is changing everything from content development to culture itself. Matthew Luhn, a 20 year Pixar story veteran will share how big data is being used to create great stories and characters in films like Toy Story 3, Inside Out and beyond. Matthew’s experience and insight will empower and ins ...

Big data is changing everything from content development to culture itself. Matthew Luhn, a 20 year Pixar story veteran will share how big data is being used to create great stories and characters in films like Toy Story 3, Inside Out and beyond. Matthew’s experience and insight will empower and inspire publishers, advertisers and innovators on how to forge stronger, more meaningful connections with consumers.

Inspiring Creativity in the Workplace

As one of the original story creators at Pixar Animation Studios, Matthew Luhn participated in building and sustaining the creative culture at Pixar from startup to the most successful filmmaking group in the history of Hollywood. Matthew’s engaging and action-oriented talk will provide strategies o ...

As one of the original story creators at Pixar Animation Studios, Matthew Luhn participated in building and sustaining the creative culture at Pixar from startup to the most successful filmmaking group in the history of Hollywood. Matthew’s engaging and action-oriented talk will provide strategies on how to create a culture that encourages and nurtures new ideas, and embraces fear and failing as a necessary part of the creative process. He demonstrates how to empower relationships and build trust through authentic communication.

Becoming an Effective Leader, as Told by Pixar Heroes

In film and in the business world, every story needs a great hero. In this unique session, Matthew Luhn shares his tips and techniques to creating authentic, inspirational, and memorable heroes that are relatable to leadership and business. Exploring and analyzing the character traits of Pixar heroe ...

In film and in the business world, every story needs a great hero. In this unique session, Matthew Luhn shares his tips and techniques to creating authentic, inspirational, and memorable heroes that are relatable to leadership and business. Exploring and analyzing the character traits of Pixar heroes and other great story protagonists can provide a model for outstanding leadership that will leave your  audience inspired and empowered.

It's the Feel that Seals the Deal: Are Your Consumers Feelin’ it?

70% of all first time visitors to Disney movies, stores, and theme parks return for more. Why? Because they want to feel delighted and entertained. To create a more profitable and desirable brand, we need to create experiences that affect people and make them feel something special. Without a clear ...

70% of all first time visitors to Disney movies, stores, and theme parks return for more. Why? Because they want to feel delighted and entertained.

To create a more profitable and desirable brand, we need to create experiences that affect people and make them feel something special. Without a clear feeling that follows our brand, we send out confusing messages to our clients and employees. Or worse, we blend in by telling the same story as everyone else, simply becoming white noise. Learn from Matthew Luhn as he shares how to discover and tell your one clear and concise message that will leave your target audience feeling that special something and wanting more.

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Biography

Matthew Luhn, Former Pixar Story Artist, is a writer, story consultant, creative writing instructor and keynote speaker with over 25 years' experience creating stories and characters at Pixar Animation Studios, The Simpsons, and beyond. He trains Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and other professionals on how to craft and tell stories that bridge the gap between business and heart to build stronger brands and business communication.

Matthew’s most recent clients include Adidas, Facebook, BBC, Microsoft, Sony, Warner Brothers, Apple, Disney, Google, Clorox and many more.

Matthew’s story credits include Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Finding Nemo, UP, Cars, Ratatouille and other films currently in development.

With over 25 years experience creating and developing dozens of films, TV shows, and video games, at Pixar, The Simpsons, ILM, and other studios, Matthew Luhn knows what it takes to create memorable stories with enduring characters. From filmmaking to business, Matthew’s story seminars are beneficial to anybody wanting to improve their story skills, or learn the persuasion of great storytelling. In Matthew’s story seminar, he will share his process for creating new ideas and characters, how to develop great stories and story structure, and how to realize your story ideas from script to storyboards to finished product.


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