Matthew Luhn

Keynote Speaker

Matthew Luhn's Biography

Matthew Luhn is an accomplished storyteller, instructor, motivational keynote speaker, and story consultant, with over 20 years’ experience creating stories and characters at Pixar Animation Studios.

Alongside his story work in Hollywood, Matthew works with Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and other professionals 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, Target, Coke, Procter and Gamble, Facebook, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Google.

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 20 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 talks 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.

Keynote Title in Detail

STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESS

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 on an emotional level. Matthew uses the power of storytelling to bridge the gap between business and heart, driving your story toward one unforgettable selling point.

INSPIRING CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE

One of the most essential resources for any business to stay competitive is new ideas that spark innovation. 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.

TO INNOVATION AND BEYOND

When your company’s product or service appears similar to your competitor’s offerings, how can you differentiate and get consumers to notice? In this enlightening and entertaining talk, Matthew Luhn, accomplished writer and Pixar story artist on the Toy Story films, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, UP, and Ratatouille, will share his methods and experiences working with Disney/Pixar and advising other Fortune 500 companies. Audiences will learn how to innovate, differentiate and stay relevant in today’s business world, creating more value and winning customer loyalty.

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP: HOW TO BE THE MOVIE HERO OF YOUR OWN STORY

Every story needs a great hero just like every business needs a great leader to inspire its people to achieve audacious goals. How can you become the hero of your own story? Matthew Luhn has more than 20 years of experience creating memorable and impactful heroes as a former Pixar storyteller and animator. In this entertaining and informative talk, Matthew shows you how you can develop your hero traits for leadership and business. By exploring and analyzing the characters of movie heroes and other great story protagonists, audiences will learn how to strengthen their likability, vulnerability, and vision to provide a model of outstanding leadership

VIRTUAL VISUAL STORYTELLING 

With working-from-home schedules increasing by 25-30% by the end of 2021, our ability to master visual virtual storytelling is essential to connecting with peers, customers, and potential customers online. In this interactive session, Matthew Luhn, writer, director, and former 20 year Pixar story artist, will share his 5 techniques on how to harness the power of visual storytelling to amplify your story and likability.

Visual storytelling compels us to engage in experiences, learn lessons, and define our values and ourselves within our organization. Research shows:

• visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than words alone, 
• and while people only remember 20% of what they read, they remember 80% of what they see
• 90% of all information transmitted to our brains is visual. 93% of all human communication is visual
• ads in color are read up to 40% more often than the same ads in black and white
• 84.7% of consumers cite colors as the primary reason they buy a particular product
• Research reveals people make a subconscious judgment about an environment, product, or person within 90 seconds of initial viewing
• 52% of shoppers did not return to a story due to overall aesthetics
• Using colors effectively, they can improve: comprehension by 73%, learning by 55-68% and reading by 40%

With 80% of our human experience filtered through our eyes, visual cues are vital to successfully getting a message across. From entertainment to business, visuals not only sell a product or service, but they also sell an experience around you and your story.

Each color has its own message and meaning, the more you learn about this critical design element, the more you will be able to leverage its powerful effects.

For example, once the consumer has overcome the issue of affordability, the visual appeal of an item is a major influence on a consumer’s buying decision. Learn about this and many more examples of how to use Virtual Visual Storytelling and the use of colors with your marketing and sales communications.

STORYTELLING AND BIG DATA

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.