What if the son of a third-generation toy store owner went on to become a creative force behind the Toy Story trilogy of movies? Or, as a talented 19-year-old animator, was lured into leaving art school to work on The Simpsons? And then was pitched by Steve Jobs to join a startup called Pixar? If this is a story that you want to hear, it’s because one of Matthew Luhn’s top storytelling tips has succeeded: Capture your audience in eight seconds or less. Luhn’s own inspiring life story—and how he tells it—is an integral part of his highly engaging talks and workshops. It begins when he was three-years-old, scribbling a rough child’s drawing that convinced his father that Matthew was the heir to his dad’s unfulfilled dream of becoming a Disney animator.
That moment spurred Matthew’s destiny: A childhood spent drawing with his dad and going to the movies. Being accepted into the prestigious CalArts animation program founded by Walt Disney. Having a student film catch the attention of The Simpsons. And then, getting a call from a startup called Pixar Animation Studios, where he was pitched by Steve Jobs himself to work on an animated film that, remarkably, didn’t include princesses or show tunes. Thus began Matthew Luhn’s dazzling stint at Disney/Pixar, working on a steady stream of blockbusters: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, and Ratatouille. His career progressed from animating Toy Story’s “Bucket o’ Soldiers” (a challenge because their feet were attached to bases), to becoming a player in Pixar’s highly creative and collaborative story development process, to eventually, leading it.
Two decades later, he found himself being sought after once again—this time, by businesses that needed help telling their own brand story and developing their teams’ storytelling skills. Matthew literally wrote the book on the subject, The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond, and began his highly successful second act as a storytelling consultant to businesses. He still remains active in the world of film, recently writing and directing the multi-award-winning animated short, Sprite Fright.
Matthew Luhn’s highly entertaining talks have earned glowing reviews, lauding his talent as a teacher and passion for providing any audience with the tools to immediately activate storytelling skills for business success. As the president of one host company wrote, “Matthew Luhn has an incredible ability to captivate an audience through the art of storytelling. Unveiling some of the most insightful techniques used in Pixar films, he can effortlessly simplify complex ideas into concise messages—a valued skill in business. Matthew highlighted actionable tactics that sharpened my own team’s storytelling skills right away.”
