Exclusive

Matthew Luhn

Top Storytelling and Creativity Speaker, Disney/Pixar Veteran behind Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and more, Fortune 500 Storytelling Consultant, Award-Winning Writer & Director

Matthew Luhn is a master of the art, practice, and business applications of storytelling. A writer, animator, director, author, and sought-after speaker, he draws upon his 25-year career working on The Simpsons and Disney/Pixar blockbusters including Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, and Ratatouille to help audiences sharpen their storytelling skills for business success [and embrace new technologies as a catalyst for innovation.] Matthew also works with Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, and others to craft and tell stories that bridge the gap between business and heart—building stronger brands and more impactful business communications. 

  • Matthew Luhn Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    $20,001 - $30,000

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    California, USA

  • Matthew Luhn Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    $20,001 - $30,000

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    California, USA

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

AI And STORYTELLING

In this uplifting and empowering talk, master storyteller Matthew Luhn shares how AI is being used as a tool, copilot, and muse to create new ideas and stories for entertainment, business, and beyond.  As one of the first animators on ...

In this uplifting and empowering talk, master storyteller Matthew Luhn shares how AI is being used as a tool, copilot, and muse to create new ideas and stories for entertainment, business, and beyond.  As one of the first animators on Toy Story, the first computer-generated animated film released by Pixar, Matthew is well versed in how new technology can transform an industry and create memorable stories.  Matthew’s story credits include Toy Story 1, 2, and 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, UP, and Ratatouille. Like CG (computer) animation, AI is another tool in our storytelling toolkit—enhancing, not replacing creativity and innovation. Matthew will share his tips on how to use AI to bridge the gap between new technology and great storytelling.

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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...

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.

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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 ...

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.

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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 ...

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 NemoCars, 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.

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STORYTELLING FOR LEADERS: CREATING MEMORABLE AND EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM

According to a notable Harvard Business Review article, “In our information-saturated age, business leaders won’t be heard unless they’re telling stories...

According to a notable Harvard Business Review article, “In our information-saturated age, business leaders won’t be heard unless they’re telling stories–facts and figures and all the rational things that we think are important in the business world don’t stick in our minds at all. That means leaders who can create and share good stories have a powerful advantage over others.” Nobody knows this better than Matthew Luhn, Disney/Pixar veteran (Toy Story 1,2,3, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc., Cars, Ratatouille, and more) and Fortune 500 storytelling consultant. In this essential talk for leaders, Matthew shows you how to sharpen your storytelling skills and develop your hero/leadership traits to gain an advantage in business and beyond. Providing key insights from his authoritative book, The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond, and hands-on experience consulting with companies ranging from Adidas to Charles Schwab, Matthew reveals how to leverage the power of storytelling to capture attention, give meaning to your message, make more powerful connections, and become a more effective leader.

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About Keynote Speaker Matthew Luhn

You may not recognize Matthew Luhn’s name, but you definitely know his work: The Simpsons, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, and Ratatouille. After a stellar 20+ year career at Disney/Pixar, he turned his focus to helping the corporate world leverage the art and science of storytelling for business success, authoring The Best Story Wins and consulting to companies such as Charles Schwab and Adidas. A top speaker on storytelling, creativity and innovation, he has delighted a range of Fortune 1000 audiences including Apple, Capital One, Clorox, Facebook, Gartner, Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Procter & Gamble, Sony, Target, and Vrbo. His keynotes and workshops have been featured at BNY Mellon, BMW, Walt Disney Imagineering, Walt Disney Family Museum, Lego, Prudential Insurance, Salesforce, Volkswagen, Wells Fargo, and many more.

More About Matthew Luhn

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.” 

Testimonials

Matthew was great. Our Leadership team continues to revisit Matthew’s story spine. In fact, in a couple of weeks we’re hosting a virtual reconnect on storytelling–where everyone has to bring a story–and several leaders have been referencing Matthew’s book to prepare. So, it was definitely a successful engagement that keeps on giving.

Director, National Grid

 

Many stood up and gave Matthew a standing ovation when he was done which has not happened in our keynote sessions before! …Matthew’s presentation was a home run.

Society of Certified Senior Advisors

 

Everyone loved his presentation – so many attendees were taking notes, nodding their heads, and he got a standing ovation. A number of people came up to me afterwards commenting on how much his message will help them with their future presentations and meetings with clients.

Ann

Society of Certified Senior Advisors

Matthew Luhn was awesome at our Relationship Summit.  He scored very high in our survey results and his message really resonated with our teams. And he is such a great person :). Thank you for the excellent recommendation.

Greg S.

FNBO

Matthew will take you on a remarkable journey that will reinforce the power of story telling in everything we do. Providing you with practical steps you can take today, to become a better story teller, communicating with influence and impact.

Jason Bradshaw

Chief Experience & Marketing Officer Volkswagen Group Australia

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 team’s storytelling skills right away.

John Kim

President, VRBO

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!

Amanda Mahan & Ellen Liu

Clorox

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! I hope we can work together in the future.

Amit Kotecha

Head of Marketing EMEA, Quantcast

Working with Matthew has been great! Whether running a workshop or speaking at Dreamforce, his brainstorming techniques and boundless creativity have inspired many at Salesforce. With his guidance, we have found fun new ways to tell a richer and more meaningful story. Matthew’s journey and methods for creating story and memorable characters continue to resonate with me. I look forward to working with him again!

Domenique Sillett Buxton

Senior Creative Director, Trailhead | Salesforce

Matthew spoke at a conference GV hosted for communications and marketing executives in the technology industry. His session was an empowering lesson about the art of building connections through storytelling. Matthew’s talk was inspiring, entertaining, and actionable, and many attendees told us that his keynote was the highlight of the entire day.

Jodi Olson

Communications Lead, Google Ventures

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.

Katrina Moss

Onboarding Program Manager, Shopify

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!

Alexander F. Unger

Director Brand Strategy, Adidas

Thank you Matthew for teaching our staff how to give oral presentations with strong structure that can change the beliefs of the world. In a nutshell, if we take a story — one of our success stories, for example —back it up with data and make people feel something, people will remember it.  Big thumbs “Up” for edutainment value!

Lise Lindia

Team Lead, HR Services and Programs Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Matthew is a born storyteller and mentor. As a teacher, he demonstrates a true passion, drive, and expertise that is world class. Matthew is a true master of the craft of story.

Emily Dean

Director, Sony Animation

Matthew spoke at a conference GV hosted for communications and marketing executives in the technology industry. His session was an empowering lesson about the art of building connections through storytelling. Matthew’s talk was inspiring, entertaining, and actionable, and many attendees told us that his keynote was the highlight of the entire day.

Jodi Olson

Communications Lead, Google Ventures

Matthew unpacks the secrets of what makes an impactful story and provides guidelines on how to become a master storyteller. His work has inspired us at adidas to focus on the power of story behind our products.

Eric Liedtke

Head of Brands, Adidas

Happy to say the session is done and it went amazing! People were loving it!

Maayan

Sysaid

Wanted to take a minute to express how much we enjoyed having you as a Keynote Speaker at our conference last week. You certainly took us on an exciting journey complete with laughing out loud on several occasions and a moment of reflection were you brought a tear to the eye. Read More

Sheila

Assistant Vice President, Old Republic National Title Insurance Company

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude for your contribution to the IAA Global Conference “Creativity4Better” 2022. We admire so much your storytelling, your poise, presence, charisma. You are an inspiration for us all, and we are blessed that you accepted to be with us. Read More

Diana F

IAA Conference Director

“Matthew was an absolutely huge hit. Thank you so much for the recommendation. We had so much positive feedback.”

Sarah

SVN

Media

Article

Nov 30, 2023

The Award-Winning Storytelling of Matthew Luhn Awaits You with Santa Yeti

Matthew Luhn, award-winning film director and top creativity keynote speaker, has just released a magical new book called Santa Yeti....

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Article

Aug 2, 2023

Discover 6 Ways Storytelling can Benefit you and your Team

Storytelling has emerged as the number one business skill for connecting, motivating, and leading people in today’s world. According to...

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Article

Aug 25, 2022

Matthew Luhn's "Sprite Fright" Wins Three Awards!

Top storytelling speaker Matthew Luhn‘s animated short film, “Sprite Fright,” has won 3 awards: Best Film at the Cleveland International...

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Article

Apr 29, 2021

Sharpen your Storytelling Skills with Matthew Luhn to Make a Lasting Impression

“Matthew will take you on a remarkable journey that will reinforce the power of storytelling in everything we do. Providing...

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Article

Jan 29, 2020

Get Motivated: Matthew Luhn

“So whatever you do in life, always ask yourself: What do you want people to feel? What do you want...

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Article

Oct 28, 2019

Matthew Luhn's Marketing Theory on the Superhero Fallacy

Former Pixar Storyteller and BigSpeak Keynote Speaker Matthew Luhn’s ideas graced the pages of Forbes Magazine this week. His unique...

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Article

May 16, 2019

How and Why Game of Thrones is Epically Failing Us This Season

***This article is full of spoilers, so figure out your priorities, catch up and get back to us*** Did you...

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Article

Aug 28, 2018

Matthew Luhn's Business Book, The Best Story Wins, is Now Available

Top creativity keynote speaker Matthew Luhn releases his business book today, The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Pixar Style...

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Article

Jul 16, 2018

The Five Traits You Need to Inspire Your Team Like a Hero

To inspire your team like a hero, cultivate the five movie hero traits Matthew Luhn’s discusses in his new talk,...

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