Matthew Luhn is a writer, story branding consultant, and keynote speaker with over 25 years’ experience at Pixar Animation Studios, with story credits including the Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. franchises, Finding Nemo, UP, Cars, and Ratatouille. Alongside his work in Hollywood, Luhn trains CEOs, marketing teams, directors, and professionals on how to craft stories for Fortune 500 companies, Academy Award-winning movies, and corporate brands grossing billions of dollars worldwide, advice he’s packed into his new book, The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond.
Entrepreneurial Role Models:
When business started difficulties overcame:
“I worked at Pixar full-time for over 20 years. To be able to get the nerve to leave such a great place to be able to start my own company… a lot of people said obviously said you are crazy. But I really had a desire to be able to take those Pixar story telling techniques to the rest of the world. Two people in business, nonprofits, education, all different industries. I was definitely pretty afraid that I was making a huge mistake, I was leaving this safety net of Pixar to do something new. I would say I did look to some other people who are doing similar type jobs for advice and mentors and allies” …Listen for More]
Favourite Books:
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Happier Life Book by Arianna HuffingtonFavourite Quote:
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” Walter E. Disney
Recommended Online Resources:
Google – Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware.
Best Advice to Other Entrepreneurs:
“don’t be clever but be honest, the vulnerable. This applies for you if you are a writer being that… Write what you know, write things that you are passionate about… and the same thing goes with any kind of business, for any entrepreneur, don’t be clever but create things, work on things, build things that you are sincerely passionate about. It’s going to be more honest and truthful. But it does mean that there is an element of vulnerability in there, it means really thinking about what you are passionate about in life, pursuing it even if you do not know you will be able to make a living from it yet. But I really think that the best creators, the best innovators that have lived are ones that have taken chances, that have pursued their passion and it’s worked for them”…[Listen for More]
More About Matthew Luhn:
The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond by Matthew Luhn
Neil’s Quote at the Beginning:
“The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
Other Quotes From the Chat with Matthew Luhn:
- “these storytelling techniques when you learn these you can use these in the world of business to become more engaging and make your information more memorable and make a more personal connection with people”
- “when you are looking to create something new, a new company, new idea really look at what is the new technology out there and how can you blend it with art and storytelling”
- “just like when you are creating a story, we love it when the hero has one goal, one vision and they keep pursuing it. Even if they fail, they keep getting up and trying again. That’s kind of been my motto”
- “before you jump ship make sure there is another ship that you are planning to jump to”
- “it doesn’t hurt to be able to look at what other people are doing that you would like to do and find the best ones out there for inspiration. It’s not going to hurt you, it’s not going to make you get stuck in a formula it’s just good to take it as reference and advice”
- “so having a clear vision, having perseverance, right because you know you are going to fail, it’s going to happen, the best heroes in films fail, but you get up and you keep fighting”
- “Quality over quantity. Be passionate about what you do, love what you do, and if you do it well people are going to like it and they are going to bring their friends. And I think that always the best type of marketing is when people tell their friends and family about something they have experienced and it just feels so much more authentic and true”
- “I sincerely believe that all of us have original unique stories that we can use as metaphors tied around our company, our brands, our product to be able to make more authentic connections and for people to want to engage with us in the world of business”
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