What do the world's most beloved animated films and today’s top-performing brands have in common? They understand the importance and craft of storytelling.

In this episode, Lydia Chan is joined by Matthew Luhn, a master storytelling consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 brands. Matthew is a Pixar veteran who worked on beloved classics like Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo. Now he advises businesses on how the mechanics of great storytelling translate directly into business impact.

Matthew breaks down why your customer should be the hero of your business story, not your company, and shares the three scientific reasons why stories work so effectively in business. He discusses the biggest mistakes companies make when attempting storytelling and his views on AI technology's impact to storytelling. This conversation also covers practical frameworks for hooking audiences, creating authentic connections, and why storytelling requires iteration rather than a checkbox approach. Tune in to hear why, in any medium or market, the best story always wins.

Explore more from Matthew:
Storytelling for Business – Watch on YouTube
Speaker Bio – View on Sweeney Agency
Book: The Best Story Wins by Matthew Luhn (translated into multiple languages) - Buy on Amazon

Connect with Matthew:
Instagram: @matthewluhnstory (for visuals, his artworks, and more storytelling tips)
LinkedIn: Matthew Luhn
Website/Profile: https://matthewluhnstory.com/ (for keynotes, workshops, and consulting services)

 

04:17 How working in a family-run toy store shaped Matthew’s understanding of storytelling and customer connection

06:16 The five storytelling principles every brand needs to master to engage their audience

12:11 Why your customer—not your brand—is the real hero, and how to shift your messaging accordingly

16:53 The science behind why stories are more memorable and persuasive than data alone

27:47 Why now—amid tech disruption and AI hype—is the most critical time to invest in brand storytelling

00:00:28:11 - 00:00:57:14

Lydia

Okay, today's guest is Matthew Lunn. Pixar veteran who worked on classics like Toy Story, monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and many more. He's a master storyteller and trusted advisor to some of the fortune 500 biggest brands on the art of storytelling. He's also the author of the book The Best Story Wins How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond.

00:00:57:16 - 00:01:04:02

Lydia

Matthew, it's so great to have you on the show. I think third time's the charm. So you're a very busy man.

00:01:04:04 - 00:01:10:03

Matthew

Well, I'm happy we have, finally come together, and I'm excited to be here.

00:01:10:05 - 00:01:24:19

Lydia

Yeah. I'm so excited for our conversation. But first, let's let's start with you. You know, tell us a little bit about your journey into storytelling and what led you from the animation studios to helping fortune 500 companies tell better stories?

00:01:24:21 - 00:02:01:12

Matthew

Okay. Well, I would say it all started in a toy store because when I was born in the San Francisco Bay area, my parents owned seven toy stores and, called Jeffrey's Toys. And my whole family, including myself growing up, worked in the stores and, so I would say, you know, while it was toys, which is fun, all of the conversations, around the dinner table were always business related.

00:02:01:14 - 00:02:38:03

Matthew

But I was also in the meantime, always drawing and writing stories. And fortunately, I had a dad who secretly wanted to be an animator at Disney. So he definitely encouraged me to follow that path. But, so he could live vicariously through me. And also I could do what I love. And that took me to, you know, following my passion, which was, you know, a career in animation and film.

00:02:38:05 - 00:03:02:17

Lydia

Yeah. No, that's that's really amazing, Matthew. Because when you think about when does imagination really kind of spur is, is when kids are playing, right? You're playing with a toy and it's you sort of watch kids just like their imaginations just run wild. And I think, I don't know, we need a bit more of that for as long to wait.

00:03:02:19 - 00:03:45:08

Matthew

Yeah, I was very fortunate. I mean, surrounded by toys, having a dad who wanted to be a Disney animator, and also a mother who was very supportive. And I ended up going to. Well, first, I would say in high school it didn't end for me. And that's one of the things I, you know, like to share with people who who are younger and they are aspiring artists, storytellers, creators, don't let that dream fall away when you become a teenager or head off to college or you're a, you know, a young working adult.

00:03:45:10 - 00:04:18:00

Matthew

When I was in high school, I found a super eight camera that's not digital, but real film. And through all of high school, I was making, short films, animation, live action. And that's what got me into the, college. I went to CalArts, which is in Los Angeles. It's the animation school that Walt Disney created before he passed away to train the next generation of artists to go work for him.

00:04:18:06 - 00:04:31:16

Matthew

So I ended up going to that school one year, and I made an animated short film and got a job at The Simpsons because of that. And I was 19 years old. Not normal.

00:04:31:18 - 00:04:54:17

Lydia

Nice. Very nice. So, Matthew, on on the show, we focus on, you know, how businesses can build more genuine connections, right, with their audiences. So I guess for you, what was that? I don't know, maybe. Moment. Right. That made you realize the the power of storytelling extended beyond the screen, beyond animation studios and into business.

00:04:54:19 - 00:05:38:07

Matthew

You know, I would say that working at The Simpsons as an animator and learning about storytelling, that was my first, exposure to how how, you know, stories in the entertainment world, can be so moving. But then when I came into Pixar, when Toy Story was being made and I came in as an animator, but also was helping out with a story process, Pixar was back in the Bay area, the San Francisco Bay area, which was unusual for a animation studio.

00:05:38:09 - 00:06:29:11

Matthew

But while I'm helping out with my family at the toy store and working on Toy Story, I was starting to see the parallels between, making authentic connections with an audience at a movie theater or, as they're watching a TV show and making an authentic, relatable connection with people coming in the toy store. And I was starting to use those stories skills to be able to interact with people more effectively when they were coming into the toy store, and not just to sell them one toy for that on that one day, but make a connection with them that would, you know, be passed on to their kids or their friends.

00:06:29:13 - 00:06:42:08

Matthew

And so it was during that time, those early years at Pixar, that I saw that storytelling is not just for entertainment. It's it's for business and for everything.

00:06:42:10 - 00:07:02:08

Lydia

Yeah. Can you expand on that a little bit more? Right. Like what what what did that what did that maybe look like? Or maybe the, frameworks of what that means, right. As, as someone who's trying to interact with a customer, but doing it in a way where you're truly telling a more meaningful story or more meaningful conversation.

00:07:02:08 - 00:07:25:12

Matthew

Yeah. Well, you know, when it comes to me crafting a story, if it's a film or TV show or a book, you know, there, it just keeps going back to five things I'm always thinking of, like, how do I hook the audience in eight seconds? How do I transform them through a story? Do that character's changing in the story, in it?

00:07:25:14 - 00:07:59:18

Matthew

In it, you know, in genders, a change in them? How do I connect with anybody universally with a story, and then make it authentic and have a good story structure? And then you look at a toy store or a big brand. The first thing we're trying to do is hook people within eight seconds. Now for my family at the toy store, it was how to get people who are walking down in downtown San Francisco on Market Street.

00:07:59:20 - 00:08:25:12

Matthew

How do we get them to come in the store? Well, one of the hooks we use, is what do you put in that front window? You know, for example, I own a lot of, maybe fairly large animation, geeky things. And one of them was, actual human size sculptures of The Simpsons sitting on the couch.

00:08:25:14 - 00:08:26:08

Lydia

Very cool.

00:08:26:08 - 00:08:48:19

Matthew

It's huge. It's great for the front window at the toy store, though. I mean, what a great hook. People see that they come in the store. Yeah, but you know, my my, my grandfather back in the day, you know, after World War two, he would stand out there with a coffee, can full of dimes. And he would say, if you come in my store, I'll give you a dime.

00:08:48:21 - 00:09:23:01

Matthew

So the hook and then when you have people come in, you want to make a connection by simply asking them questions and listening, you know, what are you looking for? Is it a birthday? Is it, for a boy? Is for a girl? Is it for a relative or a friend? And then I start to use short, kind of experiences, like, well, I have kids, and they loved this on their birthday.

00:09:23:01 - 00:10:08:11

Matthew

Or they loved this, that I got them on the holidays. It's it's using the same kind of connections we do in entertainment, but with business hooking, changing, connecting and making it authentic. And putting people in the place of being the hero when they come in the store or you're trying to connect with somebody, whether you're a marketer, your sales person, you know, it's all about creating a story that puts people into that role.

00:10:08:11 - 00:10:17:19

Matthew

So so then you can, share with them how you can positively affect their future story, you know? Yeah.

00:10:17:21 - 00:10:56:08

Lydia

Yeah. For sure. I mean, I think it's it's really important. Like you mentioned, this is like, who are we speaking to? Right. And then understanding, the use cases for them. Like why right. Why are you in the store or why do you use this product? You know what? You know, how does it help your life? And then that research or those conversations then translate into how marketers or again, communication professionals start to tell the story of whatever it is that they're trying to do versus maybe looking more inward is like the top down approach where it's like, oh, here's what we're trying to say.

00:10:56:08 - 00:11:02:17

Lydia

Here's without thinking about that, that human person you're actually trying to speak to and what matters to them.

00:11:02:18 - 00:11:29:12

Matthew

Yeah. You know, one of the important things, to remember as a storyteller is while you want to create stories, testimonials, metaphors, experiences, all those that are personal to you, you don't want them to be so personal to you that they become obscure to the person you're sharing it with. You always need to think about who is the audience?

00:11:29:14 - 00:11:58:14

Matthew

Who is the customer? Who is the peer or the partner? And what's important to them? That's a very important thing, because a lot of times I find people in the business world always see themselves and their company as the hero to save the day, but actually, we want to think about the person we're pitching to as the hero and what is their goal and what are their obstacles and how can we transform them?

00:11:58:14 - 00:12:10:08

Matthew

Those are all the things that we're trying to do when we create a film, or a TV show or a book, how do we change the audience?

00:12:10:10 - 00:12:37:20

Lydia

So yeah, I think that's a really interesting point to, to bring up, because I think usually you see, like, for example, marketing a particular product or tech product. Right. You sometimes see a, you know, characters being built on, sort of what they need. Right. And, and then the, the, the product becomes the hero that, that comes in.

00:12:37:20 - 00:12:53:23

Lydia

And obviously, you know, changes their lives or like, makes their lives better. So I guess how do you flip that switch, right. Of like, well, the product is not necessarily the hero, but the person is the hero. But the product plays a very good supporting character.

00:12:54:01 - 00:13:26:01

Matthew

It it does. The way to think about it is that the person you're pitching to or whatever you want to do, the customer or you know, the the person you're trying to engage with, they are the hero. And in the story scenario, you are the mentor. And when you think about the cast of characters and movies, whether it's the Harry Potter films or the Star Wars series or Wizard of Oz or whatever, you have a hero.

00:13:26:03 - 00:14:05:07

Matthew

And then the hero always has a mentor, a mr. Miyagi, a Dumbledore, Gilda the Good Witch. And the mentor usually bestows a item to the hero to help them reach their goal a magic wand, a lightsaber, a pair of ruby slippers, and through the mentor's advice and wisdom, and that magical tool they bestow to the hero that helps the hero be able to overcome their obstacles and their fears and doubts to change and reach their goal.

00:14:05:09 - 00:14:40:05

Matthew

When you think about what the product the product is like the lightsaber, it's like the wand. It's the ruby slippers that gives the hero, the customer, or the person you're pitching to. The confidence to be able to overcome the obstacles and reach their goal. But I would say one of the things that most story people know is that the mentor character, Obi-Wan Kenobi, whoever it is, they usually die, at the end of act two or the beginning of act three, or they're missing.

00:14:40:06 - 00:15:09:16

Matthew

Where's Dumbledore again? He's like, on a mission or something, right? And it leaves the hero having to reach the goal themselves. But they do have ally characters, to be able to be there, to, to kind of lift them up and help them reach the finish line. And that's the Han Solo, the Princess Leia, the Ron, the her mini.

00:15:09:18 - 00:15:37:13

Matthew

And for us in the business world, our role changes from mentor to ally. And I love it when, I'm working with a company can be, you know, a wealth manager. It could be my car maintenance. And after, I've got a service done or something's been taken care of. They check in with me a month later. How are you doing?

00:15:37:18 - 00:16:09:08

Matthew

Did everything work good? Did you reach the finish line? Those characters in stories are very similar, to our role in the business world. And there's going to be times, though, where you're going to be the hero of your story when you share your career path, story. And that's one of the first things that comes up when people are, meeting a stranger.

00:16:09:10 - 00:16:35:12

Matthew

What do you do for a living that is your opportunity to share? I'm from New York City. I moved to L.A.. I, you know, I pursued this passion. You can be the hero in that. For in that story. But almost every other time you're putting somebody else in the role of being the hero in their story.

00:16:35:13 - 00:17:01:17

Lydia

Very interesting. I think so with most business leaders. Right. I think, you know, people understand the story is important. And they're always all in on storytelling, right? At least that the rooms at that, in, but I feel like when we get down to it, it's hard to make it tangible for them, right, of like, you know, the fact that it's still art.

00:17:01:17 - 00:17:27:20

Lydia

Right. And is quite abstract, and hard to apply sometimes in like a pitch or a campaign. And, you know, that's why we leverage storytelling experts, writing and creatives. You have various, you know, so different, kind of minds sometimes. So what's the clearest way that you found, to explain why storytelling matters to a brand success?

00:17:27:22 - 00:18:08:07

Matthew

It's a very good question. I really break it down into three things. Stories have this meaningful, magical ability in entertainment, in business. Because number one, they make information more memorable when there's just plot points in entertainment or just facts and figures being shared in the business world, they will not stick in people's minds. Unless there is a story attached that acts as the kind of glue to make the information and plot points stick around for longer than ten minutes.

00:18:08:09 - 00:18:56:05

Matthew

So that's the first thing. Stories make information memorable. The second thing, stories impact our emotions, and most people who will listen to this know that a big part of what makes people want to, buy something or, be a part of a brand or want to work in a company, is it felt right. There was an emotion, those emotions that, story creates through the release of dopamine and oxytocin and endorphins and cortisol that, kind of fear chemical when you are a that in a story meeting on a film or TV show, they won't use those words.

00:18:56:07 - 00:19:29:11

Matthew

They will say rising action, falling action, tension release, happy moments, sad moments. But in the business world, those chemicals are dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins and sometimes cortisol. And when it's done right, you will impact people's emotions. You'll make them laugh and cry and feel something. If you're using a story and it goes beyond just what the product is, but what the product can do for you.

00:19:29:13 - 00:20:06:09

Matthew

Third thing, stories are personal. A lot of us want that authentic personal connection to feel confident enough. To try something new, to purchase something, to, to experience something. And we feel more confident when it's personal. So for all the people I trust in my life, with my money, my health, my car, my children, I didn't meet those people just online.

00:20:06:11 - 00:20:42:20

Matthew

I usually met them on the sidelines of a sporting event or my kids sporting events. And it all starts off with what do you do for a living? Oh, I work for Charles Schwab and I'm a wealth manager. Oh, I'm a mechanic. And I, you know, own a car shop. I'm a doctor and I have a practice. That personal five minute story you share with people gives them the trust that this is somebody, I could trust with the important things in my life.

00:20:43:01 - 00:20:51:16

Matthew

So stories are meaningful because they are, memorable, impactful, and personal.

00:20:51:18 - 00:21:14:15

Lydia

Yeah. And, something I wrote down that, that you mentioned is, is that the power of when someone says it, it just felt right. Right. And I bring that up because in the world of, data, and data influences, you know, a lot of the ways that we tell stories, a lot of the ways that we make videos, and, you know, create our messaging.

00:21:14:15 - 00:21:45:18

Lydia

But if you think about someone telling you a story, right, versus saying, hey, this is, you know, showing you stats or bringing stats into the story. But when it comes to that pivotal point where they're like, it just felt right. And then, you know, kind of delivering that, whatever that ending pieces like to the audience, you're like, you just feel something more when when it's like, yeah, that that was that was almost, a little bit serendipity, right?

00:21:45:23 - 00:21:48:16

Lydia

Because we want that a little bit of magic in like we do.

00:21:48:16 - 00:22:12:09

Matthew

I mean, think about, when you get an opportunity to buy a house one day or if you've purchased a house or a car, you know, you've gone through, you know, the websites, you've looked at, the prices you looked at, the square footage, you've looked at what the house has three bedrooms, two baths, all that. But there's something about when you entered the home.

00:22:12:11 - 00:22:44:22

Matthew

How does it feel? Does it feel like I belong here? You know? And that feeling is because of everything that has to do with a story. Using all the five senses. How does it look inside? How does it smell? How has it had, you know, how does it sound? You hear traffic or they need to. You have birds, you know, and and then also just how does it feel, the tactile part.

00:22:45:00 - 00:22:45:07

Lydia

Yeah.

00:22:45:07 - 00:23:04:13

Matthew

Those things, they make us, put all of the other things aside of how much it costs. Oh, it's not as big as I want it, but it's so cute, you know? And it just feels right. And that that's that's what. That's what a story does.

00:23:04:15 - 00:23:25:05

Lydia

Yeah. Yeah. For sure. What I guess throughout your, your time consulting with, with brands and, you know, big organizations, what's the maybe biggest mistake, that you've seen companies make when they're trying to quote unquote, do storytelling. Right.

00:23:25:07 - 00:23:56:23

Matthew

Well, there's a couple of things. The one thing on the top is they forget that they are not the hero of the story. It's the people they're trying to connect to. That's the first thing I see. You know, we should see ourselves as we are a company of superheroes that saved the day. That comes off kind of very arrogant and also, distances yourself from the people you're trying to connect to.

00:23:57:01 - 00:24:29:23

Matthew

The other thing I would say is that, you know, like you said in the beginning of this, people have heard how important storytelling is, but it goes beyond just putting a poster in the boardroom that says the power of storytelling, or we've got a great story to tell. It's about going deeper and understanding the principles of storytelling so that people can actually really apply it.

00:24:30:01 - 00:24:54:12

Matthew

And so, you know, I see a lot of people talk about how important storytelling is. But they just maybe don't have the tools on how to be able to do it. And, and, and then I would say that I know we love to have a checklist and we just check the boxes. It feels good. It's a release.

00:24:54:12 - 00:25:36:21

Matthew

A dope meme is what it is, right? But that box that says story. Have we checked off the box and and have figured out our story? I would say that people need to realize that it's a little more organic when you are finding the story around your product, your brand, your pitch, and it all doesn't just happen. While, on the first try, the iterations, need to be given time to be able to get to the best, version and I understand we have to always think about time and money when we are.

00:25:36:23 - 00:26:01:06

Matthew

We are, exploring something like that. But when you really look at the best companies out there, they may not be using the word iterations, but they will be using R&D. And I think we know that the companies that invest time and money into research and development, they are the most successful and, financially successful companies out there.

00:26:01:08 - 00:26:29:18

Matthew

It takes a little time to be able to do iterations with the right tools, to be able to create the best stories and it also takes people, who are specialists in that field to be able to be like that. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Yeah, that Mr. Miyagi, to be able to be a mentor, to guide those companies down that path.

00:26:29:20 - 00:26:35:16

Matthew

So not only do they reach the goal, but they become better storytellers themselves.

00:26:35:18 - 00:27:02:15

Lydia

Yeah, I really like what you said, about that checklist. Right. And like storytelling or stories. Yeah. As something that's on the list. And if anything, it should be that the heading of the list, if you will. Right. Yeah. The, you know, the title of the list because, you know, building a story takes time. It takes your foundation of elements, right?

00:27:02:15 - 00:27:18:00

Lydia

Like building your characters, building your, your scenes or whatever it is. Yeah. Beginning, middle, end. So thinking of it as, as just like a oh, hey, do we do that? Okay, cool. Check. Yeah. Like that. It means that it's going to fail every single time, you know?

00:27:18:00 - 00:27:43:00

Matthew

And this isn't just in the world of business that this, just check the box happens. It happens in entertainment all the time. The producers, the money people just want to say our stories. Done. Let's let's move into production. Yeah, but you're absolutely right. There's so many things that are under that story box, from characters to what is the theme?

00:27:43:01 - 00:27:44:21

Matthew

All of those things. Yeah.

00:27:44:23 - 00:28:13:20

Lydia

For sure. I want to touch on the kind of current environment. Right. So if, unless you're sort of under a rock, you know, that the industry is being quite, disrupted right now with, emerging technology jobs, etc.. So as storytellers, you know, why is it so important in, in this current environment that we make the case for brands storytelling with companies cutting back on budgets and, you.

00:28:13:21 - 00:28:14:03

Matthew

Know.

00:28:14:06 - 00:28:24:15

Lydia

Again, the different disruptors entering the space. What's your advice on how we can convince brands to continue to invest in storytellers?

00:28:24:17 - 00:29:01:18

Matthew

Well, it it's interesting because, you know, let's say I write so I this new technology and in my eyes there's pros and cons with any new technology. When I came in, to work on Toy Story, the first one at Pixar, I was the first 12 CG animators to work on that film. At that time, that new technology of CG animation was a serious threat to the whole animation art community and the whole film industry.

00:29:01:20 - 00:29:41:16

Matthew

And that was 30 years ago. But people were like, the computer is going to replace our job now at that time, when Toy Story came out in 1995, there was maybe, I don't know, I'm kind of guessing maybe 40 animated films that came out that year around the whole world. But now there's hundreds and hundreds of animated films that come out every year because that CG animation didn't replace humans, it actually became a new tool to be able to help people tell stories.

00:29:41:18 - 00:30:07:10

Matthew

But there were a lot of people early on that thought, it's just the CG animation that makes a top grossing movie. And there's a lot of them. I don't know if anybody remembers these films, like, what was it called, fishtail or something? Or, you know, that that came out CG animated film, you know, but it didn't have a good story, you know?

00:30:07:12 - 00:30:41:17

Matthew

So with this new technology, with AI, I think we need to look at it as it is another tool. It can be a copilot sometimes it can be, you know, a muse. But, in my opinion, it's not going to replace the authentic human that we want to hear over the phone or that we want creating the movie, the TV show, creating the new company in their garage.

00:30:41:19 - 00:31:11:21

Matthew

You know, we still need to have that authentic human touch. And, and I, I think all of this that's going on with AI right now is very new. It's also very gimmicky. And we love gimmicks and I think we're at least I'm seeing in the entertainment world where we're starting to see more, cons than pros with using it as a tool.

00:31:11:23 - 00:31:39:00

Matthew

At least I am, because I was, I was trying to make an animated short using AI because, you know, like everybody else, you look on social media. Yeah, Instagram. And it's like, wow, look at it, look what these tools can do. And as I started working with an AI company on this, I quickly found out that all of those things we're seeing on social media are highly manipulated to be able to sell products.

00:31:39:02 - 00:32:13:09

Matthew

You can't actually do those things when you're actually making something like, I was, because I'm someone that's pretty like new technology and art and story, the Golden Flux capacitor. But it just it wasn't there and it was missing the human touch. So and I think that just that tool is disrupting a lot of things. It's making people question, you know, should we be reducing our budgets right now?

00:32:13:09 - 00:32:52:01

Matthew

Should we be reducing our staff and, and this is a, it's an exciting time, but with new technology and exciting times like this, it also makes things, a little unclear what is going to happen, which is exciting. I mean, a lot of creative things happen when there's uncertainty, but, I'm just kind of going along with it and, and and trying, trying these things out instead of just kind of crossing my arms, and I'm not getting involved, you know?

00:32:52:03 - 00:33:14:11

Lydia

So I think people yeah, I think people will find, you know, some of the things you just mentioned. Quite reassuring, right. At least for, for me, I know, my, kind of run with AI tools is I actually find it really frustrating and I just don't necessarily have the patience for it. And it almost removes the, the beauty of like some something you just mentioned.

00:33:14:11 - 00:33:25:08

Lydia

It's like human connection of like creating together. Yeah, I like that. That in itself, I don't know. I don't think you can replace now.

00:33:25:10 - 00:33:52:13

Matthew

You know, I, we, I mean, I love great sci fi films, I love apocalyptic movies. I also I love all kinds of movies, but I love seeing, you know, you know, Black Mirror and you know, what kind of new technology, sci fi things maybe some of it will come to life one day, but, you know, art goes in, these art goes in these kind of cycles.

00:33:52:15 - 00:34:27:16

Matthew

You've got the Renaissance and everything looks like highly realistic and beautiful and then all of a sudden we went to the Impressionism time. Why did we do that? Weren't we just happy with the Renaissance? I mean, everything looked real. Why did we need to have, you know, Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso making things, you know, with eyes here and here and colors being in the wrong places because we we change our tastes and we we we love seeing the person behind the art.

00:34:27:18 - 00:34:58:17

Matthew

So I think it's, I think it's, it's a cycles that, that art and technology goes through and, and personally for me, I like the hands handcrafted draftsmanship ship of an item I purchase. I like seeing, you know, live entertainment up on stage. I want to see real people. Not a, TV show that's just all made of AI characters with a prompt I've put in.

00:34:58:19 - 00:35:01:00

Matthew

So, you know.

00:35:01:02 - 00:35:20:10

Lydia

Yeah, I, I totally agree. Well, Matthew, I think that's, a great, kind of ending point here. So to wrap things up, I mean, you know, I guess what are you keeping your eye on? About the future storytelling. I know we just kind of touched on that, but. And anything else, that you know, one of the one of the.

00:35:20:10 - 00:35:50:21

Matthew

Things I would say is that from, from my point of view, it's always going to come down to the fundamentals of storytelling that have been going on for thousands and thousands of years from, you know, Toy Story to Star Wars to, you know, Homer and the Gilgamesh and Art in caves. Right? It's still going to always come down to a hero on a journey.

00:35:50:23 - 00:36:27:11

Matthew

And the journey has a beginning, middle and an end, with a theme, a message that inspires the listener or the watcher or the audience. But all of those advancements in art and movies and TV shows and books and in business, there's always been a pairing of new technology, a camera, optical printing, new technique for paint, a new way to be able to make products or, a business.

00:36:27:13 - 00:37:00:02

Matthew

So I think those things go hand in hand. And so I would say, as much as new technology can be scary, don't don't, just repel it all because it could be something that, gives you the ability to tell the next best story or create the next best product brand company. But it will always come back to how did you make the audience feel?

00:37:00:04 - 00:37:03:21

Matthew

How did you make people feel with that thing you created?

00:37:03:23 - 00:37:16:16

Lydia

So for sure, Matthew, this was such a great conversation. Thank you so much for for the time. So where can our listeners, you know, learn more about you, your workshops, purchase your book?

00:37:16:18 - 00:37:44:13

Matthew

Sure. Well, first off, thank you for inviting me. This is my my pleasure. And I'm happy we finally made this work. And, you know, I'm I'm on the, Right. You know, I think we all know the the different social media locations. I try to separate things a little bit if I, if I, I try. So I really try to use Instagram for visual stuff.

00:37:44:15 - 00:38:07:05

Matthew

So if you're ever interested in seeing, you know, kind of the behind the scenes of things, I've worked on the Toy Story movies, monsters, seeing, Finding Nemo, The Simpsons, all that stuff. I put all my artwork on Instagram with little, story suggestions of how to be a better storyteller, all of the kind of more, businessy adventures.

00:38:07:09 - 00:38:35:04

Matthew

And my books, like the Best Story wins. I put that on LinkedIn. And and if you know Amazon, you know, or a local bookstore, you'll be able to find my books. The best story wins. And it's been translated in, just this week, I guess it's now in Japanese, and it's also in Korean and soon to be German and Spanish and, and then I do have a website.

00:38:35:04 - 00:39:03:04

Matthew

It's Matthew one story. And if you're interested in wanting to learn more about storytelling, you know, for you or your company, I do keynotes and workshops and, and consulting. And for me, if it has something to do about storytelling, whether it's entertainment or business, I'm there. So, you know, it all comes down to whoever tells the best story.

00:39:03:06 - 00:39:11:17

Lydia

Awesome. Well, we'll put those in the show notes for you, Matthew. Yeah. Thank you so much for being on the show. It was a great conversation.

00:39:11:19 - 00:39:12:06

Matthew

Thank you.

00:39:12:06 - 00:39:32:00

Lydia

Lydia, thanks for tuning in to the Audience Connection podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. If you'd like to connect with me about how I can help you tell better stories and connect better with your audiences. Drop me a note Lydia at Casual films.com. We'll be back with more episodes soon.

00:39:32:03 - 00:39:32:23

Lydia

See you next time.