Matthew Luhn
Matthew Luhn is an American storyboard artist, animator, and writer for Pixar and The Simpsons. He is also known for serving as a creative writing instructor and keynote speaker.
Career
Luhn attended the character animation program at the California Institute of the Arts. In 1993, he directed his student film Starship Spacehustle, and was offered his first animation job. He dropped out of CalArts, and at the age 19, he was the youngest animator hired to work on The Simpsons. His work includes the episodes: "Kamp Krusty", "Lisa's Pony", "Homer Alone", "Colonel Homer", "Homer Defined", and "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk".Shortly thereafter, Luhn joined Pixar Animation Studios, becoming one of the first 12 animators on the studio's feature film, Toy Story. He stated, "I loved working on Toy Story, but the part that really interested me was the big picture – the story part... But I wasn't able to make the transition over from animator to storyteller easily." Luhn was told that he was not experienced enough to become a storyboard artist. He left Pixar to gain experience as a freelance storyboard artist and copywriter for several commercial studios. After a year, he sent his storyboard portfolio to Pixar, and he was rehired as a storyboard artist for Toy Story 2.
Outside his career as a story artist and animator, Luhn is also a keynote speaker who has trained chief executive officers, marketing teams, directors and other professionals how to craft and tell stories for Fortune 500 companies. Matthew also gave a TEDx Talk at the University of California, Santa Barbara.