Presentation Thinking GhostRanch Communications

Mohamed Danawi is many things—an artist, Founder and Director of IlloZoo, professor at SCAD—but if you were to ask one of his current students, they’d say he’s just “Mo.”

SCAD alumni and GhostRanch Creative Director Allie Wilson joins the ‘cast with Mikey and Mohamed for an amazing conversation around art, visual storytelling, design trends and how to be authentic in your art. 

Mohamed’s experience teaching over the years has given him a unique perspective with how the arts department has evolved, the growth of illustration and the challenges  “teaching” creative mediums. Visual communication is powerful—it can both take away from and enhance a story. So we especially loved how he typically requires students to “present” their projects in class.

This is an episode for: art & design students, storytellers of all kinds and SCAD fans.


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Porter Gale has a couple of TED Talks and they’re both about looking at everyday human connection as a form of networking. 

As Head of Marketing for Virgin America from 2007-2011, Porter traveled a lot for work. On these countless plane rides, she found opportunities of connecting with interesting people and even on occasion people that would affect her work, become her friend or simply inspire her. 

Now an author, investor, speaker and CMO, Porter Gale’s career clearly flourished from such a casual approach to networking.

As we’re about to read her book (Your Network is Your Net Worth), Mikey and I watched two of Porter’s TED Talks and found them as perfect examples of having a simple concept, minimal slides or visuals and a compelling way to frame your story. This is an episode for: People that hate small talk, networking nerds and fans of our TED Talkin’ series.

What's in the Spice Cabinet??

Need some networking inspo? WATCH Porter’s TED Talks! 


TEDx Presidio Your Business in a hyper-connected consumer, employee world (2013)


TEDxLaJolla - Conversations with 4C - the Power of Spontaneity (2012)



Read her book along with us! Episode coming soon.


Your Network is Your Net Worth: Unlock the Hidden Power of Connections for Wealth, Success and Happiness in the Digital Age



What’s Porter’s Walkout Song (according to us)?


Here Comes the Rain Again - Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart


The Rainbow Connection - Kermit the Frog



Need some PowerPoint TLC? 


We have a new offering! You can now book some of our Technical Director, Steve Sheets’ time! We’re talking several hours of 1:1 screen-sharing with whatever design question, PowerPoint hack or presentation advice you need. Email molly@ghostranch.com if you’re interested.


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Mike Raab is good at starting things. 

Executive Director of Northwestern University’s “The Garage”, an entrepreneurial community and startup hub, Mike is known in the startup community for his smart mentorship and mantra, “manufacturing serendipity.”  

Mike is also the co-author of Founded: The No B.S. Guide for Student Entrepreneurs.

With a background in television and film, Mike’s journey to startup and ventures is unique. He joins Mikey and Molly (Mike, Mikey & Molly!) for a conversation around storytelling, pitch decks and what risks are worth taking.

This is an episode for: entrepreneurs, startup nerds and anyone that’s made a pitch deck.



What's in the Spice Cabinet??


Learn more about Northwestern University’s “The Garage”!

Want to read Mike and Melissa Kaufman’s book?


Pick up a copy of Founded: The No B.S. Guide for Student Entrepreneurs

Mike’s walkout song? 


Mikey’s suggestion, inspired by Chicago-centered Hulu show, The Bear: Jesus, etc. by Wilco

Where to follow Mike?


LinkedIn! 

Parting Pitch advice?

"I think the most important thing is just to get confident in the presentation and the pitch that you put together in a way that feels comfortable to you, not in what other people are telling you to do, including myself.

So I'd say that's one of the most important things so that when you're actually delivering it, you believe it yourself and you're excited to share it with others."


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What with Inside Out 2 around the corner (June 14th!), we wanted to bring back a “Presentation Preferred” crowd favorite and RE RELEASE this gem of an episode going through PIXAR’s 22 Rules for Storytelling.

This is an episode for: Disney & PIXAR fans, presenters, speakers and anyone feeling stuck in their creative process. 

It’s no secret that we love a good PIXAR story on this podcast. 

PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” adds yet another piece to the list of incredible storytelling strategies and resources that PIXAR provides us. 

First put together by a former PIXAR writer, Emma Coats, these snippets of storytelling strategy are chock full of important life lessons, creative process advice and—obviously!—presentation applications. We brought friends of the Ranch Emily Pantoja and Asha Alaji-Sharif, our resident “Disney adults”, to really connect all 22 dots to the Presentation Thinking world.

What's in the Spice Cabinet?


Read em and weep: PIXAR’s “22 Rules of Storytelling” by Emma Coats


Disney/PIXAR walkout songs??



Asha - “Nobody Like U” from Turning Red


Emily - “Married Life” theme from UP


Molly - “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story



*Molly says James Taylor sings this but it’s actually Randy Newman!!




You like PIXAR Story stuff? Same. 



We talked about PIXAR animator Matthew Luhn’s amazing talk on this episode, “Why do PIXAR movies make us cry? (Animator Matthew Luhn talks storytelling in business)”



“The Art Of” book series takes a deep dive into specific PIXAR & Disney films and series!



Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse - The Art Of the Movie


The Art of “Turning Red”


The Art of “The Last of Us”



Emily’s advice for more creative inspo?



Check out the proverbial DVD extras - search Behind the Scenes, The Making Of and Interviews of movies and pieces of media that you LOVE! 





Check out PIXAR Artists’ Projects with PIXAR Spark Shorts!


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Tom Fowler—CEO, Venture Capitalist expert and startup mentor—is the person you want in your corner.

Tom spoke to us about the VC & startup world, creating pitch decks and presentation skills and we loved getting to know his unique breadth of experience in sports performance, investing and even theater (!). 

Most importantly, he walks us through—slide-by-slide—his ideal format for the perfect Pitch Deck to break through all the noisy advice out there. (Well, Tom said there’s no such thing as the perfect Pitch Deck, but this breakdown will get you pretty dang close). 

This is an episode for: Startup founders, folks in the VC world and anyone that’s had to pitch something.



What's in the Spice Cabinet??

Want to get in touch with Tom about taking your company to the next level? Or just talk startup shop? 


You can find him on LinkedIn


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What happens in Vegas…gets directly recorded onto our podcast! 

Mikey’s back from Las Vegas to spill the beans on all things Event Tech Live, an annual event for event marketing that brings in all sorts of new ideas and technology for the event industry to continue to be cutting edge. 

From learning about prioritizing the attendee experience to humanizing events, we learned that events are their own kind of presentations and as always—tell a story when done well. This is an episode for: event marketers, planners, presenters and anyone curious about emerging technology for events.



What's in the Spice Cabinet?

Find Event Tech Live and follow their next events (London is next!) here

Who does Mikey want to see at the Sphere? 


The Rolling Stones

Some other event pros to check out from this event?


Event Specialists (Event Tech Hub)

RingCentral Events

Dahlia El Gazzar



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