I believe people respond better when they can see their problems mirrored in a meaningful visual story.
Hi, I’m Shlomi Ron, the founder and CEO of the Visual Storytelling Institute, a Miami-based think tank that brings the gospel of visual storytelling from the world of art into more purposeful marketing. A digital marketing veteran with more than 20 years of experience working on both the agency and brand sides for Fortune 100/500 brands such as Nokia, IBM, and American Express, I started VSI to combine my marketing expertise with my passion for visual stories stemming from my interest in classic Italian cinema and my experience managing the estate of video art pioneer Buky Schwartz. At VSI, I help brands rise above the noise through visual storytelling consulting, training, and thought leadership. Select clients include Estée Lauder, Microsoft, and Cable & Wireless – to name a few. I’m currently teaching Brand Storytelling at the University of Miami’s Business School to pay it forward. You may have come across my name since I’m the host of the Visual Storytelling Today podcast, which ranks in the top 10 business storytelling podcasts on the web—writer of the six-year Visual Storytelling Newsletter. I’m also the author of Total Acuity: Tales with Marketing Morals to Help You Create Richer Visual Brand Stories, and I have recently written blog posts, presented talks, and organized events about emerging technologies like Web3 and AI to tell meaningful stories. I am a certified startup mentor helping startups effectively tell their business stories and achieve their goals. Outside work, I’m a budding bread baker, The Moth fan, and longtime fedora wearer likely to jive with my classic Italian cinema interest.
I am available for speaking engagements for your event or podcast on topics revolving around visual storytelling, brand marketing, ethical AI, Web3, and emerging tech designed to bring to life richer brand narratives.
Shlomi Ron’s exceptional AI keynote at the
Florida Keys Nonprofit Day was specifically
tailored for our group and resonated with
attendees of varying knowledge levels.
His inspiring talk not only led to the formation
of a new meeting group but also significantly
improved the marketing and fundraising efforts
of local nonprofits, positively impacting the community.
Jennifer McComb
President and CEO
Community Foundation of the Florida Keys
Select Speaking Engagements
- Why the Environment is Key to Character Development – 2D Animation course, Florida International University
- AI For Nonprofits – 2023 Florida Keys NON-PROFIT DAY
- How to Present Your Business Story? – Data Storytelling course, Hult International Business School
- Guest panel on Web3, NFT, and the Metaverse – Impact on the Art World – RBC
- How to Present Your Business Story – Right Management
- What’s All the Fuss with the Metaverse? – American Advertising Federation
- What’s All the Fuss with the Metaverse? – Entrepreneurship Program at Nova Southeastern University
- What’s All the Fuss with the Metaverse? – VSI’s first-ever event on the metaverse via Spatial
- Visual Storytelling Today and Tomorrow – Keynote speaker at Visual Storytelling Conference 2022
- What’s All the Fuss with the Metaverse? – Keynote speaker at Rotary Club of Miami
- Judge at the 2021 Harvard Pitch Competition, hosted by HBS Alumni Angels of South Florida
- Visual Storytelling Trends You Can’t Afford to Miss – Gather Voices webinar
- How Visual Storytelling is Shaping the Next Decade – Piktochart Webinar
- The Power of Brand Storytelling – CET – world series, Pinnacle Middle East (UAE)
- The Venture Mentoring Team
- Judge at Accelerator Graduation Night and Presentations, hosted by 1909, a community of entrepreneurs and creators
- Global Entrepreneurship Week 2020
- Business Storyteller Summit ’20: How to Bring to Life Your Brand Narrative with Visual Storytelling
- Broward County Cultural Division: Virtual Visual Storytelling Workshop: How to Tell an Effective Story
- Virtual guest talk: What is Visual Storytelling? PTC
- The Brand Storytelling Train, a 5-part Instagram Live show, produced and hosted by Shlomi Ron
- VentureCafe Miami, FL
- Webinar: Unpacking Effective Visual Storytelling (case study: The Interviewer) in collaboration with Diana Yazidjian and Vikas Narula
- Webinar: Brand Storytelling in The Times of Corona
- Miami Ad School, Miami, FL
- SEMPO – South Florida Digital Fest, Boca Raton, FL
- Keynote speaker, at a private event for the Oxford Club, Saint Michaels MD
- Visual Storytelling Masterclass for Marketers at Microsoft Store, Aventura, FL
- Cinemarketing: Come Utilizzare i Principi Narrative Del Cinema Italiano Classico Per Aumentare L’engagement Dei Clienti in collaboration with the Visual Storytelling Academy at Social Media Week, Rome, Italy (in Italian)
- Cinemarketing: Visual Storytelling Workshop in collaboration with the Visual Storytelling Academy in Rome – Miami Independent Film Festival
- Cinemarketing Webinar in collaboration with the Visual Storytelling Academy in Rome
- University of Miami School of Business
- American Advertising Federation of Ft Lauderdale & the Palm Beaches
- Action Design Miami at Tedge Network
- Department of Marketing at the Florida Atlantic University
- Two roles at the FilmGate Interactive conference:
- Moderator of the panel CONFESSIONS OF A WEB STAR capturing audiences with one-minute storytelling
- Creator of LOOKING OUT LOOKING IN ambient video installation powered by overlooks. TV
- Visual Storytelling Summit 2016 at the Idea Center, Miami-Dade College
- Industry Hero Speaker Series at Miami Ad School.
- Media Management Association School of Communication at the University of Miami
- Other past engagements include: BMA, Social Media Week, Integrated Marketing Week, and South Florida Interactive Marketing Summit
Publications
- Total Acuity: Tales with Marketing Morals to Help You Create Richer Visual Brand Stories by Shlomi Ron
- Book contributor for Oxford University Press: Digital Strategies Data-Driven Public Relations, Marketing, and Advertising by Regina Luttrell, Susan Emerick, and Adrienne Wallace
- VSI Blog by Shlomi Ron
- VSI Weekly Newsletter by Shlomi Ron
- Top 20 Visual Storytelling Tips Picture Book by Shlomi Ron
- Piktochart: Business Storytelling in 2021 and Beyond – The Ultimate Guide
- Journal of Visual Literacy: Unlocking the power of visual grammar theory by Alon Friedman and Shlomi Ron
- Forrester-SiriusDecions: The Most Coveted Social Media Cake Recipe – Revealed!
- Forrester-SiriusDecions: Developing a Social Selling Playbook
- Cafe Pellicola: a blog dedicated to celebrating fine Italian cinema. co-founder and chief writer
Media Coverage
- Forbes: Storytelling Best Practices To Increase Your Workplace Influence
- MartechToday: So how is this Web3 supposed to work?
- Medium’s Authority Magazine: Shlomi Ron of Visual Storytelling Institute: 5 Non-Intuitive Ways To Grow Your Marketing Career
- MartechToday: AR/VR: Marketing in three dimensions
- MartechToday: Let pictures tell your story
- MartechToday: A guide to visual storytelling – part 1
- MarTechToday: A guide to visual storytelling Part 2: NFTs, ‘new’ social and the future of brand content
- VoyageMia: Developing a Social Selling Playbook
- Visme: The Future of Visual Storytelling: Our ‘Ask Me Anything’ with Shlomi Ron
- Uploader Magazine
- ARTPRNR: This week’s Member Spotlight: Shlomi Ron of Visual Storytelling Institute
Podcast Appearances
- The Business of Story: Making Your Brand Story Your Customer’s Story
- The Successful Pitch: Total Acuity With Shlomi Ron
- The Present Beyond Measure Podcast: Shlomi Ron’s Deep Dive on Visual Storytelling
- Visual Storytelling For Live Streams with Shlomi Ron
- Strategy Sprints: How to Bring to Life Your Brand Narrative with Visual Storytelling
- Next Action: Navigating Your Own Personal New Normal: Life Upside Down Before Coronavirus
- Behavioral Grooves: Visual Storytelling in a Time of Crisis
- B2B Growth: Why Visual Triggers Drive Behavior in B2B Marketing
- Hacks & Flacks: The Power of Visual Storytelling in Marketing and Communications
- Sage Mindset: Understanding How Storytelling Works In Conversation And Marketing
- One Last Thought: It Was One of the Worst Days of My Life
- Bootstrapping Your Dreams Show: Creating A Compelling Brand Story Through Visual Story Telling
Ready to chat?
Great! For booking Shlomi for your next event, please schedule a time to discuss your requirements: