I recently had the opportunity to interview Simon Kelly, COO of Story Worldwide. Story Worldwide is a brand storytelling company that creates loyal consumer audiences for some of the world’s most-recognized brands, including Lexus, Unilever, Coty, and UPS. In this animated interview, Simon tells me the one about pitching a deal to Steve Ballmer—one of the toughest customers around. This story includes preparation for the big presentation, “the tough question” and being called “stupid” by the man himself. It also includes winning Microsoft’s magazine, moving to the states from England, and some tips to take into consideration when the nicest thing you can say about the prospect is that he’s a “hostile witness.”

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