Matthew Manos is an artist, strategist, and author interested in experimental economies, conditional systems for creative inquiry, and new methods for collaborative writing in poetry and fiction. He is the Founder and Managing Partner/Global Strategy Lead at verynice, a design, strategy, and foresight consultancy that gives half of its work away for free to non-profit organizations. As of 2015, verynice has been able to gift over $2,500,000 worth of pro-bono design and consulting services across 45 countries to benefit hundreds of organizations thanks largely to a volunteer staff of 350 practitioners. Notable clients of verynice have included UNICEF, NASA, MTV Networks, Google, Kaiser Permanente, and Disney Imagineering. Matthew's work and ideas have been featured in 250+ publications including Boing Boing, Forbes, GOOD Magazine, and The Huffington Post, where he was named one of 7 millennials who are changing the world. He frequently speaks at venues across the nation including two TEDx talks on the topics of social impact and pro-bono. Matthew is also the author of How to Give Half of Your Work Away for Free, creator of the Models of Impact project, Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the California College of the Arts' MBA in Strategic Foresight program, Faculty member at Art Center College of Design, "Poet-At-Large" at FUTURETACO, and is currently on the board of 9 organizations across the private and social sectors. He holds a BA in Design Media Arts from UCLA, and an MFA in Media Design Practices from Art Center College of Design. The Emperor's New Post-It, his MFA Thesis, is a series of design-research projects (and an essay) that serve as a critical reflection on Design-Thinking methodologies and "the templatization of innovation."
