The Human Connection Podcast

Is your business’s growth stalled? Employee churn eating into your profits? Struggling with customer retention? 

You need stronger connections.

Every Tuesday, connect with an expert who’s sharing actionable advice for building stronger relationships with your customers, clients, and stakeholders. Hosted by Karl Pontau, a storytelling super-connector, content system strategist, and survivor of two childhood brain tumors, this podcast’s mission is to fix the underlying cause of workplace and societal dysfunction: the lack of human connection.

Learn more at www.thehumanconnectionpodcast.com

Podcast Host

Squash and Stretch Productions

My heroic mission involves guiding teams to bring visionary Content Systems and strategies to life. By fostering a creative environment where complex ideas transform into compelling visual stories, I've helped clients achieve remarkable results. What drives me is connecting clients' missions with audiences through visually striking content that sparks action. By nurturing talent and overseeing seamless workflows, I ensure our work not only captivates but also delivers on strategic goals.

▶️Led Enovix’s team to clearly and concisely explain the value of their innovative battery tech - taking them from a 45 minute explanation to a 2 minute video – supporting their $1.13B SPAC event and their $250 million contract with the US Army. Optimized creative strategy and message to grab and hold viewer’s attention. Navigated around two major holidays and an unexpected scope change to deliver on time and under budget.

▶️Recruited and managed the team, budget, and timeline for a collaborative animation project that convinced the San Jose City Council to require life-saving firefighting tech in high-rises, catalyzed adoption in 18 other cities, and contributed to a $100M IP sale for my client. 

▶️Designed flexible content system for La Familia's anti-Fentanyl campaign, enabling rapid pivot when major challenge arose; directed production and content adaptation while production team saved two lives through Narcan administration during new on-site shoot; final campaign successfully deployed regionwide.

Freelance Art Director / Senior Digital Creative Producer

SAE Expression College

As a Brand Story Coach, I've helped entrepreneurs translate their knowledge into actionable ideas for their ideal consumer. Additionally, in the classroom, I've had the joy of shaping future creatives. Through developing curricula and adapting to diverse learning styles, I created supportive environments where innovation thrives and students discover their creative potential.

▶️Advised a local coach on connecting client challenges to his solutions, boosting referrals and sales through improved value communication.

▶️Mentored college students at SAE Expressions in advanced motion graphics, editing, and branding, guiding them through complex software challenges to enhance their technical proficiency and creative output. 

▶️Inspired young minds aged 9-17 at iD Tech Camps, fostering creativity and teamwork while leading students through courses including web design, animation, and robotics.

Storytelling Coach / Teacher / Mentor

GuideSpark

My leadership journey began as a production team member, where I discovered my passion for contributing toward a shared vision. I learned that great leadership creates harmony in both team dynamics and the final product. I also learned that my favorite projects are socially impactful and profitable. Each project laid the foundation for my skills in leading cross-functional teams, managing end-to-end production, and turning creative challenges into opportunities for growth and connection. 

▶️Fostered open communication between animators and VFX coordinators and ensured director feedback was thoughtfully implemented as Animation Coordinator for The Glass Butterfly.

▶️Created intricate 3D facial animations for a confidential project, honing my ability to deliver exceptional work on time and under budget while honoring client trust at FlickerLab.

▶️Collaborated with a remote team to explain organizational change strategies and processes that help companies be more agile at Fire Tribe, Inc. 

▶️Contributed to a local team that created 1,700+ accurate employee benefit animations in 3 months at GuideSpark.

▶️Championed i-GATE's vision for a thriving Tri-Valley startup community that now brings new tech from local labs to the marketplace.

Contract Motion Designer

Health/Med Tech companies and nonprofits have vital - yet difficult - stories to tell. 

So, they struggle to explain their value and attract their best clients.

What makes a story difficult?

Stories that…

😨Cover emotionally triggering subjects... (Cancer, Overdoses, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)
😵Focus on complex or abstract ideas... (Battery tech, Air Tank Refill Systems)
😳Reveal deeply personal experiences... (Founder Stories, Mental Health, Loss)

...are all difficult to effectively tell.

But, I am uniquely equipped to solve these challenges because I:

💗 Show empathy and compassion for clients, team members, and audiences via active listening
🧠 Bring a deep understanding of human decision making and behavior to every project
🚀 Employ an entrepreneurial mindset honed from running my small production agency

I was inspired to focus on these skills after overcoming two malignant brain tumors when I was 15, and am forever grateful for my family, friends, and medical team for showing me what can be accomplished when people care for each other, clearly communicate, and work towards a common goal. 

Once you optimize your story, you’ll need to get it in front of your audience.

That takes a Content System.

These:

💡 Starts with a comprehensive Content Strategy
📚 Delivers a custom asset library for your brand
📲 Generates adaptive content for multiple platforms
💰 Results in greater cost savings and ROI over time

For example:

🎉 Led Enovix’s team to clearly and concisely explain the value of their innovative battery tech - taking them from a 45 minute explanation to a 2 minute video – supporting their $1.13B SPAC event and their $250 million contract with the US Army. Optimized creative strategy and message to grab and hold viewer’s attention. Navigated around two major holidays and an unexpected scope change to deliver on time and under budget.

🥂 Recruited and managed the team, budget, and timeline for a collaborative animation project that convinced the San Jose City Council to require life-saving firefighting tech in high-rises, catalyzed adoption in 18 other cities, and contributed to a $100M IP sale for my client.

If you are interested in discussing how I can add value to your team and accelerate your company's growth, please email me at kpontau@gmail.com or send a DM.

Let's talk!

(I’m open to contract or full time employment.)

Karl Pontau

Chloe Duckworth

Valence AI

Valence AI is a vocal emotion AI foundation model company. We’re building the emotional subtitle of the internet!

Co-founder & CEO

Hope Hearted

Hope Hearted is a non-profit distributing PPE and sanitary supplies for unhoused people across California. Backed by Costco, Target, Sketchers, and Lucky's.

Co-founder & Board Member

SXSW

Advising in Artificial Intelligence, Voice & Robotics; Enterprise & Smart Data; and Future of Work categories.

Advisory Board

University of Southern California

Hahn Lab: Began developing a model of the structure and function of neuronal circuits that control survival and reproduction, particularly related to aggression pathways in the rat hypothalamus. Published a graphical flatmap heat map tool for visualizing brain data. Lab data contributing to the Human Connectome Project.

Research Assistant

BrainMind

Program Manager

Advanced Special Projects Team

Stanford University School of Medicine

Interned in the psychiatry department with a capstone project on PTSD support groups for deployed soldiers and veterans.

Cognitive Neuroscience Internship

Stanford

Performed meta-analysis on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in treatment of PTSD.

Computational neuroscience background, working at the intersection of voice, affective computing, conversational intelligence, and neurodiversity. Advocate for underserved communities in LA and globally.

Valence is a voice AI startup delivering emotional feedback in real-time conversation, aiming to augment emotional understanding across human voices and AI.

Technology isn’t created in a vacuum, and there is no ethical innovation without accessible technology.

Valence Vibrations is an early-stage neurotech company, specializing in affective computing. We aim to make emotional communication more accessible across neurotypes, languages, and cultures by delivering emotional feedback in real-time conversation. Through visual and haptic signals, users are able to quickly and discreetly interpret the emotions of those around them. Our products help reduce emotional miscommunication, allowing people to better understand and connect with those around them.

For the latest Signals and Noise conversation, I wanted to dig into what AI security actually looks like inside modern contact centers. To do that, you need someone who has built governance from the ground up. That’s why I sat down with Akber A.. As the CEO and founder of Dekano Strategic Partners, he’s led companies through compliance transformations, operational redesigns, and the implementation of secure AI systems that hold up under real scrutiny.

In our discussion, we pushed back on the idea that security is something you tack onto an AI rollout at the end. Akber lays out why governance has to start at the board level, how BISOs reshape the operating model, and why SOC2 and ISO aren’t just paperwork but the guardrails good systems rely on. He also explains how organizations can use AI itself to build and manage the policies that keep them safe as fraud in voice channels accelerates.

We break down the operating principles that define secure AI: governance first, policy first, clean audio and signal pathways, cross-functional alignment, and AI built to pass audits and withstand real threats in the middle of messy customer conversations.

This isn’t a trend. It’s the standard Akber has been helping companies reach.

Co-founder & CEO @ Valence AI | real-time vocal emotion AI

taplio

The Battle

Karl Pontau

Chloe Duckworth

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreChloe Duckworth's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Karl Pontau

Chloe Duckworth

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Chloe Duckworth's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreChloe Duckworth's LinkedIn Performance