Matt Ribel is a journalist,
speechwriter +
executive comms consultant
in Colorado.

I. INTRODUCTION

Biography

I’m a journalist, ghostwriter, and executive communications specialist. My self-bylined work has appeared in WIRED and Washingtonian. In 2023, ‘Star, Destroyer’ received the Popular Media Award from the American Astronomical Society.

I’ve also written speeches, op-eds, and books for some of the biggest names in politics, philanthropy, labor, and science. My ghostwritten work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and two dozen other outlets.

I attended Emory University, where I studied anthropology and anarchy, then completed my master’s degree in nonfiction writing at The Johns Hopkins University.

I live with my partner, two dogs, and several crawlspace mice. We’re leaving Denver later this year to build a house on top of an abandoned coal mine in Durango, Colorado.

Enthusiasms (2025)

Saguaro cactuses. Quantum Blue, the bluest pigment ever synthesized in a laboratory. The human trampoline from Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” Tummo breathing. David Graeber’s Utopia of Rules. Velour shirts and lucite furniture. Sara Imari Walker & Lee Cronin’s assembly theory. Cheeses that stink, but not too much. The foot-oven that sits beneath my desk. The mystery and melancholy of the San Luis Valley. The return of Vistavision at the cinema. Jesse Eisenberg’s feud with a local child named Abraham. MJ Lenderman’s live cover of “A Long December.” Tafazzin, a protein named for an Italian mime who beats his own genitals with a plastic bottle. The modern miracle of bladeless LASIK. Poppies.

II. SELF-BYLINED WORK, IN PRINT & ELSEWHERE

Print

I’m drawn to stories about unexplained natural phenomena, academic outcasts, and the politics of science. My other interests include contested history, resource conflicts of all kinds, and highly skilled criminals.

I’ve written about how a severe solar storm could devastate the electrical grid; a religious hospital offering psychedelic-assisted therapy to late-stage cancer patients; a clinic-of-last resort, specializing in one-in-a-billion genetic diseases, at the National Institutes of Health; and the changing politics of vaccine injury.

Screen

My story about the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program is being adapted for television by a major studio.

Coming Soon

I’m working on stories about whole-body donation and the uncertain science of human decomposition; forever chemicals in the Chesapeake Bay; the staying power of mail-order scams; and antibiotic resistance.

If you’re an editor, I’d love to write about the following : Hamburger University, the elite McDonald’s management training program in Shanghai; human-grizzly conflict specialists in Montana; charter cities; the promise (long deferred) of graphene; the Pentagon’s mission to re-imagine the meal-ready-to-eat; alcohol bootlegging in Nunavut; the coterie of middle-aged men employed by professional teams to scout child athletes; and Jeremy Fragrance, the inscrutable cologne influencer and self-proclaimed “Number One Fragrance Icon Who Follows the Teachings of Jesus.”

The Fitzcarraldo Group is a full-service executive communications firm, supporting leaders with novel, strange, or hard-to-explain ideas.

Over the years, I’ve helped dozens of clients tell better stories, make sharper arguments, and convey big ideas with clarity — presidential tickets and cabinet secretaries, renowned physicians and scientists, award-winning entertainers, and Fortune 50 executives.

I learned the craft at West Wing Writers, the preëminent speechwriting firm in Washington. Later on, I was the director of speechwriting at Conservation International, supporting executives and surrogates through global crises, pivotal negotiations, and high-dollar fundraising events.

I’ve written about many things, including but not limited to: climate change, clean energy, and nature conservation; campaign finance, good governance, and democracy reform; 5G and universal broadband; public health, pharmaceuticals, and health policy; labor politics; the future of advertising; autonomous vehicles; and also tree nuts and yogurt.

III. CONSULTING SERVICES

  • I’ve spent most of my career working alongside PhDs and long-time industry insiders. Most of the time, it takes an outsider to see the forest, rather than thousands of trees.

    Together, we can refine your story, cut through the jargon, and differentiate your organization. Then, we can gameplan how to plug into the news cycle and build a public profile.

  • Over the years, I’ve written conference keynotes; guest lectures; all-staff addresses; stump and rally speeches; roasts and toasts; investor pitches and product announcements.

    Whether you’re on the hook to speak for ninety minutes or ninety seconds, I can help you organize thoughts, convey them clearly, and hold your audience’s attention.

  • I’ve scripted star-studded charity galas, product launches for the world's largest technology companies, Fortune 50 investor days, and internal gatherings of all kinds.

    I can help you develop a program that won’t lull attendees to sleep, script each segment, and ensure speakers walk onstage feeling confident.

  • I’ve ghostwritten op-eds that have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, USA Today, TIME, and Al-Jazeera, as well as local outlets and trade publications.

    I can work with you to write an opinion piece that is tight, timely, and provocative — and, when needed, point you toward the right publication and editor.

  • I bring a journalist’s rigor and speechwriter’s ear to everything I write. I can help you develop head-turning in-house editorial, whether it’s a blog series, a web project, or a glossy feature article.

  • I have scripted and storyboarded videos of all purposes and all lengths.

    Whether it’s 30 seconds for social media, four minutes for a gala, or 20 minutes for a product launch, I can help you produce something that people want to watch.

    (Note: I cannot capture or edit your video.)

IV. HOTLINE

For speechwriting + consulting services, freelance assignments, and everything else, fill out the form, and I’ll get back to you within a day or two.

For all things literary, contact Laura Usselman (lu [at] skagency [dot] com) at The Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency.

For film and television rights inquiries, contact Sean Daily (sean [at] haalit [dot] com) at Hotchkiss Daily & Associates.