MVPs with Microphones: How Three MVPs Amplify a Global Community with The Presentation Podcast

kimsanchez

Microsoft

Nov 11, 2025

The Presentation Podcast delivers conversations that elevate the art and science of presentation. In this blog post, MVPs and hosts Sandy Johnson, Troy Chollar, and Nolan Haims reflect on their journey from passionate PowerPoint experts and presentation practitioners to podcast hosts shaping the future of the presentation industry.

By Guest Bloggers: Sandra Johnson, Troy Chollar, and Nolan Haims.

Three MVPs. One Podcast.

What happens when three presentation professionals, each with a unique background in presentation design and PowerPoint technology, decide to hit “record”?

Podcast logo

Born from Troy Chollar’s vision to create a space where experts could share, debate, and elevate the craft of presentation design, and produced by his firm TLC Creative Services. Our podcast, which is now in its 10^th year, quickly became a trusted resource for the PowerPoint community. Says Troy, “As Microsoft MVPs, we’ve seen firsthand how the presentation community thrives on collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning. This blog post is our chance to reflect on the journey, the challenges, and the joy of building something that connects presenters across industries and continents.”

A side project?

Our podcast began as a side project—an extension of our MVP community technical contributions—and an experiment in sharing what we knew, what we were learning, and what we were curious about. We launched our first episode in 2016 with a six-month commitment from the three of us. We didn’t expect it to become a hub for presentation professionals, educators, and corporate communicators, but over the course of 10 years we’ve interviewed industry legends, debated design trends, and unpacked everything from animation workflows to accessibility standards.

We try to get as many PowerPoint MVPs together as we can for at least one episode each year (often during the Microsoft MVP Summit) where we explore how being part of the Microsoft MVP community has shaped our careers, expanded our networks, and given us a platform to advocate for better presentation practices – and application (PowerPoint) improvements.

The “why” behind our podcast has always been simple: to elevate and expand the conversation. Whether we’re discussing slide layouts or the science of storytelling, we aim to make every episode a resource—and a spark—for our listeners.

New episodes drop on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, keeping the rhythm steady and the content fresh.

Sandy (center) with Microsoft MVPs from left Echo Swinford, Julie Terberg, Glenna Shaw, and Nolan Haims at the MVP Summit.

With over 230 episodes under our belts and listeners from around the world, we’ve heard from educators, professional speakers, consultants, designers, marketers, you name it, who have found community through our conversations.

Being MVPs has amplified our reach and deepened our responsibility. We’ve learned that great presentations aren’t just about visuals, they’re about ensuring that a presenter can use PowerPoint to connect with and compel their audiences to act. The podcast has helped us refine our own design workflows, challenge presentation assumptions, and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

And yes, we’ve had fun along the way—from live recordings at conferences to spontaneous debates about font choices to surprise segments—keeping each of us on our toes. The impact isn’t just measured in downloads, it’s in the stories, feedback, and friendships we’ve built.

If you are passionate about presentations, storytelling, or PowerPoint tips and techniques, we invite you to tune in. Listen to an episode, connect with us on LinkedIn, or drop us a note—we love hearing how our conversations resonate and are always looking for your episode suggestions.