New speakers added to Fast Company’s Innovation Festival
Fast Company’s 11th annual Innovation Festival lands in New York City next week, but there’s still plenty of time to buy your pass and build your schedule. In case you missed it, we’ve added some exciting new speakers to our agenda including actor Michael Chiklis; X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom; Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John; professor and author Brené Brown, and lead singer of OK Go Damian Kulash.
Check out their sessions below. And see the full Innovation Festival agenda on our events page:
Preaching to Hollywood: Faith, Fans, and the Future of Film with Angel Studios
Featuring Michael Chiklis, actor; and Neal Harmon, CEO, Angel Studios
Religion continues to be a hot-button topic—and a lucrative market. So what role should it play in Hollywood? Angel is becoming one of the most talked-about film studios in the industry. Rebranded from the bankrupt streaming service VidAngel, the studio has found considerable success among a religious demographic. But let cofounder and CEO Neal Harmon tell the story. Angel’s vision and what they produce is broader than religion—for example, their latest movie The Senior starring Michael Chiklis. In this candid conversation, you’ll hear how Angel is using a fan-driven model to vote on which projects the studio produces, their plans to go public, and how they’re finding a place in Hollywood at a time when religion has become such a loaded word.
The Art of Creative Problem-Solving with OK Go’s Damian Kulash
Featuring Damian Kulash, musician and lead singer/guitarist, OK Go; and Karl Lieberman, global chief creative officer, Wieden+Kennedy
From zero-gravity music videos to treadmill choreography that broke the internet, the band OK Go has redefined what it means to fuse art, technology, and sheer imagination—and lead singer Damian Kulash has learned a thing or two about creative problem-solving along the way. In this town hall–style session moderated by Wieden+Kennedy’s global chief creative officer Karl Lieberman, attendees are welcome to take the mic and ask their questions around creative roadblocks. You’ll walk away with practical insights on unlocking ingenuity, embracing constraints, and applying creative problem-solving to challenges big and small.
On Strong Ground: Brené Brown’s Lessons in Leading with Courage
Featuring Brené Brown, research professor, The University of Texas at Austin; and author, Strong Ground
In today’s highly turbulent times, Brené Brown is reimagining what courageous leadership looks like. In her forthcoming book Strong Ground, Brown draws on her global experience guiding more than 150,000 leaders to reveal how connection, discipline, and accountability—not performative toughness—are the true foundations of sustainable leadership. Join this one-on-one conversation for deeply human insights rooted in research and illustrated through powerful stories, along with practical strategies for fostering trust and developing the courage to unlearn and relearn in an increasingly unpredictable world.
Staying “On Brand” with Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John
Featuring Jimmy Fallon, Executive Producer and Host, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon; and Bozoma Saint John, Chief Marketing Officer and Mentor, On Brand with Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon is ready to get down to business—and he’s bringing us along for the ride. On Brand with Jimmy Fallon is the Late Night host’s new unscripted reality series on NBC where he launches a marketing firm and brings on top-tier creatives to reimagine marketing. And serving as a mentor to the competing creatives is Bozoma Saint John, former chief marketing or brand officer at companies including Netflix, Uber, and Beats by Dre. Hear from Fallon and Saint John on what they’ve found resonates in today’s ever evolving cultural landscape and what it takes for a brand to break through.
The Next Play: Reinventing Sports Entertainment
Featuring Jeremy Bloom, CEO, X Games; Gotham Chopra, Filmmaker and Cofounder, Religion of Sports; and Andrea Hopelain, SVP and General Manager of Marketing and Commercial, EA Sports
From stadiums to screens, sports are evolving faster than ever—and the business of fan engagement is being rewritten in real time. In this conversation, hear from three leaders shaping the future of sports entertainment: Jeremy Bloom, CEO of X Games, on the future of AI in sports; Gotham Chopra, cofounder of Religion of Sports, on storytelling’s power to turn athletes into cultural icons; and Andrea Hopelain, SVP of brand and publishing at EA Sports, on building the next generation of interactive fandom. Together, they’ll unpack how technology, media, and culture are colliding to create new experiences, new audiences, and new revenue streams—revealing what’s at stake for brands, athletes, and fans in a rapidly shifting industry.
Visit the Innovation Festival events page for the full agenda. And be sure to lock in our late rate to save $200 on your Innovation Festival pass.
