Leading the “Tapping Into Your Creativity” session.
I am a Creative Populist. That’s become clear while teaching Creative
Entrepreneurship to nearly 2,000 college students at Duke, NCCU, and a dozen
other schools. I know that each of us can and I believe all of us must intentionally
develop our Creative capacities and Entrepreneurial instincts.
I am a serial entrepreneur, helping launch two pioneer cellular service companies,
two innovative marketing firms, a software company, a semiconductor company, a
college sports magazine publisher, and I was a partner in a seed stage venture fund
with an incubator–I ran the incubator and launched 5 companies in 14 months.
Before I was an entrepreneur I worked for a start-up book publisher, a start-up
advertising firm, and have worked in four of the creative industries.
Maybe my first job was the most important. The last two summers of high
school, the first two summers of college, I was a fishing guide in Canada, at a
fly-in fishing lodge. My success as a guide grew as I learned how to provide
the narrative from the back of the boat that enhanced my guests’ appreciation of
their experiences, a narrative that could shape their perspective on the day to their
advantage. And I watched how the camp owner, Barney Lamm, as a servant leader
attracted the very best guides from all around to work out of his camp because of
the respect and support he gave them.
I am currently working with companies determined to build the creatively
entrepreneurial qualities of their employees, and have a second initiative designed
to bring creative entrepreneurship to high school students. Contact me at
Carl@Creativepopulist.com.
Matt Kopac
Social Responsibility Manager
Burt's Bees
Bill Spruill
Co-Owner
The Global Data Consortium
Kevin Snyder
Co-Founder
Inspir-ACTIVE Solutions
Chris Bingham
CEO
Riley Life Logistics
Rupen Fofaria
Attorney
Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog
JT Vaughn
Senior Analyst
Cherokee Investment Partners
Rich Kramarik
Co-Founder & Fund Director
Inception Micro Angel Fund
Braden Rawls
Co-Founder & CEO
Vital Plan
Mary-Ann Baldwin
Councillor
City of Raleigh
Jake Finkelstein
CEO & Founder
MethodSavvy
Jim Russell
Partner & Chief Innovation Officer
McKinney
Kristin Adams
CEO
Afterglow Cosmetics
Bonner Gaylord
Councillor
City of Raleigh
Keith Ward
DJ/Event Planner
John Cambier
Founding General Partner
IDEA Fund
Walter Devins
Partner
Harrison & Devins, PA
Malay Shah
Member-Investor
Piedmont Angel Network
Paul Boyer
Founder and President
FinOps Solutions
Michael Danner
Assurance Partner
BDO
Billy Hampton
Assurance Senior Manager
BDO
Dan London
Senior Manager of Marketing
Citrix
Michael Noël
Founding Partner
Acorn Investments
Anthony Pompliano
Founder
TripeneurTV
Jason Massey
CEO
Sustainable Industrial Solutions
Bernie Brown
CEO
The Power of We
Martin Sinozich
Managing Member
Venn Capital
Quentin Ankri
CEO & Co-Founder
GreenSky Wind Systems
Michael Shoffner
Principal
Oxidizr
Tom Livingston
CFO and Partner
Scale Finance
Billy Warden
Co-Founder
GBW Strategies
Nikhil Shah
Founder
Locus Recordings
Representative Deborah Ross
Representative
North Carolina General Assembly - House
Arthur Gordon
Founder
Irregardless Cafe
Merrill Mason
Partner
Smith Anderson Law
Shawn Ramsey
Founder/Princpal
Crossroads Public Relations
Barton Strawn
Founder and Creative Director
Lumina Clothing
Gerard Hall
Founder and CEO
SMT
Matt Tomasulo
Founder
Walk [Your City]
Peyote Perryman
Founder and CEO
Digital P Media
Jon Jordan
Founder and CEO
Atlantic BT
Beth Stewart
Strategic Director
Redress Raleigh
Grant Williard
Founder
Joulebug
Damon Butler
CEO and President
Triangle Blvd
Rachel Weeks
Founder and CEO
School House
Wendy Bryant Gow
Founder and CEO
Lily Winston
Trevor Chambers
Owner
Bella Monica Pizza Company
Erica Salkow
Middle Market Relationship Manager
Fifth Third Bank
Ed Cheely
VP of Sales & Business Development
ShareFile
Jesse Lipson
Founder
ShareFile
Ashton Burnette
Director
Entertainment Marketing
Gary Hayes
Managing Director
Scale Finance
Don Draughon
President & CEO
KeySource Commercial Bank
Craig Stone
CEO
HireNetworks
Derrick Minor
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Mgr.
Raleigh Office Of Economic Development
Brandon Ives
Managing Partner
Brasco Marketing
Stephanie Slade Stone
President
Slade Development Group