Jeri Ellsworth is a tinkerer, inventor, and entrepreneur who grew up fixing toasters and building race cars – then moved on to inventing the future of AR at Valve, CastAR and now Tilt Five. Jeri’s got a unique take on bringing innovation to market – and a healthy appreciation for the human side of technology development. Listen in and discover how a quirky kid from rural Oregon transformed herself into a Silicon Valley powerhouse.
I first met David Vogler during the early, heady days of the Web, when we worked together to craft Nickelodeon’s first online presence. David went on to lead creative teams at Disney, Hearst, NBC Universal, and other leading brands. He’s now the Head of Design for Complex Networks, a joint venture between Hearst and Verizon.
David has a knack for creating innovative media experiences that still manage to connect with basic user needs. Listen in and discover how this long-time insider navigates the dynamic landscape of online video and big media brand-building.
Bob Moesta is the CEO and President of the Re-Wired group, a consultancy specializing in demand-side innovation. Bob and his team help large companies innovate with demand-side techniques and learn methods – meaning that he helps them validate market demand before building something. Bob and I share a mutual love of using #jobs-to-be-done to innovate smarter and help people ask better questions. I love Bob’s down-to-earth perspective and deep insights into the systemic nature of innovation – derived from being on the front lines of innovation in Japan. Listen in and learn about the key qualities and habits that lead to successful innovations.
Bob Moesta is the CEO and President of the Re-Wired group, a consultancy specializing in demand-side innovation. Bob and his team help large companies innovate with demand-side techniques and learn methods – meaning that he helps them validate market demand before building something. Bob and I share a mutual love of using #jobs-to-be-done to innovate smarter and help people ask better questions. I love Bob’s down-to-earth perspective and deep insights into the systemic nature of innovation – derived from being on the front lines of innovation in Japan. Listen in and learn about the key qualities and habits that lead to successful innovations.
Michael John runs the Games and Playable Media masters program at UC Santa Cruz, where he and his team work to transform eager game students into industry-ready designers. Michael has a long and storied history in games. Ever heard of Spyro the Dragon – the adorable character who enchanted and educated kids on the Playstation? Michael helped bring Spyro to life, and did the same for other games including the God of War series, and the innovative Glasslab educational games. Michael’s passion for using games to educate and inspire is a key theme in his career arc from producer to educator. Listen in and find out what’s hot and happening among the upcoming generation of game creators.
Brian Norgard is a serial entrepreneur – expert team-builder – and currently Chief Product Officer at Tinder, the massively successful dating app. Brian knows a thing or two about how to grow and evolve successful products – and it’s NOT about chasing trends or adding sexy new features. If you’re into creating compelling products, I know you’ll enjoy soaking up his wisdom and hard-won advice. Listen in and discover how a seasoned product leader guides his team towards success.
Howard Rheingold is a colorful character in every sense of the word. From his psychedelic painted shoes to his extraordinary legacy of ground-breaking visionary books, Howard offers a unique and incisive approach to creativity, learning and community-building. Most people know Howard from his writing about Virtual Communities and mind amplification – but he’s also a gifted & innovative educator. In his role as a visiting professor at Stanford & UC Berkeley, Howard re-imagined the relationship between students and teachers as “co-learners” – in keeping with his deep, long-term interest in collaboration. Listen in and find out how a true Web pioneer thinks about “bullshit-detection” and the future of collaborative learning.
Casey Winters is a growth specialist who understands how to blend qualitative and quantitative data to get massive and sustained results. Casey learned his craft at GrubHub and Pinterest, and then moved on to Greylock – the storied investment firm – to help their portfolio companies scale up and accelerate growth. Casey focuses on the space where scaling techniques meet product design – and he’s collected some hard-won & actionable insights about on what gets in the way of growth – and what you can do to help your team succeed. Listen in and find out how a Silicon Valley insider helps to turn startups into rocketships.
Jason Hreha is a product leader at Walmart, where he works across the company to run smart experiments and infuse the retail giant with effective digital design. Jason has an academic background in psychology and neuroscience – and has learned through experience what actually works when you’re building products for humans. Listen in and learn how a behavioral scientist sees the world of product design.
Jeff Patton is well-known as the father of story-mapping – a visual way of mapping out and prioritizing your product backlog. Jeff is someone who deeply understands how teams come together to build products – and where that process can go off the rails. If you’re a product manager – or aspire to be one – Jeff’s work is fundamental background knowledge. Listen in and learn how to navigate around the common obstacles of corporate life that keep your product from succeeding.
