The seven best #socialmedia speakers I’ve seen live are …
I love social media conferences.
The idea of bringing together people from around the country, even around the world, who otherwise exist in an interconnected social web, is fascinating to me. The connections that are made can change the direction of your brand, your business, your career, in an instant.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been known to miss out on quite a few sessions, and even keynotes, by spending time in the hallways, gathering areas, nearby restaurants and hotel rooms, getting to know people on a one-to-one or small group basis. (I spent north of an hour at #MDMC17 chatting at the water cooler with Isaac Irvine, and don’t regret a moment of it.)
But sometimes, there are keynotes you just can’t miss. The speakers listed below, in no particular order, are all people that I would — and in some cases, have — go out of my way to pay to see.
Notably, this list only consists of people I’ve seen speak in person, and being relatively new to the conference scene, this list is nowhere near comprehensive. Obviously, there are thousands of wonderful speakers out there, and I hope I get to meet them all. But if you’re looking for conferences to attend — or, better yet, you’re determining your conference’s speaker budget — these are seven speakers well worth the price of admission.
— James Whittaker, Ph.D.
Seen at: The Midwestern Digital Marketing Conference 2017 (#MDMC17)
James’s afternoon keynote, ‘A Brief Introduction to the Future,’ was the main-stage highlight of #MDMC17. The talk was extraordinarily well-received on Twitter, to the point that the audience appeared to sympathize with the speakers slotted before and after James.
James is a seasoned veteran, with a resume decorated with five books, stints at Microsoft (2) and Google, and freelance work with SAP, IBM, Ericsson and Cisco. He speaks bluntly, passionately and honestly, giving full recognition to the chaotic rate of change we’re living in. He’s verbose and quick-witted, but delightfully grounded and relatable. I loved speaking at #MDMC17, but I *really* enjoyed catching James’ presentation, and I would absolutely go out of my way to see him again.
— Joel Comm
Seen at: Summit Live 2016, San Francisco
I’ve seen Joel dozens upon dozens of times online, as he’s a pioneer in the truest sense of the word on just about every social media platform. Joel and I have become good friends through those connections, so I was quite excited to see him up on stage at SummitLive — the former Periscope Summit — last January. And he does not disappoint.
Joel is perhaps best known for being extremely bullish on the long-term prospects of live video, but for those who know him personally, his true calling card is his extremely supportive and caring personality. While Joel can flex some technical behind-the-scenes muscle — don’t be surprised to see him 360-degree live-streaming around Denver — he never loses touch with his community, and the value that they bring back to him. Joel’s a very experienced keynote speaker with a tremendously engaged following, and if you’ve yet to see him live, don’t delay.
— L. Michelle Smith
Seen at: #BISummit NYC, June 2017
Sometimes a speaker can energize an entire room simply by her presence, and when Michelle takes the stage, that’s exactly what you get. From the first words into the microphone, Michelle lets the entire audience know that they’re in for something special.
As I watched Michelle present last week at Spotify headquarters, I couldn’t help but think of how inspired the team at AT&T must feel every day to work with her. “Passionate” is too succinct a phrase to describe Michelle’s approach; many speakers can believe whole-heartedly in what they say (and that in and of itself is tough!); but a very select few can back up their philosophy with bold, colorful and thought-provoking data from one of the largest brands on the planet.
I spoke with members of the Brand Innovators team after the event on Wednesday, and focused our conversation on Michelle’s impact on the room — they relayed to me how lucky they are to work with Michelle on a semi-regular basis. If you’re organizing a conference and think your audience would enjoy hearing from one of the best and the brightest, don’t hesitate — get Michelle on your list ASAP; and if you’re considering visiting a #BISummit event, if Michelle’s on the schedule, do yourself a favor and go.
— Brian Fanzo
Seen at: Women’s Empowerment Expo D.C.
It should come as no surprise that Brian Fanzo @iSocialFanz makes this list. Brian is my №1 social media role model, a good friend and, quite honestly, one of the best social media speakers on the planet.
Brian’s been invited to speak at events all around the globe, thanks in large part to his extraordinary social media relationship building skills. But put Brian’s network aside, and every keynote he delivers absolutely stands on its own merits. In D.C. back at the end of May, I had a chance to catch an abbreviated version of his most recent work, “#BeYourself,” which is tied to an excellent multi-hour video course, and Brian didn’t disappoint.
I’ve written several other articles about my appreciation for Brian (like this one and this one and this one and this one); in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find another blog I’ve done where I *don’t* somewhere mention Brian. There’s a reason for that: his messages, his thought processes, his value is that strong. Brian is a paid speaker on the rise, and if he’s anywhere near your area any time soon, don’t miss your chance.
— Mario Armstrong
NeverSettleShow; S1E1, S1E4, S1E6
Is the #NeverSettleShow a “social media event?” Is Mario Armstrong a “speaker?” Does it really matter if I break my own guidelines for a blog post?
Mario Armstrong is a man who’s actively re-writing the face of social media through his interactive talk show, the Never Settle Show. With a six-episode season under his belt, Mario is currently working with his team to reset the show for another series of live, revolutionary content this fall.
Though I’ve never seen Mario keynote, technically, there’s no doubt he deserves a place on this list, and if he’s available, a place on your docket of speakers. (It’s worth noting he destroyed it at the New Fronts). While others eloquently pontificate about the complex, unpredictable future of social media, Mario and his show ARE the future — with seamless social media integration, multiple layers of sponsorships (we love you, FedEx Office!), and phenomenal production value, they raise the bar with each episode aired. The on-air social team of Shy Mukerjee and YouNow sensation Evie Yannakidis lead an ensemble cast of supporting characters that make the Never Settle Show a spectacle never to be missed.
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— Shonduras
Seen At: #ShakeUpShow 2017 in Atlanta
Shonduras is a legendary Snapchat superstar, and if there’s ever a Snapchat “Hall of Fame,” he deserves to be the first inductee. I Tweeted at the #ShakeUpShow that I didn’t think the audience there truly “got” Shonduras — the crowd was less creator types, and more industry-types — but that didn’t detract from the wonder of seeing one of the all-time greats take the stage.
Shonduras — also known as Shaun McBride — crushes it on stage not through sophisticated eloquence, but by sharing true stories of his self-made path from imaginative millennial to self-made megastar. If you enjoy hearing Gary Vaynerchuk’s tales of toiling away at creating content for Wine Library, you’ll love hearing from Shonduras about his own unique path to success, including cold calls and emails — masked as his biggest fan, his mother — to brands like Disney. But it’s not all fun and games — over the years, Shaun has developed a deep and powerful understanding of how to weaponize his extraordinary creative talents to benefit his audience, partner brands, and his own digital legacy. If I ran a conference where I wanted the best and the brightest, Shaun’s a must-have on the list.
— Bryan Kramer
Seen At: #SocialShakeUp 2014
Bryan Kramer’s become a legendary paid speaker on a global level, and for great reason: his #H2H philosophy is succinct, simple and hyper-relatable for every brand and business out there.
It’s worth noting that the first (and so far, only) time I’ve seen BK speak was at my very first social media conference, way back in the fall of 2014 — before, of course, the onset of live-streaming and even, really, Snapchat.
Those tools, which significantly post-date Bryan’s novel #H2H premise, have served to further emphasize the prescience of his thought processes — that we, as humans, simply want to connect with other humans. His refrain, that “There is no more #B2B or #B2C — it’s #H2H,” one of the most Tweetable theories I’ve ever come across, has never been truer than it is today, and Bryan’s recent decision to shift his own work into the personal branding space is further proof of it.
By all accounts, Bryan is one of the true “nice guys” out there, and his broad agency background and diverse portfolio of speaking experience make him a great catch, whether you’re an audience member or a conference executive.
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So there you have it, there are my seven. There are certainly many more I’d love to talk about, who I’ve met but never actually seen keynote — Caleb Maddix, Sarah Moore, Dan Gingiss, Karen Freberg, Ph.D., Ted Rubin, Hannah Drake, Vernon Ross, Jana Francis, Joe Wilson — and those who I haven’t met, but can’t wait to see — Sunny Lenarduzzi, Shaun Ayala, Madalyn Sklar, Vincenzo Landino, Daniel Newman, Jed Record …
But more importantly, I’d love to hear from you: Who are the speakers YOU have enjoyed seeing the most? Who should I go out of my way to go find/get to know? Leave a comment below, and/or keep the conversation going on my Twitter thread here:
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Chris Strub is the first person to live-stream and Snapchat in all 50 U.S. states. He is the author of ’50 States, 100 Days: The Book,’ and will be delivering his very first keynote at the Business Vlog Summit in Las Vegas on Aug. 3, 2017. If you’d like to bring Chris to your social media conference, please email chrisstrub (at) gmail.com. Check out more about Chris’s journey at www.teamstrub.com and be sure to connect with him on Twitter.
