Speaking
Complicated subjects don’t have to make for complicated conversations.
I’ve spent years speaking, moderating, teaching, interviewing, and occasionally being interviewed about things that get complicated quickly. My job on a stage is the same as it is everywhere else. Understand the complicated part, keep the useful part, and make the conversation worth sitting through.
I’ve emceed Web Summit events in Portugal, run private in-the-round sessions at C-suite offsites, presented in the UK, and moderated more panels than I can honestly remember.
What I talk about now
- Estate planning past the legal documents, which is most of it
- What an executor actually inherits, and why nobody warned them
- Why families are so bad at talking about death, and what works instead
- The business of death, and who is really in it
- Cremation’s next problem, which almost nobody has noticed yet
- Building products around subjects people avoid
- Curiosity as a competitive advantage
- The person who knows the person: building a network that is actually useful
And still, technology and innovation
I continue to speak on entrepreneurship, consumer technology, innovation, emerging industries, and what I learned building and operating across environments that had nothing in common except me.
I taught Strategies for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland for three years, spoke at SXSW, and spent a month in China as an Eisenhower Fellow looking at what blockchain was actually for.
What people say
I've worked with Adam many times over the last few years, as he's emceed stages that I've produced at both Web Summit and Collision. Adam was not only a natural and dynamic speaker on stage but also wonderful and very easy to work with in the lead up to the events and behind the scenes. He also has considerable knowledge of tech from his diverse and accomplished career, and I'd recommend him without reservation for any future gathering, conference or event.
Dana Levitz, Event Lead and Speaker Director, Web Summit
"The Future Is Now: Broadband as a Foundation for Advances in Technology, Society, and Beyond" at our Annual Conference in 2019 was the highest-rated keynote at our meeting. Our attendees found his remarks excellent. The presentation was future-thinking and thought-provoking. Adam's content was fast-moving, engaging and presented in a way to make everyone think about where tech is headed.
Lisa Youngers, President and CEO, Fiber Broadband Association
After completing his Eisenhower Fellowship, Adam came to New Orleans to speak to Tulane students, alumni, and leaders in our business community about the role technology plays in both the US and China. He took our audience on a journey through the complex web of cultural dynamics and business opportunities between the two countries. This was truly a talk to remember, and it was one of the highest rated talks the Lepage Center has ever hosted.
Rob Lalka, Executive Director, Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Tulane University
A brilliant world-class moderator who masterfully led the conversation and kept the panelists on topic and on time. Adam is super sharp, yet an amazingly normal guy in a world that often speaks in code and complex jargon. Adam is among the best that we have had to lead our events.
Bob Fox, Principal, FOX Architects, and Publisher, Work Design Magazine
Adam's presentation was a phenomenally engaging experience where future-facing technology and realistic expectations intersect. He was so good we had to bring him back for a follow-up.
Kyle Munoz, Innovation, Pfizer
I just wanted to thank you so much for coming to present today. Your talks were inspirational and I could see the engagement in the faces of the audience. I didn't see a single cell phone come up the entire time.
Rafael McDonnell, Founder, Talent and Brands
We appreciate everything that Adam and his team at Buried in Work have provided us and our members. The presentation was excellent and provided practical solutions that were clear, useful, and directly applicable and not just information.
Danielle Knapp, Chief Executive Officer, Iowa Funeral Directors Association
Our members LOVED this workshop. It was one of the most practical client education sessions we have hosted. It gave our community tools they could actually use, not just information. They are still talking about it, and more importantly, they are taking action.
Barbara Hemphill and Andrea Anderson, Productive Environment Institute
Adam is so fun to learn from. He's smart, intuitive and has a great personality. We were so grateful to have him present for the collective and hope to have him back again someday.
Kacie Gikonyo, Founder, Death Doula School
Who I have worked with
Brands I have collaborated or worked with: Discovery, Google, Amazon, NASA, Pfizer, Verizon, Facebook, Box, DocuSign, American Airlines.
Agencies I was hired to present to: Carat, Havas, MediaCom, Zenith, GroupM, Dentsu, OMD.
Events I have spoken at, emceed, or moderated: Web Summit, Collision, INNO, New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, Global Entrepreneurship Week, Big TV Festival, Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit, Fiber Broadband Association, Lepage Center, Tulane.
Institutions and media: CNBC, Politico, Fox, Work Design Magazine, Eisenhower Fellowships, University of Maryland, Startup America Partnership, Startup Maryland, Hovde Capital Advisors.