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Bill Stainton      

29-time Emmy® Award-Winning Producer, Author, TEDx Speaker & Creativity Expert

Bill Stainton is an expert on innovation, creativity, and breakthrough thinking; a 29-time Emmy Award winner; and a Hall of Fame keynote speaker who takes the mystery out of innovation for leaders and their teams worldwide.

For 15 years, Stainton produced the longest-running, highest-rated, and most award-winning regional comedy TV show in the United States, where his job was to be innovative...on-demand. During that time, he led his highly innovative team to over 100 Emmy Awards of their own, and worked with people like Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, and Dave Grohl.

He is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and in 2019 was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame®, a lifetime award that honors professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of speaking excellence.

Stainton is the author of "The Innovation Blueprint", "The Executive Producer", and "Lead Like the Beatles"; has been cited in Forbes and The Wall Street Journal; and has been a regular columnist for Seattle Business magazine. He has also written for HBO, Comedy Central, and The Tonight Show, and is the creator of the Elite Innovation Roundtable, a think tank for innovative leaders.

Stainton has helped thousands of people in hundreds of organizations like Microsoft, Boeing, Harley-Davidson, Amazon, Whirlpool, Nike, and Costco to ignite their innovation and make the connections that can lead to breakthrough results.

On a personal note, he is also a pilot and a musician, although rarely at the same time.

Speech Topics

Connect the Dots: Breakthrough Thinking in a Competitive World

THE CRITICAL SKILL FOR TODAY’S LEADER! Change happens quickly in the 21st century, and the leader who can think creatively—on demand—will have the edge over the competition. That’s because right now, we’re living in a world where—in the eyes of our customers, our clients, and our members—the distinction between us and our competitors is razor-thin. We’re living in a world where the rate of change has never been faster. We’re living in a world where the next breakthrough idea wins—and if it’s not ours, we could be one innovation away from irrelevance. The good news is that if it is ours, we could be one innovation away from brilliance! For 15 years, 29-time Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer and keynote speaker Bill Stainton had to be innovative—on demand—each and every week. And he found that creative solutions are not a matter of “waiting for the lightning bolt”—they’re about specific, learnable techniques that spark innovation. Stainton, the author of "The Innovation Blueprint," knows those techniques because he implemented them. Every week. For 15 years. And he can teach you and your team how to implement them as well.

Takeaways:

  • Debunk—for good—the myth that some people (and some industries) just aren’t creative.
  • Discover what the creative process really feels like so that you can reproduce it on demand.
  • Learn the 2 critical skills for breakthrough thinking.
  • Uncover the secret to coming up with your Million-Dollar Ideas.
  • Gain hands-on tools for elevating your breakthrough thinking skills.

AVAILABLE AS AN IN-PERSON OR A VIRTUAL PROGRAM.

Innovation for "Non-Innovators"

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “NON-INNOVATOR.” There are only people who don’t believe they are innovative. You probably have a number of these people on your team—which is great news because it means you’ve got an untapped gold mine at your fingertips. In this energetic, entertaining, and enlightening keynote program, Hall of Fame speaker Bill Stainton will prove that everyone is an innovator—including everyone on your team! Imagine—really, imagine—if everyone on your team went to work every day, took a look at your business, and asked, “How can I make this better?” That’s the mindset of an innovator! For 15 years, 29-time Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer and keynote speaker Bill Stainton had to be innovative—on demand—each and every week. And he found that creative solutions are not a matter of “waiting for the lightning bolt”—they’re about specific, learnable techniques that spark innovation. Stainton, the author of "The Innovation Blueprint," knows those techniques because he implemented them. Every week. For 15 years. And he can teach you and your team how to implement them as well.

Takeaways:

  • Discover the one thing that separates innovators from non-innovators (and how to use it to your advantage).
  • Shatter—once and for all—the “I’m just not creative” roadblock.
  • Find out what the “Homer Simpson moment” is and how innovators treat it differently than the rest of us.
  • Eliminate the idea that innovations have to be earth-shattering in order to “count” (and find out what this has to do with ketchup).
  • Become an innovator. Immediately. Even before the program is over.

AVAILABLE AS AN IN-PERSON OR A VIRTUAL PROGRAM.

Elite Innovation Lab

During Bill Stainton’s keynote, you learned what innovation really is and how you (yes, you) can put it to use within your team. Now, it’s time to do just that. In this invitation-only application session, you’ll roll up your sleeves and apply Stainton’s innovation tools and techniques to a challenge, problem, or opportunity you’re currently facing. The relevance of this session is guaranteed because you, in conjunction with your team, will choose the issue(s) you want to work on. Depending on the length of your lab (anywhere from 1 to 3 hours), you’ll apply multiple innovative approaches to your business, all under the guidance and facilitation of innovation expert Bill Stainton.

Takeaways:

  • Generate dozens of creative and innovative solutions to your most pressing business challenges and opportunities.
  • Experience highly effective innovation tools and techniques first-hand so that you can use them over and over again whenever you want.
  • Learn how to look at your business in new and different ways—including ways that your competition would never think of.
  • Discover that you and your team are innovative and that innovation is actually much easier than you think.
  • Laugh a lot because creativity, innovation, and laughter go hand-in-hand.

THIS IS NOT A KEYNOTE. THIS IS THE PERFECT ADDITION TO ANY OF STAINTON’S KEYNOTES ON INNOVATION. AVAILABLE AS AN IN-PERSON OR A VIRTUAL PROGRAM.

Crunch Time: The Leader's Guide to Producing Under Pressure

HOW TO BE YOUR BEST—WHEN IT MATTERS MOST! Why do some people choke in high-pressure situations while others excel? And, more importantly, how can you become the one who excels? For 15 years, 29-time Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer and keynote speaker Bill Stainton produced under pressure—literally. As the Executive Producer of Seattle’s legendary comedy TV show "Almost Live!," Stainton and his team had to produce exceptional results—on demand—week after week after week. No excuses. Each week, when the clock hit 11:30 pm, they had to go on the air in front of a million people with a new show. Not a second early. Not a second late. And their jobs depended on the outcome. As leaders, your teams face high-pressure situations as well. How can you help them rise to the top when it matters most? Let them learn from the best. Let them learn from someone who’s been there. Let them learn from Bill Stainton.

Takeaways:

  • Discover the crucial mindset shift that determines whether you will choke or thrive under pressure.
  • Learn 3 key things to do before, and 3 things to do during a pressure situation to produce peak results.
  • Apply—in real time—a vital high-pressure prep technique to your specific challenges.
  • Examine the myth that some people “rise to the occasion” and do their best work under pressure—and why this myth is good news for you.
  • Walk out with actionable strategies to be your best when it matters most.

AVAILABLE AS AN IN-PERSON OR VIRTUAL PROGRAM

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