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Chris Clews          

'80s Pop Culture Expert & Author, "The Ultimate Series on Essential Work and Life Lessons from '80s Pop Culture"; Film, Stage & Marketing Consultant

Chris Clews is a speaker, author, film/stage consultant, and '80s pop culture enthusiast.

Growing up in the '80s and with over twenty years of leadership experience in corporate marketing with global brands and ad agencies, Clews knew three things very well – '80s pop culture, business, and this crazy but totally awesome thing we call life. He left his corporate marketing career and combined his areas of expertise with his passion for all things '80s to become a keynote speaker and author. Clews created the popular book series "The Ultimate Series on Essential Work & Life Lessons from ‘80s Pop Culture," which currently has three volumes.

His keynote is titled “Everything I Need to Know (For Life and Work), I Learned from ‘80s Pop Culture”. It’s a fun, informative, unique, interactive, and relatable presentation. With over 160 lessons for life and work from over 40 movies, Clews can customize it to fit your needs or theme and incorporate the ’80s pop culture lessons that align the best with your business, workplace, conference, or event. Clews draws lessons from movies such as "The Breakfast Club," "The Goonies," "Field of Dreams," "Coming To America," "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off," "Die Hard," "Dead Poets Society," "The Princess Bride," "Christmas Vacation," "The Karate Kid," and more.

Clews has spoken to a diverse set of organizations and companies, including VISA, Duke Health, the University of Florida, Penn Medicine, DHL, American Marketing Association, PoolCorp, CMAA (Club Managers Association of America), and more. Clews is super passionate about animal rescue which is a huge part of his life. He donates a portion of the proceeds from his book sales and speaking events to Wonder Paws rescue, the organization that saved his pit-mix, Bodhi, and when traveling for keynotes he always looks for a rescue/shelter in the area where he can volunteer his time.

He lives by the quote from the poet laureate, Ferris Bueller, when he said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Speech Topics

Life

Hear how Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) from Trading Places teaches us the difference between confidence and arrogance; See how a high school teacher named John Keating (Robin Williams) in Dead Poets Society, shows us the difference between words and action as well as how to look at things from a different perspective; Learn how each character from The Breakfast Club can teach us about individuality and to just be you; Find out how John McClane (Bruce Willis) in Die Hard teaches us about the best way to face challenges; Hear what an iconic musician that loved the color purple (Prince) taught us about encouragement and leadership through the simple act of a handwritten note; Listen to what Field of Dreams can teach us about embracing your illogical side and so many more!

Leadership

Learn how two greasers - Johnny Cade and Ponyboy from The Outsiders - teach us about the importance of keeping our moral and ethical leadership compass intact; See how Prince Akeem from Coming To America can teach us the difference between earned and unearned leadership; Learn the distinct difference between those that rule and those that lead through the actions of the musical and pop culture icon, Prince; see how Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop taught us the importance of protecting your team; and many more leadership lessons

Workplace Culture

Learn how Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High taught us two very valuable lessons for the culture in our workplace: (1) That it is ok to say “I don’t know”; and (2) How to avoid the “bogus” tag for your workplace culture; See how we can turn the old adage of work-life balance for ourselves into a righteous and selfless act - a la Ferris Bueller; Find out what Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid taught us about how to manage our stress in the workplace; Learn what the Ghostbusters taught us about embracing risk; See how E.T. taught us about social responsibility; and many more workplace culture lessons.

Marketing, Communications and Sales

See how lovable knucklehead, Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation, teaches us the importance of knowing your audience; Learn how Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride taught us about message and brand consistency; Find out how Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles taught us that every great company needs a great salesperson; See how Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything shows us how to create a unique and memorable brand; and more marketing, sales and communications lessons.

Inclusion

How two characters from The Goonies (Chunk and Sloth) teach us the importance of inclusion in the workplace; See how The Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys teach us that problem solvers don’t come in a one size fits all package; Learn how a goofy greenskeeper from Caddyshack taught us the importance of expanding our workplace circle of trust; Find out how five kids stuck in Saturday detention in The Breakfast Club taught us how to appreciate, embrace and value each other’s differences; and more workplace inclusion lessons.

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