🇳🇿 🇨🇦 🙌 What a great New Zealand roadshow! From north to south, I met with leaders in economic development, Indigenous innovation, media & entertainment, tech acceleration and higher education – and was impressed and moved by their leadership and vision. Delivering a series of keynotes, roundtables, fireside chats and 1-1s, I was there to share inclusive and creative innovation strategies for governments, companies and academia, and to learn from executive peers. It’s been a whirlwind, spotlighting models of excellence from Canada, co-productions, funding partnerships, and successful ventures from both nations:

– Atomic Cartoons & Molly of Denali, the first animated series featuring an Alaskan Native lead, enchanting and educating young viewers the world over
– Areto Labs, AI leaders in making social media safe and democratic for global icons and their fans
– DGCBC, ensuring guild members are market-ready to pitch their skills on the international stage, from Cannes to LA and beyond
– Holy Days, Nat Boltt’s upcoming feature film featuring an A-list cast, wild stunts and a car “powered by God and stolen money” — the first movie made at University of Canterbury’s new studios
– Indigenous Box, strengthening value chains and supply chains for SMEs, from crafts to cuisine
– RHEI, leading today’s fair and transparent AI Training economy, compensating creators and rightsholders everywhere for audiovisual content
– Sustainable Production Forum, Canada’s community-building platform for net zero entertainment, and collaborations with the Maoriland Film Festival
– World Summit Awards, celebrating the best digital media aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as New Zealand’s Digital Passport
– Young Citizens of the World, connecting classrooms and kids to interview global leaders in sciences, arts, sports and politics

Thank you to everyone who helped turn this business trip into a trip-of-a-lifetime!