Chris Denson is an award-winning innovation advocate, marketer, host, content creator, and recovering comedian. As both a storyteller and practitioner, he is an expert at uncovering unique business insights, cultural touchpoints, technological capability, imaginative thinking, and the emotional intelligence required to bring groundbreaking ideas to life. He is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book, "Crushing the Box: 10 Essential Rules for Breaking Essential Rules," a series of personal and professional examinations of what it takes to thrive in today's innovation economy.
Applying his skills to the likes of The Obama Administration, Art Basel Miami, the American Film Institute's Digital Content Lab, HubSpot, and Omnicom Media Group, his work has been featured in Adweek, Forbes, Inc Magazine, FOX, and the New York Times to name a few. He recently served as the SVP, US Director of Innovation at the award-winning IPG creative agency, MullenLowe. As the first role of its kind in the agency's 50-year history, Chris was responsible for exploring and applying emerging innovations across Fortune 500 brands, global startup communities, popular culture, and new practices within the agency itself. Additionally, he serves as innovator-in-residence at Pipelines, a new platform designed to introduce talented Gen Z and young Millennials of color to career opportunities in the creative, technology and entertainment industries.
A humorist at heart and culturally curious by nature, Chris has been a die-hard fan of both The Daily Show and Fast Company, and used them as inspiration in creating and hosting Innovation Crush, a series that amassed over 750,000 subscribers around the globe. The show has a suite of more than 250 guests -- including personalities like Steve Wozniak, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jean Case, Matt Barnes, Daymond John, Felicia Day, and Sugar Ray Leonard -- in addition to innovative leaders from organizations like Spotify, Adidas, WeWork, L'Oreal, Sonos, NASA and more. As a host and on-camera talent, Chris has led a series of storytelling projects and live experiences for entities ranging from Fast Company, to The United Nations, Think LA, MassChallenge, The Emmys, Stanford University, and a 50-hour live television broadcast for Cannes Lions.
Chris grew up in Detroit, MI, and is a graduate of Michigan State University (Go Green!). He currently resides in Los Angeles.
