Innovation City is a podcast featuring the innovators, disruptors, and creators behind the innovation movement. Imagine a place where ordinary people do extraordinary things. A gathering of entrepreneurs, educators, artists, and activists who believe in innovation as a process to improve the human condition. These are people who are breaking through the status quo of business as usual. They’re changing the face of culture through diversity and inclusion, creativity, and stronger and better-connected businesses.
This community is the inspiration for the Innovation City Podcast. A collaboration of Venture Cafe St. Louis, Venture Cafe Miami, and SLAM! Agency, Innovation City tells the story of the people behind this innovation movement. Tyler Kelley and Michael Johnson, co-founders of SLAM! Agency, interview innovators from around the world, releasing a new 25-minute episode (in video and audio) every week.
As SLAM!’s Chief Strategist and Chief Creative respectively, the duo are the ideal co-hosts for #InnovationCity. Tyler and Michael started SLAM! as a different kind of digital storytelling agency. Their goal was to create purpose-driven content that connects people on an emotional level, and use that connection to build trust, create awareness, and ultimately drive business results.
It’s only natural, then, that on Innovation City, their thoughtful questions distill their guests’ unique stories into an engaging 25 minutes. Listeners are entertained and inspired. Because Innovation City is powered by Venture Cafe, which has local operations in cities around the world, many of the podcast’s guests are drawn from that global pool. Venture Cafe hosts the largest weekly gathering of innovators in the world.
Its local operations are found in Boston/Cambridge, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Miami, Florida; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Tokyo, Japan; and Sydney, Australia. Venture Cafe provides an opportunity for people to connect in order to make things happen. Check out Innovation City’s 100+ episodes at innovationcity.co or subscribe on iTunes.
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Tyler Kelley, Partner
Michael Johnson, Partner
Behind the Mic
Michael T. Johnson—Co-host
Michael is co-founder and Chief Creative at SLAM! Agency. He’s a firm believer in creating powerful emotional connections through content and empowering people to tell stories from their own unique perspectives. Through his career, he has had the opportunity to work with clients ranging from Grammy award–winning producers to national nonprofits and major brands, including St. Jude Children’s research hospital, Post Cereals, American Cancer Society, MTV, and AB/Inbev.
Tyler Kelley—Co-host
Tyler Kelley is Co-Founder & Chief Strategist at SLAM! Agency. He’s also a professional speaker, tennis player, and conscious business advocate. With 18+ years in the results-driven marketing space, Tyler has earned a reputation for anticipating user trends and developing proactive strategies to drive brands forward. As a speaker, he has shared the stage with digital brands like Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Buzzfeed.
Travis Sheridan—Co-host (occasionally)
Travis Sheridan is President at CIC Venture Cafe Global Institute. He’s also an entrepreneur, consultant, professional speaker, writer, and actor/comedian who is passionate about entrepreneurship as a driver for economic development and using data to make informed business decisions. He frequently speaks on topics such as business growth, communication, leadership, creativity, branding, and social media.
