Speaking
From the dunk court to the conference stage. I share what I’ve learned about personal branding, content, and using AI to help real people build authority online.
How I ended up on stage
I’m a professional dunker first, but over the last couple of years I’ve also gotten to speak at digital marketing and sports business events alongside my mentor Dennis Yu. Most of these talks come back to the same idea: you don’t need a fancy title or permission to start building authority. You build it by documenting what you already do, connecting it to your story, and using AI as a partner instead of a replacement.
Here are the places I’ve spoken, ordered by how much weight the stage carries, starting with the room that mapped out our whole vision.
DSDT, the Detroit School of Digital Technology
The highest-authority view of everything we’re building, presented with Dennis Yu and Cam Hazzard at a college that sits right at the center of it.
AI Summit at DSDT (Detroit School of Digital Technology)
Dennis, Cam, and I presented at an AI summit hosted by DSDT on what Dennis calls the two-sided network, basically the “Uber of digital marketing.” On one side you’ve got young adults learning real AI and digital marketing skills. On the other, local service businesses that need that work done. Colleges like DSDT sit right in the middle as the pipeline, training the next generation of builders who go on to serve those businesses.
Dennis called it the highest-authority view of our whole vision, and getting to lay it out in person with him and Cam made it the talk I’m proudest of so far.
Watch the talk on YouTube →JVA Align Volleyball Summit
Two years running, I’ve shared the Align Summit stage with Dennis Yu in front of junior volleyball club directors and owners from across the country, showing them how AI can give their clubs and athletes a real edge.
Align Summit 2026
Back for Align’s second year, Dennis and I went deeper on agentic AI and custom GPTs. We showed directors how to hand off real tasks like parent communication, scheduling, content, and SEO audits, so they get hours back every week instead of drowning in busywork. The throughline: when a club helps its athletes build a personal brand, the whole club wins, from registrations to NIL and scholarship opportunities.
Read the JVA writeup →Align Summit 2025
This was the very first time I ever spoke at an event. We showed the room how custom GPTs and agents can act like staff, handling blog writing, content production, and SEO audits, and how a single podcast or long-form video can be repurposed into a whole stack of content. The moment that landed most was the athlete angle: Dennis put my dunk videos on screen and asked, “Wouldn’t it be cool if your athletes had this, not for vanity, but to earn scholarships or NIL deals?” A lot of heads nodded.
Watch the talk on YouTube →DigiMarCon
Two stops on the DigiMarCon circuit, both built around the same idea: authority isn’t about titles, it’s about proof, and AI plus Google’s Knowledge Graph is how you make that proof visible.
DigiMarCon Las Vegas 2025
Building Authority with AI & Google’s Knowledge Graph. The more polished run of our talk, built around Dennis Yu’s Topic Wheel and how we teach young adults to build digital authority for local businesses through High Rise Influence and High Rise Academy.
Watch the talk on YouTube →DigiMarCon Minneapolis 2025
Personal Branding & Digital Authority for the Next Generation. The first run of this talk: how we help students map what they stand for, find the connections that shape their story, and turn those moments into content that builds trust.
What I speak about
AI as a partner, not a replacement
How custom GPTs and agents can take real work off your plate, from content to audits to admin, so you get hours back without losing the human part.
Personal branding and authority
Building real authority online by documenting what you already do, connecting it to your story, and turning it into proof people can see and trust.
Teaching the next generation
How young adults can build skills, create content, and deliver real results for local businesses, which is the work behind the two-sided network.
Want me on your stage?
Whether it’s a sports organization, a marketing conference, a college, or a room full of young creators, I’d love to share what’s worked for me. For speaking inquiries, reach out to operations@localservicespotlight.com.
Email for Speaking Inquiries More About Me