David Houle

David Houle is a futurist, strategist and speaker.  He has always been slightly ahead of the curve.  Houle spent more than 20 years in media and entertainment. He has worked at NBC, CBS and was part of the senior executive team that launched MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and CNN Headline News.  He helped to create television series on A&E for his client Bill Kurtis, “Investigative Reports’ and “American Justice”, introducing single subject documentaries and legal programming to prime time. Both series were award winning and ran for more than ten years.

Houle has won a number of awards.  He won two Emmys as Co-Executive Producer for a nationally syndicated kids program, “Energy Express”.  He won the prestigious George Foster Peabody award for “Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream” and was nominated for an Academy Award.

In three years with University Access, an Internet e-learning company, as Senior Vice President, Global Sales & Marketing, then later as Managing Director, Houle helped build the company from 10 employees to 200 and from 2k to 8m in sales. During his tenure, University Access won more than 40 industry awards for excellence in production and content.

Houle is consistently ranked as one of the top futurists and futurist keynote speakers on the major search engines. He has keynoted numerous conferences across the country and has been invited to speak at corporate management retreats.

Houle is regarded as an emerging, influential voice of future thought. He is regarded as one of the thought shapers in the arena of alternative energy. He has met with some of the greatest energy and space scientists in the country and regularly discusses the future of energy and Space Solar Power with them.

Houle well respected futurist blog, www.evolutionshift.com has the tag line “A Future Look at Today”.  He has been speaking about the future for a number of years and is currently writing two books, the first of which “The Shift Age” was published in early 2008.

MOST REQUESTED TOPICS:
The Shift Age
This is Houle's signature and most requested speech.  He identifies and explains the new age we have entered. After taking a quick look back at the span of human history, he focuses in on the past 20 years and the transformative changes that have taken place. He then identifies the dynamics that are shaping our world now and will be for the next 10-20 years.  The Shift Age will be one of the most transformative and exciting times in the history of humanity. Houle leaves us with suggestions for how to prepare for and adapt to this new age.  A big picture speech that is pertinent for any group or organization.

Trends  2009-2020
A look at the trends that are and will be affecting and changing our world until the year 2020.  Looking at the areas of technology, the work place, economics and energy, this presentation highlights some of the developments and incredible coming innovations that will alter our lives.  Finally Houle presents and discusses the timeline for economic and political reorganization that are ahead.  A thought provoking and mind expanding presentation that will put into context all the disruptions and transformations we are experiencing.


Future Energy Trends
Houle puts global warming in perspective as to how it should be viewed and the opportunity it represents. Having collaborated and interacted with some of the greatest energy scientists in the world today,Houle presents a vision of what the global and domestic future of energy can be and what it might look like.  Predictions are presented with timelines and discussions of the transformation of energy that is ahead. This presentation is high level, informative and a visionary view of one of the most profound issues facing humanity.

Leading with Vision
Being Slightly Ahead of the Curve
Houle defines what leading with vision means. He gives personal and public examples of leading with vision and how those leaders changed the world, changed a business, changed a market. He explains why it is important to be slightly ahead of the curve as opposed to any other place in the curve, be it a curve of innovation, historical inevitability or just a new product category. This speech emphasizes vision, leadership and how they can create unparalleled motivation on the part of those who embrace and follow visionary leadership.

Testimonials:
"David is a brilliant futurist and fascinating speaker. His view of the world today relative to how it will evolve over the next 15-20 years is based in fact, history, and reason. He is a "must hear” as a speaker and "do hire” as a futurist and strategist.” – Jim Gabalski, Director of Strategy Services, Emerge Partners

"David delivered a thought provoking presentation at our Annual Meeting that gave our members a glimpse of where energy will come from in the future and how these new energy sources will impact residences and businesses.  His presentation was professional and captivating and his relaxed style encouraged participation.  My only regret is that we ran out of time to answer all the questions.  He created quite the buzz!"    - Terri Long, Director of Communications and Meetings, North American Millers' Association

"David is a marvelous keynote speaker! He launched our three day conference, offering the perfect message and setting the right tone for our program. You can’t go wrong with David Houle.” – Deborah Tysinski, University Continuing Education Association Regional Conference Chair

"David Houle’s keynote presentation at the 2007 Global Marketing Summit was one of the highlights of the conference. It was timely, informative, educational and highly provocative, pushing us all to reflect on this new transformational landscape, and how this ‘shift’ impacts the way we market our products and services. " – Bappa Choudhury, VP Siemens

"I arrived at Mills College to hear David Houle’s keynote address "Leading with Vision” and soon found the evening transformed. It was magical and took on a life of its own. David’s ability to stimulate interactive conversation with the audience generated a level of creative energy in the room that I have never experienced before in this type of setting.” – Gary Gyorkos, University of California, Santa Cruz