International Creative Industries Keynote Speaker
David Parrish is an international keynote speaker specialising in the creative industries, creative entrepreneurship and the creative economy.
Drawing on his experience of working with creative entrepreneurs, businesses, governments and organisations in more than 60 countries, David combines fresh ideas, practical business insights and international examples to inspire audiences and help them think differently about creativity, entrepreneurship and business.
David speaks at conferences and events worldwide. Each keynote is tailored to the audience, conference theme and local context, rather than delivered as a standard presentation.
He has spoken about the creative economy and creative entrepreneurship at international events including the United Nations in Geneva and the European Commission in Brussels.
Watch videos of David speaking
Read what conference organisers say about David
What David Brings to Your Event
David combines international experience with practical knowledge of the creative industries and first-hand experience as an entrepreneur and business owner.
His keynote speeches are designed to give audiences useful ideas as well as inspiration — combining stories, examples and practical business insights that people can relate to their own work.
David works closely with conference organisers to understand the event, its objectives and its audience. Presentations can be adapted to different countries, cultures and sectors, and to audiences ranging from creative entrepreneurs and business leaders to policymakers and economic development professionals.
He is also happy to contribute beyond the keynote itself — for example through panel discussions, Q&A sessions, media interviews, workshops and informal conversations with delegates.
“It’s easy to work with David because he is a professional; not only as an excellent speaker but also because he co-operates fully with our deadlines, requests for information and videos, and local media interviews.”
— Laura Franco. Toolkit Naranja / Coolture Investments, Colombia
Keynote Topics
David’s keynote speeches are tailored to each event and audience. His principal speaking topics include:
Creative Entrepreneurship — How to Succeed Creatively AND Commercially
How can creative people achieve greater commercial success without compromising their creativity, values or ambitions? Drawing on his own entrepreneurial experience and examples from creative businesses worldwide, David explores how to combine creative passion with smart business thinking.
New Business Models in the Creative Economy
Creative businesses don’t have to follow conventional business models. David shares innovative examples from the creative economy and explores how entrepreneurs can design business models around intellectual property, new revenue streams, collaboration, technology and changing markets.
Strategic Marketing for Creative Businesses
Successful marketing isn’t about trying to sell everything to everybody. Drawing on the ideas in Chase One Rabbit, David shows how creative businesses can identify their competitive advantage, choose the right customers and build a focused marketing strategy around them.
Creativity, Innovation and Business
How can creativity be applied not only to products, content and ideas, but also to the way a business works? David explores creativity in business models, strategy and entrepreneurship, including the opportunities and challenges created by new technologies such as AI.
International Business for Creative Entrepreneurs
Drawing on his experience of working in more than 60 countries, David explores the opportunities and challenges of doing business internationally — including different cultures, markets, business practices and ways of working across borders.
Designing Your Creative Business — On Your Own Terms
Success doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. David challenges conventional assumptions about growth and business success, helping creative entrepreneurs define what success means to them and design a business that supports their ambitions, values and the life they want to live.
What David Is Like as a Speaker
David’s speaking style is informal, engaging and practical. Rather than relying on academic theory or heavily scripted presentations, he uses stories, examples and experiences from his own work as an entrepreneur and from creative businesses he has worked with around the world.
Having started and managed creative businesses himself, David understands the realities faced by creative entrepreneurs. He establishes rapport with audiences by speaking their language, combining business expertise with an understanding of the ambitions, frustrations and practical challenges of running a creative enterprise.
David is an experienced international speaker and communicates clearly with audiences for whom English is not their first language. He enjoys questions and discussion, both during presentations and informally afterwards, and is happy to spend time talking with delegates over coffee, lunch or at other parts of the event.
He also works closely with organisers before an event to understand their objectives, audience and local context. He is happy to join advance video calls, adapt his presentation to the conference theme, provide materials to agreed deadlines, participate in media interviews and panel discussions, and contribute to the wider event rather than simply arriving to deliver a speech and leaving.
“David’s ability to establish a rapport with creative and cultural entrepreneurs is second to none.”
— Sean Durney, Culture Liverpool, Liverpool City Council.
More Than a Keynote Speech
David is happy to become part of the wider event — participating in panel discussions, Q&A sessions, media interviews, workshops and informal conversations with delegates.
International engagements can also combine keynote speaking with training workshops, mentoring sessions and books for participants, creating a programme tailored to the event and its audience.
Signed copies of T-Shirts and Suits or Chase One Rabbit can be provided for organisers, speakers or delegates as part of an engagement.
David particularly enjoys meeting creative entrepreneurs personally and hearing about their businesses, ideas and ambitions. Some of the most valuable conversations at conferences happen outside the formal programme — over coffee, lunch or in the bar after the event.
Watch David Speak
See David speaking about creative entrepreneurship, the creative economy and creativity in business at international conferences and TEDx events.
How to Succeed as a Creative Entrepreneur
David speaks about combining creativity with smart business thinking at the WORTH project conference in Valencia, Spain.
Also watch David answering questions from the audience
Creative Entrepreneurship in the Global Creative Economy
David shares international examples and ideas for creative entrepreneurs at Festival Naranja in Bogotá, Colombia.
Creativity Redefined — a-Creativity and i-Creativity
In his TEDxNapoli talk, David challenges conventional ideas about creativity and explores two different kinds of creativity — and how they can work together to help creative industries enterprises become even more successful.
Selected International Speaking Engagements
David has spoken at conferences, summits and other events for creative industries organisations, governments, business support agencies and companies around the world.
Selected engagements include:
Creative industries keynote speaker at a national government-level creative economy event.
Speaker on innovation and entrepreneurship at a conference hosted by the Government of Chile.
Keynote speaker on Creative Business in the Digital Economy.
Keynote speaker on creativity and business at an international corporate event.
Speaker on creativity, entrepreneurship and business for international creative startups.
What Conference Organisers Say
Conference organisers highlight David’s impact on audiences, his rapport with creative entrepreneurs, and his open, engaging speaking style.
“David’s keynote was an inspiration to many of our creative entrepreneurs, some of them coming up to me afterwards telling me that they were now confident it was the right choice to continue working in the creative industries and motivated to make it work.”
— Eloise van Wickeren, Film Commissioner, Ministry of Economic Development, Curaçao
“David knows the ecosystem of creative industries and has enormous practical experience in working with creative businesses. David is a high-level professional who speaks the genuine language of creative entrepreneurs.”
— Gaukhar Kozhasheva, Art2B Lab, Almaty, Kazakhstan
“David’s talk at the Creative People Conference was that rare thing, refreshingly open, informative and amusing. I particularly appreciated his frankness about great failures he has known — not least because they made his comments on how to avoid them more pertinent. A very engaging speaker.”
— Jeanne Jenner, Chief Executive, Arts+Media Training, UK
Invite David to Speak at Your Event
Planning a conference or event for creative entrepreneurs, creative industries professionals, business leaders or organisations supporting the creative economy?