Innovation Talk: Daymond John and independent creator, Emil Pinnock

An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Daymond John has come a long way from taking out a $100,000 mortgage on his mother’s house and moving his business operation into its basement. John is CEO and Founder of FUBU, a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand, and a pioneer in the fashion industry with billions in product sales world-wide. Former President Barack Obama appointed Daymond John a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) to harness his energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs both at home and abroad.
John is an award-winning entrepreneur and has received 100s of awards including the Brand Week Marketer of the Year, Advertising Age Marketing 1000 Award for Outstanding Ad Campaign, Ernst & Young’s New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was named #2 on LinkedIn’s Top 20 Voices, a list of the top influencers, who are using their voice to help us analyze today’s changing world of work, navigate our industries, and find balance. Most recently, Real Leaders Magazine ranked Daymond John one of the Top 20 Keynote Speakers in the World for 2024!
His marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands has made him a highly influential consultant and motivational speaker today. His marketing firm The Shark Group offers advice on how to effectively communicate to consumers through innovative means and connects brands with the world’s top celebrities for everything from endorsements to product extensions.
John is also an author of 6 best-selling books including his New York Times best-sellers, The Power of Broke (2016) and Rise and Grind (2018). He released his fifth book, Powershift in 2020 that walks through his tried-and-true process of how to transform any situation, close any deal and achieve any out- come. John’s most recent book, Little Daymond Learns to Earn (2023) is his first for kids, reached the New York Times and Amazon best-seller list the first week of its release. The book addresses the current void of educating our children about money in a fun and engaging story for parents and kids to connect. John’s mission is to continue challenging the status quo and leave a lasting legacy of inspiring other leaders to do the same..
Finally, John is celebrating his 15th season on ABC TV’s critically acclaimed business reality show Shark Tank by renowned producer Mark Burnett, which has reinvigorated entrepreneurship around the world. Shark Tank has now gone on to win five Emmy® in the US and millions of weekly viewers world-wide tune into the show as John demonstrates his marketing prowess and entrepreneurial insights.

As a writer, producer, director Pinnock has led several productions including his breakout project, Up North (an original series), having premiered at SeriesFest and breaking records winning best actor, director, drama and the most coveted audience award. He along with his production company, Unleashing Giants Studios, have held production deals at Blumhouse Productions, Endeavor Content, Entertainment Studios, Level Forward, Radar Pictures, and Atmosphere Entertainment He has also been tapped to write the original stories for The Negro Baseball League, FUBU founder Daymond John, and the origin story of legendary lyricist Biggie Smalls, which are all currently in development.

Doni Aldine is CEO of Culturs Global Multicultural Lifestyle media and a FOLIO TOP Women in Media Honoree. Having grown up on four continents and lived in numerous countries, she Is passionate about creating community for cross-cultural populations. Culturs media reaches 9+ million people annually.