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Micah Johnson is the creator of Aku. After hearing a young boy ask his mom if astronauts could be Black, Micah released an NFT of an animated painting depicting the boy who inspired him in an astronaut helmet. In less than one year, that NFT took Micah from a retired athlete to “2020 NFT of the Year” and the first creator to have an NFT optioned for a major feature film. Named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential People in NFTs” by Fortune, Micah’s foresight and belief in the web3 communities to evangelize IP has resulted in nearly $10 million in sales volume for Aku in just 5 Chapters, with 5 Chapters still yet to be released.
Who is Aku? Aku is a digital explorer and crypto-native IP Launched in February 2021, Aku has since become the first NFT to be optioned for film and television projects, as well as the first NFT to travel to space. Aku is a conduit to empower the next generation of explorers and dreamers.
Top 5 Inspirations
My Parents
The Aku Community
Farmers (they wake up and grind every single day !)
Teachers
Summer Watson
Summer is the President of WYE Media Company, home of Aku; and the President of Vol. 1, a joint venture with Epic Records focused on developing pop artists such as AJ Mitchell, Eddie Benjamin, Kah-Lo, Annika Wells and Kid Culture. Summer is a consumer tech veteran, having led content, marketing and product at Playdom, Disney Interactive, TuneIn and Episode (Pocket Gems). She is an active partner and investor in several consumer music, cannabis, tech, data, AI and gaming companies.
Top 5 Inspirations:
Alone time out in the world
Good energy with other people
Stories of fearless people doing great things
All the things I don't know and haven't done yet
Daytona
Host, Author, Innovation Advocate
Chris Denson, innovation expert, Innovation Crush podcast host, and author of the #1 bestseller, Crushing the Box: 10 Essential Rules for Breaking Essential Rules, delivers keynotes that are informative, engaging and entertaining. He merges his experience advertising and marketing expertise, POV as an innovation expert, and his comedic talent to deliver memorable messages to audiences across industries, at home and abroad. He is also skilled at leading insightful conversations, moderating panels and providing continuity as the MC/host for conferences and workshops.
