Community & Guest List

Sam Adams serves as co-founder and chief executive of dot.LA. A former financial journalist for Bloomberg and Reuters, Adams moved to the business side of media as a strategy consultant at Activate, helping legacy companies develop new digital strategies. Adams holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Brian Quick is a drummer, public speaker and consultant. Brian started to play drums at the age of 6 years old and has now turned this passion into his purpose by inspiring others to find and use their purpose. Brian performs drum clinics at schools, festivals and churches. Brian has been traveling speaking at businesses, churches, conferences, and many other platforms to teach on growth, leadership, and marketing. Brian consultants businesses and worship teams on how to authentically grow and better in their craft.

Christie Lawler is the Founder and Owner of CJL CONSULTiNG, a niche marketing agency that primarily serves the national hospitality industry, She is also the Founder and Director of The WITI Group, a nonprofit foundation that supports the future female leaders of the food and beverage industry through mentorship, emotional and financial support. Christie is also host of the Lawler Out Loud Podcast, soon to be a published author, a public speaker and most recently she added inventor to her list of attributes as she just launched her own infusion line - JAB MiXOLOGY.

Hilliary Turnipseed, Founder of Hill Street Strategies, is an experienced talent acquisition leader, with a deep background in early-stage technology startups and social impact organizations. She seamlessly integrates diversity, equity and inclusion strategies into her client needs, with an emphasis on improving team performance, creating frameworks and meaningful employee engagement. She takes a strengths-based, human design approach to identifying and retaining top talent.

Amy Hanlon, founder of Blue Meta Design, visually showcases the impactful stories of startups through graphic design, partnering with VC's on cutting-edge investments. A small branding agency located in the Mid-South, Blue Meta Design is client-focused, servicing companies that are changing the world and their communities. With a goal to create memorable brands, Amy dives deep into the inner workings of each company to develop creative visuals while supplementing customizable services. She works with some of Silicon Valley's biggest names, giving her insight into what makes a brand stand out to a venture capital firm. Graphic design is Blue Meta's medium for making their clients' brand their competitive edge, ultimately acting as an extension of their clients' teams, providing highly integrated solutions to help them succeed.