There is a pathway from stagnation to creative momentum.
From the Sydney Opera House, to Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Centre, to The Metropolis in Montreal Joel McKerrow has spent the last fifteen years on global stages, captivating hundreds of thousands of people with his passionate performative style, highly inspiring keynotes and dynamic event hosting.
A Creativity and Innovation Specialist, Joel is dedicated to helping leaders and teams, in any industry, cultivate the environment that creativity and innovation need to thrive. He champions the belief that both CREATIVITY and STORY are far too important for us to be confined to only those we deem as being ‘creative.’ Rather, his mission in life is to help individuals and organisations find creative breakthrough. Not just once, but consistently and intentionally.
Joel is the VIC/TAS President of PSA (Professional Speakers Australia), an author with Penguin-Random House, an award-winning writer of eight books and one of Australia's most successful performance poets, having represented Australia a the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships. He is the artist ambassador for TEARFUND Australia and is the Director of the The School for Creative Development.
Renowned singer Kate Cebrano describes Joel’s work as, ‘completely free, reckless and unbound in his expression.’ whilst the CEO of Village Roadshow lauds Joel as, ‘a true creative genius’ and says of his work with their executive, 'His impact on my team was nothing short of extraordinary.’
His impressive portfolio includes work with STORY GATHERING in Nashville (alongside Linda Woolverton the writer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast), Village Roadshow, International Transforming Education Conference, Hager Electric, The Design Coach, Greenbelt festival (UK), Graceland Festival (The Netherlands), The Global Health Summit, TedX, The Learning and Development Collective, Promoting Passion (USA), The Justice Conference, Sydney Writers Festival and many more of Australia’s premiere creativity and writing festivals…just to name a few.
Talking Points
UNLEASHING CREATIVE MOMENTUM: Turning Inspiration into Creative Breakthrough.
Most of us don’t consider ourselves inherently creative, or see its value in our careers. Yet, according to the World Economic Forum, Creative-thinking is the NUMBER ONE, in-demand, soft-skill for the future of work. So, what if every person on your team could, on cue, find inspiration, tap into creative flow and then turn it into powerful, game-changing, innovative solutions? And, what if this process was not just game-changing, but also…LIFE-CHANGING.UNLEASHING CREATIVE MOMENTUM: Turning Inspiration into Creative Breakthrough.
Key Takeaways-
* Creativity is a learnable skill, not just a talent.
* Harness inspiration for creative breakthrough.
* A creative-flow framework that moves people from Inspiration to intentional Implementation.
* The Power of Creativity in the Future of Work to gain a SIGNIFICANT edge over competition.
LEADING FROM THE INSIDE: How Creativity Fuels Wellbeing
As burnout and stress rise, leaders often feel drained and disconnected from their sense of purpose. This session is designed to address the increasing demands on leaders in today's high-pressure business environments. A keynote that will not only explore how creativity can serve as an antidote for any leader striving for long-term resilience, fulfilment, and a deeper sense of meaningful work; but will also awaken each persons unique creative-self, no matter how dormant this self has been.LEADING FROM THE INSIDE: How Creativity Fuels Wellbeing
- Creativity as a Resilience Builder: Discover how engaging in creative practices can serve as a sustainable way to combat burnout and stress, providing long-term mental and emotional resilience.
- Rediscovering Purpose: Learn how creativity reconnects leaders to their deeper sense of purpose, reigniting passion and motivation in both personal and professional spheres.
- Unique Creativity for Unique Solutions: Awaken your dormant creative-self to develop fresh, innovative approaches to leadership challenges.
- Practical Tools for Creative Wellbeing: Walk away with actionable strategies to integrate creative habits into daily routines, fostering both wellbeing and effectiveness.
STORYWORK: Engaging Narrative to Spark Change
The stories that we tell become who we are – both as individuals and as organisations. If you are going to succeed therefore, you must learn how to tell the right stories, at the right time, in the right way. Stories have the power to connect, inspire, and drive transformation in ways that facts and data simply cannot. In this session, Joel McKerrow unpacks how leaders and teams can craft and deliver narratives that not only engage but also create real impact and spark innovation. Whether you’re looking to ignite action, foster trust, or inspire vision, this session will be a deep dive into the power of story.STORYWORK: Engaging Narrative to Spark Change
Key Takeaways-
* Story-shaped Understand the defining force the stories that we tell are upon us.
* Stories as Strategic Tools: Craft narratives that inspire and communicate heart.
* Engage on a Human Level: Unlock the power of storytelling to foster connection and trust.
* Turning Stories into Impact: Move beyond anecdotes and transform storytelling into a results-driven framework for change.
* Embedding Stories into Culture: Discover how stories can shape organisational purpose and values.
* Inspiring Innovation Through Narrative: Harness storytelling to spark creativity and build momentum for meaningful breakthroughs.
AN ANALOGUE POET IN AN AI WORLD: Creativity, Connection and Learning how to Listen.
In a world increasingly driven by algorithms and artificial intelligence, what happens when we skip the messy, human-centred process of creativity and too quickly rush to the output? This talk is a call to rediscover the power of creative connection—not just as a means to an end but as the heart of innovation itself. Joel unpacks how embracing the tension between analogue and AI, process and product, can lead us to breakthroughs that are not only innovative but also deeply human. This session offers a roadmap to harnessing creativity that isn’t just reactive but transformative, ensuring that we don’t lose the soul of creation in our race for efficiency.AN ANALOGUE POET IN AN AI WORLD: Creativity, Connection and Learning how to Listen.
Hold the Tensions: Discover how to navigate the balance between analogue and digital, inspiration and automation, fostering a creative practice that thrives in disruption.
The Lost Art of Listening: Reclaim the critical skill of deep listening as a gateway to creativity, connection, and meaningful work in an increasingly noisy, tech-driven world.
Purpose Over Productivity: Understand why skipping the creative process undermines true innovation and how slowing down can lead to more profound, impactful results.
Human Creativity in an AI Era: Explore how to amplify uniquely human creative strengths—intuition, emotional depth, and storytelling—to collaborate effectively with AI tools rather than compete with them.
EVENT HOSTING
Known for his energetic, engaging and inspiring stage presence, Joel brings a unique blend of humour, warmth, and professionalism to every event he hosts. He knows how to read a room and how to lead an audience to where it needs to go.EVENT HOSTING
Joel doesn’t just entertain the audience, he works in direct collaboration with event organisers to bring about the smoothest possible experience for all delegates.
Whether guiding a conference, a festival, a retreat or a corporate gathering, Joel’s ability to weave storytelling with event management makes him a sought-after MC who keeps audiences inspired and engaged from start to finish.
PERFORMANCE POETRY
Joel's performance poetry is a powerful blend of emotion, insight and creative expression that resonates deeply with audiences. Time and time again, people adamant that they are "not into poetry," have expressed that Joel's performative work was actually their favourite part of an event.PERFORMANCE POETRY
Whether to kick-off or close an event, bring a creative-edge between speakers or woven seamlessly into his own keynote presentations, Joel's poetry captivates and inspires, offering moments of both humour, reflection and connection.
Joel can also craft specifically-commissioned performance pieces for events to lead attendees into deeper engagement with their themes.
Or watch in awe as Joel crafts, in real-time, poetry from the keynote speeches and special moments within your event. Performing it back to the audience as a poetic summary at the end of the session or as a conference-closer.
Video
Joel McKerrow | Creativity Driven Transformation & MC | Saxton Speakers
Joel is a true creative genius and his impact on my team was nothing short of extraordinary. ... keep reading Village Road Show
Joel is a once in a generation communicator. He masterfully weaves the robustness of his intellect with a striking empathy and compassion. Joel will deeply challenge your mind and above all- widen your heart.
Joel is captivating. He stole the ‘show’ with an extraordinary blend of warm generosity, deft poetry, powerful charisma and no ego. I left awed and authentically grateful to be in his presence.
Joel is a great presenter and tailors his approach to the industry and the participants - this was very important for MEA as a "one size fits all" approach is not what we needed or wanted. Joel took the time to understand our audience and work with us to craft an engaging session. MEA is pleased to recommend Joel McKerrow to others looking for well-constructed and interesting training, presentations or any speaker opportunities.
