Speaking
Previous Engagements
Building a life
around the work.
I speak at universities, industry events, creative writing programs, and music schools about what it actually looks like to build a creative life. I'm not the guy who's going to tell the audience to follow their passion. I'm the guy who's going to tell them about the discipline of showing up, building an infrastructure, and how the business of art works.
Current Topics
I. Creative entrepreneurship for artists
The honest version. Not the hustle version. What it takes to run a creative practice as an actual small business, from the relationship between discipline and output, choosing which platforms to invest in, growing an audience, when to spend money and when not to, and how to survive the years before the work starts to pay.
Drawn from years of being a musician, running side projects, shipping work, and a lot of instructive failure.
II. AI as a creative partner, not a replacement
How I actually use AI in a creative practice in 2026 — as a strategic thinking partner, a brainstorming foil, a research assistant, and an editor that never gets tired. Not as a ghost writer, not as a shortcut around the work, and not as the thing that makes the work for you.
The honest version of the conversation most people aren't having yet. What AI is genuinely good at in a creative workflow. What it is genuinely bad at. Where it saves real hours, and where it quietly degrades the work if you let it. And the hardest part: how to keep your voice when a tool is always willing to offer you a smoother, more agreeable version of what you just wrote.
Built for writers, musicians, and creative practitioners who are tired of being told either that AI will replace them or that they should refuse to touch it. Neither is true. The interesting work lives in the middle.
III. Careers for writers and English majors in the real world
What actually happens to English and Creative Writing majors after graduation? The non-academic paths, the portfolio career math, the difference between a hobby and a practice, and how to keep writing when the bills are the loudest voice in the room.
For students who are wondering if they picked the wrong degree, and for students who know they didn't but want to hear someone honest talk about the shape of the next ten years.
IV. Copyright and IP for working musicians and writers
A practical, non-lawyer walkthrough of how musicians actually own, monetize, and protect their work in 2026 — publishing vs. master rights, streaming revenue math, synchronization licensing, protecting your catalog across platforms, and the specific mistakes I've watched independent artists make.
Built for musicians who learned their instrument but nobody ever taught them the business underneath the music.
Selected Past Engagements
I. Entrepreneurial Insight from the Music Industry
Opus College of Business · University of St. ThomasENTR 490 · Guest Lecture
“Dave recorded his first record in Nashville when he was 16. Today he is a top global marketer at 3M, runs his own podcast, coaches basketball and flag football, and still writes music. He was the perfect guest speaker for our Entrepreneurial Insights from the Arts class yesterday. Thank you, Dave!
His journey reaffirms my belief that the arts cultivate transferable skills that give you an edge in business. The arts aren’t just a luxury - they improve our lives and yes, business too.”
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Shinwon Noh, Assistant Professor
Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas
II. Careers for Writers and English Majors in the Digital Age
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
English and Communications Students
Pannel Discussion
III. Monetizing and Commercializing Intellectual Property Online
Institute of Production and Recording (IPR) · Minneapolis
Guest Lecture for Music Industry Students
Start a Conversation
Whether you’re looking for a keynote on creative entrepreneurship, a guest lecture for English majors, or a workshop on AI as a creative partner, I’d love to hear what you’re planning. Drop a note below and I’ll get back to you