01 / SPEAKING
Stories shape the way we see ourselves. Community shapes what we believe is possible.
David W. Johnson is a storyteller, photographer, community bridge builder, and entrepreneur whose work explores story, identity, belonging, creativity, and community.
02 / WATCH DAVID SPEAK
A Calling Beyond…
FEATURED TALK
David comes from a long line of communicators beginning with his grandfather, a preacher and storyteller from Cotton Plant, Mississippi. Some of his earliest lessons in communication came through listening to family stories and spending hours looking through old photographs at his grandmother’s house. Both taught him that stories do more than document where we’ve been. They shape how we understand who we are and what we believe is possible.
That understanding has followed David across photography, filmmaking, entrepreneurship, creative leadership, and community building. Whether behind a camera or in front of a room, his approach begins the same way: pay attention, listen deeply, and recognize the story that is already there.
03 / THE STORY THE SPEAKER
David has spoken and shared stories through TEDx, National Geographic, The Moth Radio Hour, the Obama Foundation, Microsoft, Molson Coors, the University of Chicago, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, and Explorers, along with creative conferences and storytelling spaces nationally and internationally.
04 / APPROACH
A Different Approach to Communication
David doesn’t approach speaking as simply delivering information. He uses storytelling, cultural observation, humor, reflection, and conversation to create experiences that invite people to see themselves and the world around them differently.
Growing up between Naperville and Chicago’s South Side, navigating ADD and dyslexia, becoming an All-American athlete, and building a career across creativity and community taught him to notice connections, translate between different worlds, and recognize perspectives that can easily be missed.
People live in consistency with the stories they believe about themselves. Change the story, and you can begin to change what someone believes is possible.
05 / WHAT DAVID SPEAKS ABOUT
Story + Identity
The stories we inherit, the stories we tell ourselves, and how they shape who we become and what we believe is possible.
Creativity + Attention
Learning to pay attention, recognize what is already present, and trust the experience and perspectives that make your creative voice your own.
Community + Belonging
Why belonging is fundamental to how people and organizations thrive, and how authentic community becomes a catalyst for culture.
Reflection + Transformation
Creating space to slow down, examine what we are carrying, reconnect with what matters, and move forward with greater courage and intention.
06 / WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
Keynotes
Story driven talks that combine lived experience, cultural insight, and practical ideas to help audiences see something differently and move toward action.
Panels + Conversations
David is an experienced moderator who has led conversations with everyone from local community members to A list celebrities, artists, executives, athletes, and cultural leaders. His approach is curious, well researched, and deeply conversational, creating space for honest exchanges that move beyond rehearsed talking points.
Workshops
Participatory experience that use story, conversation, reflection, and practical exercises to help people explore ideas together and put them into practice.
Retreats
Immersive experiences that use storytelling, reflection, conversation, creativity, movement, and stillness to help people slow down, connect more deeply, and make space for meaningful change.
07 / THE THREAD THROUGH ALL OF IT
The Thread Through All of It
Photography taught David that the most important part of storytelling often happens before the picture is taken.
You listen. You pay attention. You allow the story to reveal itself. That philosophy has become the foundation of his work as a communicator. The goal is not simply to give people more information, but to help them recognize something that may have been there all along. The richness is already there. The story is already there. Sometimes we simply need to learn how to see it.
08 / INQUIRIES
Bring David Into the Room
David works with companies, universities, conference, creative communities, nonprofits, teams, and cultural institutions to create experiences shaped around the people in the room.
Invite Davide to speak, facilitate, moderate, or create an experience for your community.