AI is transforming how marketers work — helping teams generate content faster, optimize campaigns, and scale personalization. But as technology raises the baseline, creativity remains one of the biggest ways brands can stand out.
As Disney’s former Head of Innovation & Creativity, Duncan Wardle spent decades helping teams turn big ideas into real experiences. We’re excited to welcome him as the keynote speaker at Activate Summit 2026, April 21–23 in Los Angeles.
During his 25 years at Disney, Duncan helped teams across Pixar, Marvel, Imagineering, and Disney Parks unlock new ideas and bring bold creative concepts to life. Today, he works with organizations around the world to help teams rediscover creativity and turn it into practical innovation.
At Activate Summit, Duncan will share the same frameworks and tools he used at Disney, designed to help teams challenge conventional thinking, spark new ideas, and solve real business problems.
From Disney to the Activate Stage
Duncan spent more than two decades helping Disney teams think differently about innovation. His work touched some of the company’s most creative divisions, including Pixar, Marvel, and Imagineering. Today, he’s focused on helping organizations apply those same creative principles in everyday work.
Rather than treating creativity as something reserved for designers or brainstorming sessions, Duncan’s approach makes innovation accessible and practical for teams across an organization. His tools are designed to help people break out of routine thinking, generate new ideas, and approach challenges from a fresh perspective.
That’s exactly what he’ll bring to the Activate stage.
What to Expect from Duncan’s Keynote
Duncan’s session at Activate Summit is titled “The Theory of Creativity: C = ME² (Creativity = Me Empowered).” In this keynote, he’ll share techniques designed to help individuals and teams unlock new thinking (even inside busy organizations where creativity often gets pushed aside).
Attendees will learn:
- Practical innovation tools they can apply immediately
- How to break free from “corporate sameness” in marketing and product thinking
- Ways to reawaken creativity that often gets lost in structured work environments
- Techniques for turning new ideas into real business impact
You’ll leave inspired…but more importantly, you’ll leave with practical frameworks you can start using right away.
Join Us at Activate Summit
Activate Summit 2026 takes place April 21–23 in Los Angeles, bringing together marketers, customer engagement leaders, and innovators to learn, connect, and explore what’s next in marketing.
Duncan Wardle’s keynote will kick off the event with practical tools and fresh thinking to help teams spark new ideas and approach challenges differently. If you’re looking for new ways to inspire creativity and stand out in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, this is a session you won’t want to miss.
Register now to secure your spot at Activate Summit 2026.
