Young Influencers List - Archives

The Archives of The Young Influencers List. 2011

November Edition.

October Edition.

September Edition.

August Edition.

July Edition.

June Edition.

May Edition.

April Edition.

March Edition.

February Edition.

January Edition.

2010

December Edition.

November Edition.

October Edition.

September Edition.

August Edition.

July Edition.

June Edition.

May Edition.

April Edition.

March Edition.

February Edition.

January Edition.

2009

December edition.

November edition.

October edition.

September edition.

August edition.

July edition.

June edition.

May edition.

April edition.

1. Jeannie Mai- host of Character Fantasy on USA Network, and a rising star in Hollywood for hosting award shows and events. Was the backstage host for Catalyst West.

2. Owen Leimbach- formerly with MTV, Owen is now Chief of Staff for a brand new branch of the Rwandan government in Kigali, Rwanda, helping move forward this emerging African country.

3. Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole- founders of Invisible Children. Recently appeared on Oprah. Helping bring awareness and solutions to the terrible injustice of Child Soldiers in Uganda.

4. Tyler Wigg Stevenson- A pastor and writer who is leading the charge on the Two Futures Project, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

5. Zach Wililams- incredible musician and soon to be major star. Tore it up recently at South by Southwest, one of the largest musical festivals in the country.

March edition.

1. Dan Cooper- a partner in Fox River Financial Resources, international business leader, and strategic advisor and connector with major initiatives in Rwanda.

2. Joshua Dubois- executive director of the White House office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

3. Nicole Baker Fulgham- national director of Faith Community relations for Teach for America.

4. Skye Jethani-  managing editor of Leadership Journal and author of the recent book The Divine Commodity.

5. Justin Mayo- founder and executive director of Red Eye Inc., a progressive community of young leaders and peers in Hollywood who are working together to pool their talents and passions to impact the city of Los Angeles.

6. Leroy Barber- founder of Mission Year and author of New Neighbor. Leroy is doing great things with college students and young professionals all over the country.

February 2009 Edition:

1. Barton Damer- motion graphics, animation, designer and illustration guru. Follow his blog here.

2. Wendy Kopp- founder of Teach For America, an amazing organization that places recent college graduates as teachers in poor communities and underperforming schools across the country.

3. John Bishop- pastor of Living Hope Church in Vancouver, Washington. This guy is the real deal.

4. Kristian Stanfill- many of you are probably aware of Kristian. A talented songwriter and worship leader who recently released a new EP. Leads at North Point, Catalyst, and Passion events regularly.

5. Jon Gordon- best-selling author of The No Complaining Rule and The Energy Bus. He is impacting major influencers in the business/corporate community.

6. Austin Gutwein- founder of Hoops of Hope, and one of my heroes. Austin has impacted more people at 14 than most of us will during our entire lives.

January 2009 Edition

1.  Josh Loveless- leads the charge on Status, a ministry to students and young professionals in Orlando, and also brand director for Neue.

2. Vicky Beeching- talented worship leader and songwriter born in the UK but now hanging out in the US.

3. Jon Bell- works with The Image Group in Grand Rapids, and also leading the charge on Rob Bell's upcoming tour (you'll hear more about this later). Very involved with Heart Support, an online care community.

4. Dave Barnes- uber talented musician, singer, songwriter,  and insanely funny and all-around good guy. Take time to watch some videos on his site. You will laugh.

5. Lindsay Orr- founder of LUO, an initiative focused on setting children free from poverty, sickness, slavery and other injustices around the world. Talented artist as well.

6. Scott McClellan- editor of Collide Magazine, and also purveyor of the Collide blog.

The December edition of the Young Influencers List.

1. Tad Agoglia- founder of the First Response Team of America. This is an amazing organization and Tad is one of the winners of the CNN Heroes Award.

2. Natalya Radford - worship leader at Crossroads Church in Costa Mesa, CA, as part of the Generate Student Ministry.

3. Tripp Crosby- sketch comedian, host and filmmaker. Founder of Green Tricycle Films and the maker of perhaps the funniest video ever at Catalyst featuring Lanny Donoho and Jeff Foxworthy.

4. Jessica Flannery- co-founder of Kiva, an incredible organization that is a platform for micro-finance throughout the world.

5. Rick Devos- founder of Spout, an interactive online community that is designed to connect and inspire film lovers.

November edition of the Young Influencers List.

1. Cathleen Falsani- award winning Religion columnist for the Chicago Sun Times. Her recent book Sin Boldly is a refreshing take on faith in today's culture. Love her humor and wit.

2. Kevin Palau- EVP of the Luis Palau Association. Among his many duties, Kevin spearheaded the Portland City Fest, which has helped churches, schools, the mayor's office, businesses, and local government all collaborate on service projects in the city of Portland. Amazing work.

3. Santino Stoner- Partner with Dot Cross. Also Film Director on the very popular NOOMA series.

4. Jay King- A and R guru at Integrity Music. Jay is one of the good guys in the music industry. He is out constantly finding new talent as well as handling current artists such as Hillsong United.

5. Brian Pirkle- COO of BigStuf Events. You will usually find Brian with a headset on calling a show from the production area. 20 years from now will be the creative/technical producer for the Grammys, or the Oscars, or the Presidential Inauguration!

October edition of the Young Influencers List

1. Daley Hake- talented musician and photographer from CA. Check out his work and some recent shots he took at Catalyst. He makes Carlos Whittaker look like a runway model! Daley- help me!

2. Steven Furtick- you've probably already heard about Steven and the incredible work happening at Elevation Church in Charlotte. Make sure to subscribe to his Sermon podcast. Prepare to be challenged.

3. Justin Dillon- visionary and Director of the recent rockumentary Call and Response. Also a musician and former member of the band Dime Store Prophets. His work in fighting sex trafficking and slavery is inspiring.

4. Danielle Bennett- Virginia native, a Junior at USC (that's Southern Cal), and the most recent addition to the Catalyst team- our West Coast Catalyst intern. Danielle is gonna be president of something substantial someday.

5. Aaron Keyes- gifted worship leader, and a fresh voice to worship leaders all over the world. Aaron has forgotten more scripture than I can remember. His approach to leading worship is fresh and extremely Biblical.

6. Jonathan Bostic- if you need motion graphics, amazing videos, or just basic branding/graphics, Bostic is your man. Jonathan did the recent opening video and motion graphics display on the screens at Catalyst. He also helps out with Orange Conference, Passion Conferences, and does work with several bands and musicians.

September edition of the Young Influencers List:

  1. Brandon McCormick – Founder of Whitestone Motion Pictures. He is young, talented, and will soon be creating feature films.
  2. Jena Lee Nardella - Took over as Executive Director of Blood:Water Mission when she was 22, and has been running this great organization for the last 4 years.
  3. Matthew Emerzian - founder of Every Monday Matters. Writer, visionary and speaker whose book Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways to Make A Difference has sold over 100,000 copies.
  4. Brad Abare - Brad started Church Marketing Sucks, leads communications for The Four Square Church, and is a big idea guy.
  5. Charles Lee - Charles is the cultural catalyst and pastor at New Hope South Bay in CA, a founding member of Just One (addressing poverty and slavery), and a professor on the side.

August edition of the Young Influencers List

Again, for all of you who like to try and read into things, there is no significance to order- simply listed alphabetical by last name.

1. Chuck Anderson- a great designer/illustrator in Grand Rapids who is doing work for the likes of Puma, Amp Energy Drinks, Honda, VANS, Nike, and Mountain Dew. He’s good.

2. Alex and Brett Harris- twin 19 year old authors who have taken the teen world by storm with their best-selling book Do Hard Things. These guys are the real deal, and are challenging teens around the world to not settle for mediocrity.

3. Daniel Homrich- founder of The Passport and Innocence Atlanta. Daniel is working on a number of projects in the Atlanta area and globally, specifically to bring attention to and raise awareness of issues of sex trafficking, slavery, and child pornography.

4. Anne Jackson- blog queen of the church leadership world. Anne recently moved to Nashville where she can get her fill of sweet tea on a regular basis!

5. Mark Reddy- founder of Karbon, a film/media company out of Sydney, Australia. Mark is a talented director, and currently working on a great project called The Disposable Ones in conjunction with Compassion International. He also has worked on a number of projects with Hillsong.

July edition of the Young Influencers List

1. Jon Tyson- church planter in New York City. Launched Origins NYC, and is now set on helping plant churches and leaders in strategic cities around the world.

2. Blake Mycoskie- founder of TOMS Shoes. You may know about Blake's story already- if not, it is worth knowing and getting involved.

3. Bethany Hoang- director of the International Justice Mission Institute. Bethany is very involved in a number of projects around the world, is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, and a frequent speaker.

4. Eugene Cho- pastor in Seattle of Quest Church. Also soon to launch a new organization focused on global poverty. You can watch a video introducing the idea here.

5. Carlos Whittaker- writer of the uber popular Ragamuffin Soul, service program director at Buckhead Church, and also worship leader and musician.

June edition of the Young Influencers List:

1. Jonathan Acuff- writer/blogger/consultant, and the voice behind the wildly popular Stuff Christians Likeblog.

2. Chris Heuertz- International Executive Director of an amazing organization called Word Made Flesh. Chris spends most of the year around the world serving the poorest of the poor, and has a new book out called Simple Spirituality due out in July.

3. Shannon Sedgwick Davis- Shannon is incredibly well connected, and is involved in a number of projects, including The Bridgeway Foundation and The Elders, which boasts some amazing names attached to this high level humanitarian project.

4. Tony Wood - leader of the College/Young Adults ministry at Crossroads Church in Corona, CA.

5. Lecrae- songwriter, rapper, musician and speaker. Lecrae is part of Reach Records, and very involved in the Memphis community.

May edition of the Young Influencers List.

 

 

1. Bobby Triplett- pastor of a great church plant called Element Church in Lakeland, FL.

2. Jared Herd- great new young communicator. former associate teaching pastor at Rock Harbor in Orange County, and frequent speaker at Big Stuf Camps, Orange Conference, North Point, and other student ministry environments.

3. Shauna Niequist- The author of Cold Tangerines, daughter of Bill Hybels, and former creative director at Mars Hill Bible Church.

4. Chris Capehart and Micah Davis- founders of Roov.com in Dallas, an innovative new social network community.

5. Elizabeth Paul- have you seen the latest commercials with Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich, or Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson sitting together on a couch talking about solving the current global warming issues? Well, Elizabeth is involved in crafting those commercials.

6. Krish Kandiah- my friend over in Cambridge in the UK, who helps run the Evangelical Alliance in the UK, and is a budding author, speaker and thought leader for the global church. Started Slipstream which is a great network for young global leaders in the church.

April edition of the Young Influencers List:

1. Jamie Tworkowski- Founder, To Write Love on Her Arms

2. David Hodges- Singer, Songwriter, and Producer

3. David Platt- Senior Pastor, The Church at Brookhills, Birmingham

4. Matt Chandler- Lead Pastor, The Village Church, Dallas

5. Catherine Rohr- Founder, Prison Entrepreneurship Program

High School Music

No, not High School Musical. Although a fan of the movie, not what this post is about.....

Was thinking back..... what music influenced me most in high school, especially my senior year?

Here are the ten songs that were played over and over in my 1987 Pontiac Sunbird during the year of 1990:

1. My Prerogative- Bobby Brown

2. Poison- Bell Biv Devoe

3. Blame it On the Rain- Milli Vanilli

4. Right Here Waiting- Richard Marx 

5. Every Rose Has its Thorn- Poison

6. I'll Be There for You- Bon Jovi

7. Bust A Move- Young MC

8. Patience- Guns N Roses

9. Groovy Kind of Love- Phil Collins (actually anything from Phil Collins)

10. Never Gonna Give You Up- Rick Astley 

Other favorites from you?

A little Saturday fun

I love to snow ski. Fortunately, I've been able to hit the slopes the last couple of weekends. Last weekend, was with the fam out at Monarch in Colorado. Wanted everyone to see a short highlight of my 7-year old nephew, Jake Lomenick, tearing up the slopes. Make sure to stay tuned until the last part of the video for the best crash of all. He's quite a skier for only being seven. And has no fear of going fast or hitting the jumps or crashing. Enjoy. [vimeo 3790833]

Gaining Credibility

A young friend of mine in his early twenties asked me the other day how I had gained credibility and a platform over the last 10-15 years. The first thing that is important to know about my answers and my perspective: this is a work still in progress. I have not arrived.  But after giving him some thoughts on this, I thought it might be helpful to the community here on the blog. So here you go- my thoughts on gaining credibility:

1. Be Self Aware- first, you have to have an accurate understanding of who you are and where you are in life. A very clear and realistic picture of your self identity and current reality. If you are 24, you have to understand that life experiences and job experience probably aren't something you can hang your hat on. 

2. Listen, Listen, Listen. Ask great questions of those around you, and then LISTEN to the answer. Don't talk until you have something to say. But learn to ask great questions and learn from them. This is especially true in a team environment. 

3. Experience creates expertise- this is obvious, but sometimes we forget. Credibility comes with action- doing, not just thinking or talking. Jump in and get involved. 

4. A platform takes time- it's just a reality. Most of us aren't patient enough to spend adequate TIME at DOING something until we gain a platform or credibility. We usually lose interest, get bored, or just simply move on to something else. The key- stick with it. 

5. Connect with leading organizations, networks and individuals- connect with companies, teams or individuals who are highly respected, and you'll gain respect. But the key on this- connect with them and ask how you can HELP them, not how you can gain from them.

Catalyst March Madness Challenge

We want you to play! Catalyst is hosting an NCAA March Madness Tournament Challenge. Fill out your picks with a chance to win an all expense paid trip to Catalyst West Coast, complimentary tickets to Catalyst East, past Catalyst CD and DVD sets, a Catalyst Filter membership and more. Again, all you have to do to enter is fill out a Tournament bracket by going here. The Catalyst team is entering their picks so you can see how you stack up against the competition, including my own picks.  Let the games begin!

As a bonus, watch Chad Johnson from our team show how to throw down a nasty dunk on the little tike hoop in the Catalyst office. 

[vimeo 3696590]

Final Four Picks

If you're a college basketball fan, this is your favorite time of year: March MADNESS.  Thought I would offer up my picks for the Final Four. 

1. North Carolina- a virtual lock, even thought they lost today to Florida State.

2. Pittsburgh- they are tough and well coached. 

3. Connecticut- Jim Calhoun is always great in the tournament.

4. Memphis- best defensive scheme in the country. and athletic at every position.

Rounding out the great eight- Louisville, Kansas, Duke, and Michigan State. 

I would love to put Oklahoma in there somewhere, but they are fizzing out down the stretch. 

Who you got?

Top Five TV Shows

1. 24- Best show on TV the last five years.

2. 30 Rock- best written show right now.

3. The Office- funny and awkward all at the same time. 

4. The Unit- if you like military secret ops adventure, this is your gig. 

5. Celebrity Apprentice- combines entertainment with business, and a bit of leadership 101. 

Honorable mention: American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

Interesting article on Evangelicals on Drudge

An interesting article on the Evangelical movement from Michael Spencer, who writes the blog Internet Monk. You can see a condensed version of the article here, or go to his blog to read the full 3 part series on "the coming Evangelical collapse."  Drudge also has a link to the article. Thanks to Gabe for the heads up on this.

The Art of Storytelling

I've always been mesmerized by great storytellers. Whether a pastor, a politician, an entertainer, a grandparent, or just a friend, someone who is skilled at spinning the yarn will always keep my attention and almost always inspire me.  Great storytellers are talented and timely orators who can hold audiences of one or 1000 on the edge of their seat while waxing away poetically. Was thinking back through some of the great storytellers I have had the privilege to know: my dad, John Maxwell, Bob Foster, Sr., Ken Coleman, Bill Strickland, Tim Sanders, Steve Graves, Peb Jackson and many others. 

Jesus proved to be a great storyteller during his time on earth. In fact, most of his major points were always substantiated by telling a story so people could easily understand and make application. This should be of major note to us and a reminder- if you want to drive home your point, share a story, and make it personal. 

I am sure you know great storytellers, orators, those you always want at your table at a dinner party.

Dave Gibbons stops by for a question (or two)

I am a big fan of Dave Gibbons. I don't know Dave well, but am really excited about him speaking during the Origins Day at Catalyst West, and also speaking during Labs at Catalyst in October in Atlanta. He is doing some great things, is a great leader, and has incredible respect among his peers. He has some really fresh insight on leadership and culture. 

His recent release Monkey and the Fish is the buzz right now among church leaders. And rightly so. I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book.

Dave was gracious enough recently to answer a couple of questions I sent over to him regarding the book. Today he is virtually "touring" the blogosphere by answering questions from 13 other bloggers. You can see the entire list of bloggers tied to the tour. 

BL: "Is there a difference between a third culture church and a third culture Christian? Should there be?”   DG: "There isn’t a difference when it comes to the basic mindset, ethos, knowledge and skills. However, when it comes to the sacrificial extent of our (those who follow Jesus) extravagant love, faith and hope there should be a difference especially as it relates to how we engage the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed.  Those who know Christ, take third culture to the next level. They take it from adaptation to Painful adaptation with a willingness to die and choose obedience over passion. BL: "It seems that this principle of third culture leadership can also apply into the business world. Can you give an example or two of businesses or business leaders that are putting these principles into practice?”   DG: "Definitely. We just launched a consultancy with several global leaders who have worked or are working with groups like Deloitte, Mckinsey, Bain and Accenture. They said that global companies are actually looking for third culture leaders. The East is trying to find leaders in the West who can run companies in North America. The West is trying to find third culture leaders for their companies in the East. Companies or Business leaders  who are putting these principles into practice are Tesco/Lotus; TacoBell/KFC/YUM; Toyota; President Obama; Sam Oh, executive with Tesco; Atul Tandon, former Executive wth Citibank Global and currently Exec. VP of World Vision; Paul Kim, One of the best commodity traders in the world; and Mike Wang, CEO of Venquest. The most successful future global and local leaders will have these third culture adaptive skills."

The greatest connector I Know

Had dinner last night with Peb Jackson. Peb has been a friend for the last 10 years, and has had a major impact on me during that time. He is a networker of networkers, but has an amazing mix of the Likability Factor, WOO (Winnings Other Over), and connector. 

Thought I would provide a "top reasons Peb Jackson is the greatest connector I know." 

1. Willing to help build a bridge- back when I was involved with Life@Work Magazine in the late 90's, Peb opened up his rolodex and generously connected me to hundreds of his friends around the country, all influentials in their fields and VERY willing to meet a young mid 20's nobody like myself solely based on Peb's endorsement. 

2. Incredible influence and credibility- when Peb connects you, it is strategic, and well received. He has a platform of respect and admiration that few ever attain. And this respect and admiration is with the TOP influencers in every cultural category- business, entertainment, politics, education, family, church, etc. 

3. Listens firsts, and asks questions relentlessly- the greatest asset for being a great connector with and of people is the ability to listen, learn, and ask. Peb asks questions as good as anyone I know. He is a constant learner. Always reading new books, magazines, and periodicals. When he asks questions, you can tell he is genuinely interested. 

4. Knows when to push for action- Peb has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for a variety of organizations, including Young Life, Focus on the Family, and a number of other organizations. He has helped business deals happen, connected major players in the political arena, been in the middle of international relief, and always made sure people were well AWARE of the agenda and the ask if he was about to make one. Basically being upfront with people and not trying to incorrectly leverage relationships for gain. Strategic friendships that are always seen with the best for that person. 

5. Connects on your turf and with your agenda and interests, not necessarily his. He has an amazing ability to connect with people based on their agenda, their interests, and their hobbies. 

6. Hunts, fishes, golfs, and everything in between- He is an avid climber. An avid mountain and rode biker. A marksman hunter, golfer, outdoor enthusiast, and adventurer in general. Pretty much any hobby that someone has Peb is able to join them in the pursuit of that hobby. I literally have never known anyone who could maintain this level of connection with people around their hobbies. 

The great thing is, we can all learn from each of these items, in terms of connecting with our customers, vendors, partners, team members and network of friends. Thanks Peb for being a great mentor and friend!

It's Theme Week

Last week we incorporated three official "themed" days at the Catalyst office to mix it up a bit and turn up the energy. The first day was team outfit day, the second day was competition day, and the third day was potluck day. Fun stuff. Here are a few videos from Team Outfit Day and Competition Day. Always trying to stir things up a bit to keep everyone sharp! [vimeo 3414390]

[vimeo 3414231]

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