Executive in Residence, Lecturer
Entrepreneurship & Innovation
About
David is the Amazon Best Selling author of Get Your Startup Story Straight: The Definitive Storytelling Framework for Innovators and Entrepreneurs. He has spent the last 15 years helping hundreds of innovators use storytelling to put their products and businesses on the map. David’s on the professional faculty at Berkeley-Haas School of Business and coaches founders at several Bay Area accelerators. He’s a contributor to Forbes.com, where he writes about compelling startup stories. Earlier in his career, he was president of the ad agency J. Walter Thompson in San Francisco, held senior marketing roles at two tech startups, and was VP of Marketing at Yahoo! in its heyday. David also produces theater and was recently chair of the board of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. He holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia University.
Expertise and Research Interests
Storytelling, Product Marketing, Entrepreneurship
At Haas since 2008
2009 – present, Co-Founder, Spiral Staircase (theatrical production company)
2008 – present, Executive in Residence, Haas School of Business
2008 – present, Founder, Box Out Industries (start-up consulting practice)
2002 – 2008, Vice President of Marketing, Yahoo! Inc.
2001 – 2002, Chief Marketing Officer, The Feedroom
1998 – 2000, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Quokka Sports
1997 – 1998, President, JWT/West, J. Walter Thompson
1989 – 1997, Global Business Director, J. Walter Thompson
1985 – 1988, Account Management, J. Walter Thompson
Board of Directors, Destiny Arts Center, Oakland, CA; American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA
- Storytelling for Innovation
- Guest lecturer: marketing, entrepreneurship, product development and product marketing, new media, innovation.
- Undergraduate and graduate student mentor: career planning, business plan feedback, marketing counsel.