Sean Covel
Sean Covel is a Movie Producer, Author, and Grassroots Philanthropist who grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Covel’s film credits include Beneath for Paramount Pictures, The 12 Dogs of Christmas, directed by Academy Award-winner Kieth Merrill, and the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite.
Covel travels the world working on various film projects but stays closely connected to his small-town roots.
In 2015, he started the 12 Days of Pizza program, which provides meals to food-insecure families with elementary school children during the Christmas break. The program began in the Black Hills by providing 144 meals to local area families, and has since grown to provide over 50,000 meals to families nationwide. It continues to grow each year.
Covel’s children's book series, Porter the Hoarder, is at the heart of a major literacy and family engagement project in South Dakota. In partnership with United Way and the South Dakota Statewide Family Engagement Center, The Porter Project has distributed over 60,000 free books to first-grade students across the state, making it the most successful reading and family engagement initiative in South Dakota history.
Covel holds an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Management and Acting from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he guest lectures each spring.
Covel travels frequently when making movies, keynote speaking at conferences, and lecturing at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts.
He hangs his nunchucks in Deadwood, SD.
10:10 AM Innovation Breakout Session
Playing with Dynamite: How to Cut Through Chaos and Deliver Under Pressure
Every movie is a startup. A new team, a new product, limited resources, and millions of dollars on the line—with zero opportunity to miss the release date. In this keynote, Napoleon Dynamite producer Sean Covel takes audiences behind the scenes of Hollywood to reveal the production systems that allow film crews to thrive under extraordinary pressure while protecting the intuition and creativity that make great work possible. Through unforgettable stories from film sets, research on focus and decision-making, and practical tools for today’s AI-powered workplace, Sean teaches Hollywood’s production rituals - Picture’s Up! Action! That’s a Wrap! - showing how they transform chaos into alignment, momentum, and exceptional execution.
Entertaining, insightful, and filled with audience interaction, this keynote offers a rare look inside one of the world’s most demanding production environments—and why its operating system may be even more valuable in the age of AI.
11:10 Innovation Fireside Chat
What If? The Question Behind Every Innovation
Innovation starts with curiosity. This engaging conversation will explore how asking "What if?" can spark creativity, challenge assumptions, and lead to extraordinary outcomes. Through stories and lessons from Hollywood, business, and beyond- explore how creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking drive innovation in every industry
