Joel McKerrow
Speaker, MC, Writer, Educator and Performer
VIC/TAS Vice-President of PSA (Professional Speakers Australia)
Represented Australia at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships.
Eight published books and seven spoken word/music albums.
An author with Penguin-Random House.
CREATIVITY & INNOVATION specialist.
One of Australia's most successful performance poets.
Who is Joel...
Joel McKerrow has spent the last fifteen years captivating hundreds of thousands of people, on global stages, with his passionate performative style and highly inspiring keynote presentations. He is an award-winning writer, keynote speaker, performer, Master of Ceremonies, educator and one of Australia's most successful performance poets. Joel was the third ever Australian representative at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships and is currently the Director of The School for Creative Development and the Vic/Tas Vice-President for PSA (Professional Speakers Australia).
Renowned singer Kate Cebrano describes Joel’s work as, ‘completely free, reckless and unbound in his expression.’ whilst the CEO of Village Roadshow lauds Joel as, ‘a true creative genius’ and says of his work with their executive, 'His impact on my team was nothing short of extraordinary.’
A Creativity and Innovation Specialist, Joel regularly presents at events all over the world. From the Sydney Opera House, to Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Centre, to The Metropolis in Montreal, Joel has presented at some of the most esteemed and iconic global venues. Joel is dedicated to helping leaders, teams and individuals cultivate the environment that creativity and innovation need to thrive. He champions the idea that CREATIVITY and STORY are far too important to be confined to those traditionally labeled as ‘creative' or 'story-tellers.' Rather, he urges, they are THE source for both professional and personal breakthrough.
His impressive portfolio includes speaking engagements at Sydney Writers Festival, International Transforming Education Conference, Global Health Summit, Greenbelt (UK), Graceland (Netherlands), Melbourne Writers Festival and Story Gathering in Nashville alongside industry giants Linda Woolverton (writer of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast) and Krista Monson (Cirque Du Soleil Creative Director),.
A prolific writer himself, he has published seven spoken word/music albums, eight different poetry books, a graphic novel series and a soon to be released trilogy with Penguin-Random House. Joel is the host of the The Deep Place: On Creativity and Spirituality Podcast and the artist Ambassador for the aid and development organisation, TEARFUND Australia.
Joel also brings half-day and full-day training into workplaces to help teams not simply pay-lip-service to creative-thinking, but to fashion innovative-practice as a key-component in the way they operate. Alongside this he engages extensively with the education sector, presenting at over fifty schools annually where he has taught the creative process to hundreds of thousands of students.
Whether within the corporate or NFP world, the creative industries or the education sector Joel will not only WOW your people, he will bring next-level inspiration, breakthrough creative momentum and intentional innovation all to help them realise their own creative potential.
"Joel is an absolute sensation to
work with and total professional."
Angela Schmidt – State Manager – HAGER