Panay approaches entrepreneurship and innovation as a creative process, a fundamental human instinct that we all possess and can unlock. The presentation applies concepts from the creative and musical creation journeys, such as observing, prototyping, iterating, remixing and embracing failure, as a means of guiding participants through the concepts of thinking like a musician to empower innovation.
Panay likes to interact with his audience and help attendees tap into their inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation. Panay argues “that the pursuit of entrepreneurship is often accompanied by a whole lot of myths. Maybe it’s because simplicity sells or because we like to think of life as a linear process where we are in control of all outcomes. But building a business is much, much more than that. It’s about damn luck and perseverance, decisiveness and zig-zagging, firmness and flexibility, pragmatism and idealism, tough decisions and unexpected opportunities, and, as Edison said, inspiration and perspiration.”
PANOS A. PANAY
Vice President for Innovation and Strategy; Managing Director of Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship
Panos A. Panay leads strategic initiatives at Berklee College of Music and also serves as the founding managing director of the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship, which abides to a mission of developing an entrepreneurial mindset among students, faculty, and alumni.
Prior to Berklee, Panay was the founder and CEO of his own start-up, Sonicbids, where he created the leading platform for bands to book gigs and market themselves online. Earlier in his career, Panay worked as an international talent agent for artists such as Chick Corea and Pat Metheny.
A frequent speaker, lecturer and moderator, Panay covers topics ranging from entrepreneurship and business strategy, to innovation and media industry trends. He has mentored and helped hundreds of creative people grasp the essence of creativity and entrepreneurship. Panay is a regular contributor at Fast Company’s “Fast 50”; Inc Magazine’s “Inc 500” and Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”. Panay is also a Mass Hi-Tech All Star.
