Chris Barton

Create Your Own Shazam Magic: Disrupt Your Thinking. Defy Barriers. Inspire Delight.

Chris Barton knows a thing or two about bringing bold ideas to life. When he dreamt up Shazam, Chris was told using a phone to identify songs out of thin air was impossible. The rocky path from that audacious idea to becoming Apple’s sixth-largest acquisition is an inspiring story worthy of a Hollywood movie. With over two billion downloads, Shazam delivers pure magic and has changed the way the world discovers music. In this presentation, Chris unpacks lessons learned from creating Shazam using the earliest forms of AI as well as his pioneering involvement with Android at Google and mobile partnerships at Dropbox. Doing something new – disrupting the status quo – tests our resilience and requires an ability to overcome obstacles with fresh eyes. A holder of twelve patents, Chris’s storytelling and insights inspire people to accomplish big things within their own organizations using “creative persistence” and his Start from Zero methodology – new ways of thinking and overcoming barriers. Startups use these concepts to tackle insurmountable obstacles, and you should too – to create Shazam-like magic in defiance of all odds.

Chris customizes the emphasis of this presentation for each audience. Sample takeaways:

• Questioning the familiar to distill to the “basic truths”
• Reimagining what’s possible with AI
• Overcoming barriers with “creative persistence”
• Remaining focused on core insights despite resistance
• Making things simple and friction-free
• Delighting people by connecting to emotions