John Krewson Speaking Engagements

John Krewson is a rare mix of technical brilliance and genuine, people-first energy. His ability to use humor to break through tough, often stuffy topics keeps audiences engaged and laughing. That makes him a keynote speaker who will transform how your teams think and deliver.

About John

25-year software development veteran
Founder and President of Sketch Development
Works with Fortune 50 companies to 50-person enterprises
Published author
Life-long fan and devotee of sketch comedy
Claim to fame: A Saturday Night Live appearance amongst the masters

Utilizing his unique background that blends sketch comedy and product development principles, John brings an unconventional approach to the workplace that dismantles creativity-stifling corporate culture and reignites innovation and passion within teams.

How leaders make innovation repeatable

Routine Breakthroughs

It's time to treat innovation as a continuous leadership discipline rather than a disruptive side project. This program draws on Agile thinking, systems theory, and the operating cadence of Saturday Night Live.

Participants learn why short feedback loops, empowered teams, and small, disciplined bets outperform large "big bang" initiatives in uncertain environments. Members leave with a mental model to make innovation predictable, rather than letting efforts stall. Make more of emerging technologies like AI instead of falling for hype.

Master agility like a sketch comedy team

Pitch, Sketch, Launch

What do Saturday Night Live and product development have in common?

Surprisingly, quite a bit.

John Krewson combines core concepts of agility with the rapid-fire, evolving genius of sketch comedy to help you build adaptable, high-performing teams.

In this energizing keynote, participants can expect to walk away with renewed perspectives, actionable insights, and a few good laughs.

Learning Objectives

How to create processes for a complex or VUCA environment
How to nurture high performing teams
How to manage dependencies and deadlines
What it means to deliver value continuously

Limits of Expertise, Danger of Earned Dogmatism

The power of curiosity

Is your expertise holding you back? This thought-provoking keynote explores the power of curiosity and the hindering notion of “Earned Dogmatism”, and how it can lead to a closed-minded mentality.

Delve into the importance of always questioning the status quo and having your assumptions challenged. John demonstrates how maintaining a state of curiosity allows us to progress forward, gaining better results with empirical thinking.

Learning Objectives

Analyze several antidotes to Earned Dogmatism
Challenge several closely held “best practices” that don’t hold up
Investigate curiosity as an alternative to expertise
Connect curiosity and a growth mindset to improving as leaders

When technical problems become people problems

Developer handcuffs

Tired of your best developers being restricted by company protocols?

Developer Handcuffs—those annoying policies and procedures that hinder the software delivery process—are more than just technical problems.

In this keynote, you’ll learn how to break free from these constraints, releasing your team’s full potential.

Learning Objectives

Identify the types of handcuffs commonly found in large companies
Walk through real-world examples
Outline tangible strategies for unshackling product delivery

Keynote Speaking Engagements

An unconventional approach to developing products

About John

Not ready to book a speaking engagement yet?

In-demand keynote topics

Routine Breakthroughs

Pitch, Sketch, Launch

Learning Objectives

The power of curiosity

Learning Objectives

Developer handcuffs

Learning Objectives

Other Speaking Formats

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