From Small-Town Roots to Global Success: Innovation, Technology, and the Power of 'How'
Location: Engels Event Co.
Speaker: Sean Covel
Imagine your whole world grinding to a stand-still because a cow was late for work. “Welcome to day five of shooting Napoleon Dynamite. That was one of the easiest problems we had to solve!”
Sean Covel, South Dakota native and producer of the iconic independent film Napoleon Dynamite, delivers an engaging keynote filled with hilarious stories of growing up in small-town South Dakota, alongside behind-the-scenes trivia from making one of the most unlikely indie successes in film history.
But beyond the laughs, Sean sets the stage for a powerful “Ah Ha” moment—demonstrating how asking the right questions can drive innovation, empower leaders, and focus teams. With technology and perseverance at the core of his journey, Sean illustrates how overcoming failure has been key to his entrepreneurial and philanthropic success, and how those lessons can be applied to any industry.
Attendees will discover:
How to turn failures into opportunities and fuel innovation through technology
The mindset needed to empower teams and drive progress
How to create success while improving the lives of those around you
Perfect for entrepreneurs, business students, and innovators, this keynote is an inspiring look at how small-town values and a focus on asking the right questions can lead to big successes in today’s fast-paced, tech-driven world.
*About 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 cildren'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.