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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Welby Altidor

Within every human being lies a creative genius waiting to be unleashed.

Former Executive Creative Director at Cirque du Soleil | Group CCO, Cityneon

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Creative Courage: Challenge the Status Quo and Make Big Ideas Happen

WELBY ALTIDOR is a visionary agent of change and meaning. As the former Executive Creative Director of Cirque du Soleil, Altidor was responsible for stoking the creative genius at one of the world’s most boundary-pushing organizations. Today, he’s the Chief Creative Officer at Cityneon, driving large-scale experiential projects at the intersection of artistic relevance and commercial success. Inspiring, actionable, and memorable, Altidor’s talks help connect people and teams to their own creative genius—transforming organizations and nurturing high-performance success.

“Creative Courage rekindled every ounce of inquisitiveness from the darker shadows of my soul.”

— Executive Director, MIT Leadership Center

During his sixteen-year tenure at Cirque du Soleil, Welby Altidor oversaw the development of groundbreaking shows and special projects, including the critically acclaimed box office hit Luzia: A Waking Dream of Mexico and the Michael Jackson ONE project in Las Vegas. His most recent project, Avatar: The Experience at Disney, welcomed over 1.1M+ visitors on its first day of opening and won the 2023 Singapore Tourism Award. A visionary thinker, Welby also founded and led C:LAB, Cirque’s own creative laboratory. Its first project, a short film that united humans and drones in stunning visual choreography, won the NYC International drone film festival award for Best Short Featuring drones. Since leaving Cirque du Soleil, Welby has become a sought-after creative leader who consults with leading firms around the world. He is the Group Chief Creative Officer of Singapore-based holding Cityneon, where he spearheads the company’s global roster of international projects—including partnerships with entertainment giants like Marvel (Disney) and Jurassic Park from Universal Studios. Leading a talented team of storytellers, Welby seeks to create a new, hybridized form of entertainment, through components of theatre, exhibition, games, and live experiences. Today, Welby travels the world to consult other creative teams on how to construct and plan interactive experiences.

Welby is the author of Creative Courage: Leveraging Imagination, Collaboration, and Innovation to Create Success Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. He asks: how can we create an innovative culture that’s more likely to answer the call of transformation? How do we leverage imagination to make our work more robust and resilient? And, how can such a culture help produce relevance, inside and outside of our organization? By sharing his unique story, Welby offers us a practical guide to gaining “the perspective, courage, and kick start you need to think differently about the things you do every day.”

Previously, Welby was Cirque du Soleil’s Director of Creation in the Images, Events, and Lifestyle division, where he worked with leading Hollywood producers, creators, and artists, like Jamie King, Billy Crystal, Alicia Keys, and Russell Simons. He played several leadership roles at Cirque du Soleil as Director of Strategic Relations, Arts, Circus, and Sports.

Testimonials

“A standing ovation is in order!”

Bob Chapman, CEO, Barry-Wehmiller Companies

Testimonials

“You were so wonderful to work with and I hope to have another opportunity soon. Presenters like you make my job so much easier—thanks! Best wishes to you and to the future success of Cirque!”

Economic Developers Council of Ontario

Testimonials

“Welby Altidor is a fantastic speaker and inspiration. His positive energy and creative perspective really drive home his messages to audiences with sincerity. He has a great playful side to him that engages his audiences, making participation fun. I highly recommend Welby for motivating large groups.”

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Speech Topics

Creativity

Creative Courage Challenge the Status Quo and Make Big Ideas Happen

Welby Altidor is a firm believer that, whether we realize it or not, we all have access to a unique creative genius in all of us. It takes courage—creative courage—to welcome and unleash that inner force. Drawing on his experiences as Director of Creation for Cirque du Soleil, Altidor focuses on engagement, motivation, focus, authenticity, and leadership. There are no dumb ideas, he says, just platforms to build upon. We have to give everyone a voice, and collaborate to access an idea’s full potential. We should seek feedback early—essentially scheduling failure—to improve. Businesses and organizations need to be more creative and innovative, he argues—and a creative mindset can help us solve problems, challenge the status quo, and be more successful than ever.

Innovation

Evolution by DesignUnleashing Innovation to Transform Industries

Welby Altidor’s wealth of experience at Cirque du Soleil and beyond enables him to share unique insights on purposeful, evolutionary change across industries. Welby draws from his years of experience and shares how you can merge creativity, technology, and business acumen to design and drive industry transformations. Packed with stories and lessons learned through his rich experiences designing transformative experiences and processes in diverse industries, this keynote delivers an impactful message through unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional appeal, and storytelling.