Spotlight on Business & Arts NL's 2026-2027 Season Launch
At Business & Arts NL, we know the arts play a starring role in the culture, identity and economic future of the province. Through our work, we invite people and organizations in the private, public and creative sectors to connect and celebrate all the benefits the arts bring.
For the past few years, we've been helping bring people together to explore creativity in a new way, via our (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit. The event unites leaders from business, technology, arts and culture, marketing, education, film and television, design, and entrepreneurship for a day of professional development, networking and creative exchange. In addition to a stellar lineup of inspiring speakers (past events have featured Duncan Wardle, Founder of ID8 and former Head of Innovation and Creativity at The Walt Disney Company; acclaimed theatre director Jillian Keiley; and architect Todd Saunders, to name a few), attendees also enjoy performances by talented local artists, with a sprinkling of joyful, interactive moments woven throughout the day.
Amy Henderson, Executive Director of Business & Arts NL, speaks at the organization’s 2026-2027 Season Launch on Sept. 16.
This week, we were pleased to host our 2026-2027 Season Launch, where we shared what people can expect from our next (Un)Common Threads Summit, taking place on November 5 at the Sheraton Hotel in St. John's. The theme, "For the Love of the Game," will dive into what it means to stay connected to your work as industries evolve, technologies shift and the world changes around us.
Rob Bridgett
This year, we're thrilled to welcome our three featured speakers, who will reflect on the relationship between creator and craft, and the curiosity, resilience and adaptability required to sustain meaningful work over time.
As an award-winning audio director, writer and creative leader with over 25 years of experience in the video games industry (which includes work with PlayStation, Activision, Square Enix and Vivendi Universal), Rob Bridgett knows what it means to play the long game. His talk, "Levelling up," will explore how to maintain your creative voice as your industry changes.
Mary Walsh
We're also excited to have renowned actor, writer, comedian and activist Mary Walsh join us to share her talk "Changing the Game: on fearlessness, trusting your instincts and doing the work."
Our third featured speaker, entrepreneur and Bluedrop CEO Emad Rizkalla, will explore innovation, technology and the future of work in his talk "Curiosity That Never Sleeps." (Click here to learn more about our featured speakers.)
Emad Rizkalla
In addition to this exciting slate of speakers, we're proud to have visual artist Hadiza Bello, performers Ashley and Julie Dicker, SassyTuna Studio founder and artist/educator Julie Lewis, artist and seamstress Nora de Mariaffi, and musician and songwriter Sherry Ryan join us for this year's event. (All artists are presented with support from the Marlowe Foundation.)
Amy Henderson of Business & Arts NL speaks to the crowd about the 2026 (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit.
We hope you'll join us on November 5 for a half-day of inspiring conversations, performances, perspectives and ideas exploring sustainability in career and creative and personal growth.
Click here to learn more about the 2026 (Un)Common Threads Creativity & Innovation Summit.