Speakers | DK

2026

Father of Modern AI | Institute for Artificial Intelligence Research (Switzerland)

Back around 1990, a few irrelevant things happened. The Cold War ended, the World Wide Web was born at CERN, the first smartphones appeared, self-driving cars entered traffic — and modern AI based on very deep neural networks quietly took shape, including the core principles behind the G, P and T in ChatGPT. In this talk, Schmidhuber connects those breakthroughs to something much larger: the entire history of the universe since the Big Bang and the even larger future ahead. And what’s next, according to Schmidhuber, isn’t just AI behind screens. It’s real intelligence for real robots in the real world. This is the story of where AI came from — and the far bigger story of where it’s about to take us.

Jürgen Schmidhuber: Modern AI and the Future of the Universe

Silicon Valley's Most Sought-After Brand Strategists | First CMO for YouTube, Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, Discord &amp; more | Advertising Age &amp; BrandWeek Marketer of the Year (San Francisco, USA)







She is as elite as it gets. Branding expert extraordinaire. And oh boy, where do we even start?



Before YouTube became YouTube, before Airbnb meant more than crashing on someone’s couch, before platforms like Discord, Dropbox or Reddit turned into cultural infrastructure, this extraordinary woman was their CMO and already doing their branding architecture of today: defining brand position, tone and go-to-market logic that actually matters. Many of those brands haven’t fundamentally changed since — which tells you everything about the strength of the foundations she sets, and why, in today’s branding renaissance, she remains one of the few branding experts founders turn to when clarity matters more than noise.



As the first Head of Marketing and Communications for YouTube, Julie Supan helped officially launch the platform in 2005 and shape its identity during its meteoric rise, all the way through its $1.6B acquisition by Google. And that was just the beginning. Her work never stops at logos or campaigns. She builds meaning, narrative and trust at scale, leading branding, communications, grassroots marketing, policy and cultural partnerships at a time when the internet itself is being invented in real time. The industry notices — Advertising Age and BrandWeek name her Marketer of the Year — but Supan keeps doing the work, not the victory laps.



And if you thought this was enough of a flex, think again. This year, branding once again moved to the centre of business strategy after years of performance-first thinking, and Supan is the one founders and CEOs call to elevate their brands when the stakes are high. Not all companies get to work with her though — Supan works with only a handful of companies per year, helping them find their branding position, define their audience and launch with confidence in brutally competitive spaces. A longtime guest lecturer at Stanford GSB and advisor to top VC firms, Julie Supan talks about branding as architecture as opposed to decoration — and at DK2026, she brings that elite branding logic behind the world’s biggest platforms to the stage in Rovinj.

Julie Supan

Elite Brand Strategist & First CMO for YouTube, Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, Discord & more | Advertising Age & BrandWeek Marketer of the Year (San Francisco, USA)

When the world gets loud, the brands that last don’t get louder — they get clearer. And their vision speaks. At DK2026, Julie Supan takes us back to the moments before YouTube, Airbnb, Dropbox or Reddit brands became what they are today. In those early, uncertain moments — when the internet was still being invented and nothing was obvious — she shows how vision, backed by intention, shaped brands that would outlive trends, hype and noise. Through raw lessons from the front lines of building huge brands, Supan will reveal how clarity becomes direction, direction becomes momentum and why the strongest brands don’t chase attention, but quietly pull people toward a future they want to belong to. If you want to learn about long term branding architecture thinking from the woman behind some of the most valuable brands in the world, this is THE talk for you.

Julie Supan: The Vision Advantage of Branding

Strategy Friend | Author of "Strategy Is Your Words" | CEO and Host of Sweatheads (New York, USA)







One of the leading marketing strategy mentors worldwide known as Mark Pollard is coming to DK. You can pick up your jaw from the floor, we’ll wait.&nbsp;



Depending on who you are, words like framework, tools or strategy light you up or put you to sleep. But as anyone who’s experienced Pollard knows — the delivery makes all the difference. I don’t like doing traditional keynotes, he says, I like building material around the audience.



After years of calling out lazy thinking, fake depth and strategy theatre, he preaches this to over 1.3 million listeners of his widely popular strategy podcast <a href="https://sweathead.com/podcasts/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sweathead</a>, where you can hear his sexy Australian-meets-New-Yorker accent talking all things strategy. If you were living under a rock and don’t know what kind of legendary strategist is coming to DK, start there. (We bet you didn’t think you’d walk away from this text with a podcast recommendation.)



But did you know that this same guy — almost became a lawyer? Then he did the most reasonable thing imaginable: he dropped out because making websites about hip hop was way more interesting. This somehow took him into advertising — where he went on to do strategy work that left our imaginations stretched and our brains forever poked. And you already know we like the sound of that.



You know this by now: Mark Pollard doesn’t do "strategy vibes". He does thinking that ruins bad work forever. That’s why the world's most influential brands, including Facebook, Twitter, The Economist, Mozilla and many more you usually admire from a distance keep calling. Why Sweathead became a global training ground for strategists who actually want to be good. Why he’s written books that politely remind you there are no shortcuts. Ever. And why he’s spoken on the biggest stages and led strategy at some of the biggest agencies. So yeah, he’s definitely someone, excuse the language, who knows his sh*t.

Mark Pollard

Strategy Friend | Author of "Strategy Is Your Words" | CEO and Host of Sweatheads (New York, USA)

Oh, you thought this was going to be a typical strategy session? Cute. But no. Mark Pollard doesn’t do polite keynotes or neatly packaged frameworks. He builds sessions around people in real time and uses strategy the way it was always meant to be used: as a thinking tool, not a performance. At DK2026, the voice behind the Sweatheads podcast with over 1.3 million listens brings an interactive, high-energy session that turns strategy back on you. Not on brands. Not on case studies. On how you think, define problems and turn messy ideas into something that actually connects.

Mark Pollard: Strategy On You

Iconic Mentor to Millions | Emmy® Award-Winning Designer (Los Angeles, USA)

A century ago, people consumed 3 hours of media daily. Today, it’s closer to 13 hours. We are exposed to 4,000+ digital touchpoints and 100,000+ words of content. Every. Single. Day. Every brand is screaming for attention. Everything looks the same. Everyone sounds identical. But you know what? Vanilla won't go viral because in attention bankruptcy, only the real get remembered.&nbsp;



This is why, exclusively for DK2026, Chris Do introduces Unbland™ TalkShop — part talk, part workshop that’s fully interactive, and yes, the entire room is invited to play. The TalkShop will help you unleash your secret weapon —be more you, the you-est you you can be. This is a rare chance to define and build your brand — the right way, fully aligned with your beliefs and values. 



He’s taught millions, helped thousands, and changed the lives of hundreds.&nbsp;



Don’t let it go to waste.

Chris Do: Unbland Yourself™

Founder & CEO of The Copy Posse | 2022 DigitalMarketer of the Year (Canada)

Have you ever read such a great subject line of a newsletter that there was no known universe where you didn’t click on it? Or saw an amazingly written headline that changed how you feel about a brand? Or maybe you were on the fence about buying those new shoes and then you saw a tagline so full of personality that turned your curiosity into a sale?&nbsp;



That’s the power of messaging. And Alex Cattoni built her reputation on words that convert. At DK, the copywriting goddess brings her REPEL Method — a system for building messaging that attracts true fans and filters out the rest. She’ll show you how to choose stronger verbs, cut filler out, claim a bold angle and make your value crystal clear. Through real examples of copy from major brands, you’ll break down what makes a promise believable, a hook irresistible and a message worth remembering. The only downside is that you’ll start spotting weak copy everywhere. It’s a blessing and a burden.

Alex Cattoni: The REPEL Method How To Craft An Unmistakable Brand Message

Audio Alchemist | Sonic Strategy Director (New York, USA)

Audio is the growth lever most brands are still ignoring. In Sound Thinking: The Power of Audio. Amplified, Steve Keller turns up the volume on what sound can really do: shape perception, trigger emotion and build memory that actually sticks. This is a fast, TED-style session packed with his go-to playbook for going deeper into the psychology of sound, longer into brand equity, wider across every channel, and further than traditional audio ads ever dared. You’ll learn how to design sound like a system, not a soundtrack. You’ll rethink what a sonic logo is for, and why your brand voice matters more than your brand font. And yes — you’ll probably leave judging every brand you hear on the street. In a good way. Probably.

Steve Keller: Sound Thinking — The Power of Audio. Amplified.

Executive Leadership Coach | Keynote Public Speaker | Host of This Is How You Think Podcast (Washington, USA)



 Jule Kim is the person you bring in when leadership stops being about the title and starts being about the pressure. She works with high-performing leaders on the stuff that actually makes (or breaks) credibility: executive presence, sharp communication, decision-making under uncertainty, showing up like you belong in the room before you "feel ready", confidence that doesn’t fall apart the second someone senior says "quick question." Think: less corporate performance, more actual power.



Her story is the opposite of a clean LinkedIn fairytale. Math degree she didn’t use. Dropped out of law school. Corporate tech burnout. Photography business. Life coaching. Basically, a "serial quitter"… until you realise it wasn’t quitting — it was refusing to stay stuck in the wrong life. She spent a decade climbing the corporate ladder at Microsoft and Amazon, leveling up from $9/hr to $200K (plus a hefty signing bonus), and still hit the wall: money and promotions are cute, but they don’t automatically give you purpose.



Now she does the work most people avoid: the uncomfortable questions. The ones that expose imposter syndrome, shaky identity and the difference between being "good at something" and actually wanting your life. She’s also the host of the This Is How You Think podcast and a keynote speaker who is not really a fan of typical motivation — she’s more into clarity, direction, and the kind of leadership energy you can’t fake in a meeting. If you’re ready to stop living a life of meh, Jule’s basically your shortcut.

Jule Kim

Executive Leadership Coach | Host of This Is How You Think Podcast (Washington, USA)

You know that meeting where someone says, “So… help me understand,” and suddenly you’re negotiating your entire self-worth in real time. Talking on Thin Ice is for those exact moments. This session is about what actually happens to your brain when pressure enters the room — and how to stay sharp instead of spiralling or over-explaining your resignation in the middle of the conversation. Jule breaks down how to communicate clearly when stakes are high, emotions are louder than logic and everyone’s pretending to be calm. You’ll learn how to hold your ground, say the hard thing without combusting and leave the room with more influence than you walked in with. Because in creative industries, the ice gets thin fast and knowing how to stand on it is a skill.

Jule Kim: Talking on Thin Ice — Solid Communication for Delicate Situations

Global Authority in Digital Marketing | Forbes’ Top 10 Marketer | New York Times Bestselling Author (Los Angeles, USA)



 



A Forbes Top 10 Marketer and New York Times bestselling author, Neil Patel is best known today for sharing data-driven insights with a global audience. His YouTube channel counts over 2.2 million subscribers, where he regularly breaks down digital marketing topics through charts, examples and practical analysis.



Neil’s current work centres on interpreting data and translating it into clearer conclusions. He examines how digital channels evolve, how measurement shifts over time and where marketers tend to misread signals.



His sessions are built around insights and concrete takeaways, with an understandable perspective on digital marketing, supported by data and clear explanations of what’s happening now — and what to pay attention to next.

Neil Patel

Forbes’ Top 10 Marketer | New York Times Bestselling Author (Los Angeles, USA)

You know the feeling: you publish more, post more, optimise more… and somehow the results don’t follow. The data looks fine — and then you open the report and realise the only thing growing consistently is the amount of content you’re producing. Neil Patel comes to Rovinj to do what he does best: give you a data-led reality check on how digital marketing actually works right now. You’ll learn how different formats influence behaviour, where marketers misread signals and how to audit your content engine using a system that works like a charm.

Neil Patel: Content Isn’t King: 30 Charts That’ll Change The Way You Do Marketing

Attention Economy Pioneer | CEO and Co-founder at Lumen Research (UK)



 The uncomfortable moment usually comes quietly. A campaign reports great reach. The dashboard looks healthy. Spend keeps flowing. And then someone asks the question no one really wants to answer: Did anyone actually look at it? That’s the attention problem Mike Follett has built his career around. Not to provoke for sport, but to replace confidence theatre with evidence — and to (finally) show, with hard data, how often marketing mistakes visibility for value.



Mike’s thinking is grounded in large-scale, empirical data. His (a bit strange, but effective) eye-tracking research spans billions of ad exposures across platforms, formats, and markets, proving — repeatedly — that not all impressions are equal, and that attention is both measurable and predictive of real business outcomes. His work directly challenges comfortable but flawed industry assumptions, including last-click attribution and superficial engagement metrics, replacing them with models that explain why ads work, when they work and where money is wasted.



Mike Follett brings marketers something rare: clarity backed by evidence. So yeah, he is definitely a motivational talker — he delivers hard and serious sessions that will make you rethink media value, creative effectiveness and ROI from the ground up. As he said himself: “Not all attention data is equal, so buyer beware. Our attention models are based on real human eye tracing data, collected from over 700,000 people across 37 countries. Maybe this is why our models work — and others are less successful.” Ouch.

Mike Follett

Attention Economy Pioneer | CEO and Co-founder at Lumen Research (UK)

How much attention do your ads actually need to create a memory? And does it take more attention to build long-term brand memories than it does to spark short-term reminders that drive action in the moment? Join Mike Follett as he unpacks the findings from the dentsu Brand Reset project — the world’s largest investigation into the relationship between attention and memory. Follett will break down the difference between fleeting exposure and meaningful attention, and what it takes for a message to move from “seen” to “remembered.” Expect fresh evidence and a sharper understanding of how attention translates into brand impact — in both the short term and the long term.

Mike Follett: The Long and the Short of Attention and Memory

You know that moment when your whole team sits a little straighter in their chairs? When someone says, "Whatever happens, we're proud," but nobody is actually that relaxed?



That’s BalCannes.



For the first festival night in Hall AAA, the entire region comes together — agencies and advertisers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia — to see which ideas truly travelled beyond their local bubble.



This is not just about the trophies. Okay, fine, it's absolutely about the trophies; we know you’ve already cleared space on your shelves and drafted a LinkedIn post, but what really matters is what those shiny trophies mean: ideas that made it through pressure, politics and production, and still felt fresh. Plus, eternal regional bragging rights, which is always a nice bonus.



So let's see what the region really did this year. See you at the ceremony.

speakers

Jürgen Schmidhuber

Julie Supan

Mark Pollard

Chris Do

Alex Cattoni

Steve Keller

Jule Kim

Neil Patel

Mike Follett

BalCannes 2026 Awards Show

Effie & MIXX 2026 Awards Show

IdejaX & Young Lions 2026 Awards Show

Beach Stream: Main Hall Stream with a Sea View

Name dropping soon…