2022 USC Iovine and Young Academy commencement speaker Jason Mayden knows more than a little something about arts, technology and the business of innovation. As interim president of Fear of God Athletics and the founder and CEO of Trillicon Valley, an award-winning design and strategy consultancy specializing in new venture creation and multi-stakeholder partnership negotiations for athletes, entertainers, and global creatives, Mayden has stamped his uniquely creative mark on the worlds of social justice, design, tech, and ethical entrepreneurship. 

As he prepares to deliver the keynote address on May 13, Mayden ruminates on his hopes for a new generation of innovators and changemakers, and offers his opinions on how entrepreneurship has the potential to make a difference. (Hint: look within.)

Before his resume began to overflow with trailblazing achievements, Mayden’s origin story served as a harbinger for a career marked by service and authenticity. While his design contributions speak to originality and radical vision, it was a comic book character that inspired his approach to work. That energizing role model, as well as a childhood illness, helped chart Mayden’s professional and personal path forward. Mayden battled a severe blood infection known as septicemia at age seven, and immersing himself in the world of comic books, he found a hero in the animated form of one of Batman’s most trusted allies. 

Mayden describes the impact of his fictional mentor, recalling, “During that time of uncertainty, all I could do was leverage the power of my imagination and the power of Dr. Lucius Fox's example of excellence as polymath. I’ve essentially modeled my life after Dr. Fox. As a Black character in the Batman universe of heroes and villains, he represented a ‘possible self.’ He was everything I did not think was possible for a neurodivergent child like me. He’s the first Black man that I saw who was creative and analytical, in a leadership position while carrying himself with dignity and grace. I had never seen someone who had embodied those characteristics aside from my father. In my seven year-old mind, Michael Jordan was my Bruce Wayne. Dr. Fox's example sustained my joy during that traumatic experience. I had decided, in that moment, that if I could design gadgets for Michael Jordan, I would be like Lucius Fox.” 

Mayden made his boyhood dreams a reality, becoming the first Black product design intern for Nike, going on to design for athletes including Russell Westbrook, Derek Jeter, and – his Bruce Wayne – Michael Jordan. 

As he prepares to take the stage at commencement he reflects on what the Academy means to him and how its ethos aligns with his own spirit, citing the “ability to cross-pollinate between disciplines” and “to create your own lane rather than joining a lane.”

“The Academy, and its philosophical but pedagogical model, gives me hope because the things that most students would be scrutinized for in early childhood education are the things that are celebrated and sharpened at IYA,” Mayden expresses. 

Having multiple skill sets and interests shouldn’t be a barrier to being yourself and defying the expectations of others. Thinking differently does not mean you’re confined to a box. From Mayden’s perspective, “there is no box.” 

“That’s what I feel IYA represents – it’s challenging the notion of a box actually existing,” he explains. “It’s more of a circle. That circle doesn’t mean you’re running in place. It means through intention and shift in your perspective of the world and your abilities reveals that it’s actually a spiral staircase and you’re ascending to each level with new knowledge and insight gained through experience. Simply put, IYA encourages discovery through exploration and being authentically yourself which ultimately propels you towards the highest form of creativity. IYA encourages students to practice creativity in their own unique ways.”

Considering his individuality and background, there are probably infinite ways Mayden could contribute to a curriculum. What would a potential Professor Mayden instruct on and what would he guarantee to impart on students? He imagines a class called “Becoming the First Me” that teaches the “spirit of inquisitiveness,” “discourse,” and “question asking.” 

Jason emphasizes the belief in responsibly “creating your next play,” even if you don’t have the data points to anticipate what’s on the horizon. “I would encourage them to explore the true meaning of leadership. To truly understand how to leverage the power of self discipline, and the importance of delayed gratification. These are the foundational elements that inherently lead to a life of success.”

When it comes to leadership and success, Mayden’s definitions of the concepts come down to intention, inspiration, and helping others reach their dreams and aspirations. He lives by a pay-it-forward business philosophy with “the mindset of being a multiplier,” stressing the significance of using your own prosperity to give back. 

“When we talk about operating from a place of introspection, it comes down to what you do with your gifts and talents for the benefit of others.” he expounds. 

For Mayden, the exemplification of a leader is ready to be turned on its head. Instead of “dictation and delegation,” Mayden believes that “more intentional and introspective, more reflective forms of leadership should be taught.” 

“Leadership starts from within,” Mayden says, touching on his hopes for this next generation as they face the challenges of today and tomorrow. “You can apply that to anything. I think that’s the greatest opportunity — creating a generation of really introspective, self-aware leaders.”

Mayden is already actualizing that doctrine at the helm of Trillicon Valley, connecting diversity, and tech, while empowering and uplifting more voices and young career hopefuls. His mission is driven by humility, advocacy, and ethics, but how does he see business contributing to the greater good and social change in tangible ways? 

“A business is nothing but the dream of a person put into a system fueled by intention and action,” Mayden says. In the future that he envisions, businesses won’t win without discernment.

“Consumers and target audiences are going to ask people questions about the ‘why’ of a company. If that ‘why’ doesn’t have a profound answer or a connection to something more meaningful it’s just an inanimate object or a faceless service that has little residual emotional connection to its audience. Businesses are the byproduct of people. It all starts with the person and what their intentions are,” he elaborates.

Childlike awe is also at the heart of Mayden’s ideology and staying present and inquisitive can help invigorate the imaginations of people in this fast-moving epoch of busyness and an “attention-based economy.” 

“You have to be able to live creatively,” Jason advises. “Stop for a second. See the world through the eyes of a child. See the world with a beginners mindset. By doing that consistently, you can appreciate every single element of your present reality. Tomorrow hasn’t occurred, and yesterday already happened. Right now, the present, if you make the most of that, that’s where we can enjoy the power of our own curiosity, creativity, and imagination, which will allow us to fully experience the beauty and wonder that exist all around us.”

If these encouraging insights are an indication of what’s to come on May 13, grads will walk away with more than the confidence to take on the (big and often intimidating) world. For Mayden, commencement is just as much about saluting achievements as it is recognizing the road that led to getting a diploma. A Sloan Fellow at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, he remembers the faces of his own parents at his graduation, “seeing that all the things my parents had endured was worth it was my greatest joy. In that moment, I became the physical manifestation of the ROI of my ancestors’ sacrifices.” 

He looks forward to observing “the looks on the faces of parents who have sacrificed.”  

“I’m really excited to see the parents with their looks of pride, and the students feeling invincible in this moment being celebrated for their accomplishments.” 

Mayden proclaims the aphorism he wishes he had heard while embarking on his own post-grad chapter: “That nothing anyone thinks of you matters.” 

“When you play to the expectations of others, whether it be your employer, family, even your past self and your insecurities and doubts, you rob the world of experiencing your authentic self and we need authenticity in order to participate in this world in a way that’s healthy,” he states. 

“There’s a need for putting out stories where people are authentic and accessible and real. Real in the sense that ‘this who I truly am,’ and that first comes from a place of acceptance and self-love. When you have that you don’t have to live to a standard that’s falsely applied to you as a person,” Mayden adds. 

“We need individuals, we need more celebrated examples of non-traditional success, we need new personality types and new contributions, and that’s what I hope this class in particular is able to do.”

Those are certainly words Academy students – and any perpetual disruptors – can live by.

Design innovator and ethical entrepreneur Jason Mayden is changing the way we work, create, and succeed. Hear his illuminating thoughts on leading with intention and inspiration.

Keynote Speaker Jason Mayden on His Hopes For a New Generation of Disruptors