Watts Wacker

Watts Wacker is one of the most celebrated and influential minds in modern business. Mr. Wacker -- lecturer, best-selling author, political commentator and social critic -- is one of the world's most respected futurists. His uncommon versatility and vision has allowed him to help the world's top corporations and organizations navigate the sea of change that is taking hold in the new millennium. He has been the futurist at SRI International, the legendary Menlo Park think tank, and spent ten years as the resident futurist at the preeminent social research organization, Yankelovich Partners.

As founder and director of FirstMatter LLC, Mr. Wacker has focused his attention on creating a new kind of think tank and he describes himself as a twenty-first century alchemist as well as... "a cross between James Brown and the unknown comic, (the hardest working nobody in the business.)" His speaking style has created many references to Mr. Wacker as being one of the best storytellers alive today. His book, The 500 Year Delta was an international bestseller having been translated into ten languages and was an "editors choice" top five selection on the Amazon.com book list for 1997. The Delta was also selected for the NASA library. Watts' second book, The Visionary's Handbook is required reading at many of the world's finest business schools and received outstanding reviews. Both books were coauthored with Jim Taylor.

Recent work has included contributing, editing and ghost writing numerous books, broadcast commentary as well as magazine and journal articles. His third book, The Deviant's Advantage received a tremendous reviewer response including from Time Magazine, Fortune, The New York Times, and The Harvard Business Review. His fourth book, released in 2007, What's Your Story? Storytelling to Move Markets, Audiences, People and Brands, was a finalist for advertising/marketing book of the year. Both books are co-authored with Ryan Mathews. Mr. Wacker and his "wizardry practice" has been featured in the media the world over. He has been labelled a "must quote" by the Associated Press.

Mr. Wacker was the original consulting pollster to the Fox News Division and directed the Time Magazine Poll, while at Yankelovich Partners he also managed the preeminent trends prediction service in the United States, for ten years. Mr. Wacker's additional previous experience also includes management positions in the health, beauty, toy and food industries, and ownership and operation of two radio stations outside Corpus Christi, Texas.

Mr. Wacker's matriculative background includes degrees from both Tulane University and the University of Texas in Austin as well as a research fellowship at The Institute for Constructive Capitalism. He has lectured at many colleges and universities around the world. When asked to state his most memorable professional accomplishments, Watts responds... "The most memorable work accomplishments? ... the two humbling events in my life... the renowned speaking series I've been privileged to speak at, and, having been selected as a 'Significant Sig' by the national Sigma Chi Fraternity."

• Business Subjects

• The Social Agenda

• Governance Agenda

• Technology Agenda

• Economics Agenda

• The Consumer Agenda

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  August 2007

  What's Your Story?: Storytelling To Move Markets, Audiences, People, And Brands

  Storytelling is the universal human activity. Every society, at every stage of history, has told stories–and listened to them intently, passionately. Stories capture their memories of the past and their hopes for the future. Whether you know it or not, your business is already telling stories. What’s Your Story? will help you take control of those stories and make them work for you. Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker demonstrate how to cuts through today’s relentless bombardment of consumer messages…and gets heard, remembered, and acted on.

  
  
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  September 2002

  The Deviant's Advantage: How Fringe Ideas Create Mass Markets

   

  This book has been praised as being against the grain as far as typical business books run.  Out of the box insights and ideas that drive innovation and creativity will ring true for marketing and advertising agencies, and the business world in general.

  
  
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  January 2000

  The Visionary's Handbook: Nine Paradoxes that will Shape the Future of Your Business

  Building upon the Age of Possibility first espoused in their provocative and acclaimed The 500 Year Delta, Watts Wacker and Jim Taylor now welcome readers to the Age of Uncertainty, where, because life has never been easier, it has never been more difficult.
  
  In this unprecedented new book, Wacker and Taylor present a vision of the present and future that goes beyond all the chaos and complexity of our times. With a clear and firm grasp of their material, they proceed to chart a method for readers to create a personal course for the future.

  
  
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  July 1998

  500 Year Delta: What Happens After What Comes Next

  This work offers insights into the evolving business future, over the next 500 years. It asks, "How will the accelerating pace of technology transform the way people view themselves and organize their lives?", and, "Why will the workplace of the future only be occupied by owners and temps?".