Ivan Williams is a film producer, entrepreneur, and civic leader whose work sits at the intersection of storytelling, science, and social impact. After a 35-year career as a senior leader at two global giants — one in energy and one in engineering — Ivan turned his passion toward the entertainment industry, founding two storytelling companies. His projects have premiered at some of the world’s most prestigious platforms — Berlinale, SXSW, the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dubai’s COP28 — bringing his stories to the audiences who shape global conversations. His work has brought him alongside talents like Jesse Eisenberg, George Clooney, and Geena Davis, earned German Film Academy award nominations, produced a top ten global Netflix hit, and landed This Changes Everything at the Academy Museum as a landmark of social impact filmmaking.

A veteran Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer, Ivan has carried that sense of duty into civilian life — helping reach over 10 million Americans through COVID-era PSAs featuring Matthew McConaughey, Tiffany Haddish, and Dr. Fauci, and serving as executive producer of the popular podcast Hidden History Happy Hour that is co-hosted by a former White House official and a former British prime minister’s chief of staff.

Ivan believes culture can catalyze change. He co-founded two ecological art and design nonprofits, helped create an innovative university storytelling program called Story Lab, and serves as a sought-after university speaker, a judge at Academy Award qualifying film festivals and the Emmys, and is a strategic advisor across media, real estate, and medical technology ventures. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine.

Favorite quote

“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values, and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” — Steve Jobs