Speaker + Build Session

About

Learn directly from the CEO of the company behind the classic surf film The Endless Summer, a 16-year-old whose Shakespeare theater company has sold out every show, and local founders behind a South El Monte bakery and a luxury bag brand carried by celebrities. Past participants have gone on to win $10k in national pitch competitions and hackathons, intern at speakers' startups, and launch their own businesses. You'll learn to turn your passions into impact, and have the chance to win a prize. Spaces are limited.

Good to know

What to bring

Just yourself. We'll have water, but feel free to bring your own bottle. A notebook or laptop can be handy if you'd like one, but neither is required.

What to wear

Dress nicely, but nothing formal. Think of what's appropriate for a school day, a little sharper.

Speakers

• 

  Alex Mecl

  Keynote · CEO of the company behind The Endless Summer

  Alex is a visionary executive, entrepreneur, and film producer as well as a trendsetter and influential tastemaker whose diverse career spans technology, intellectual property licensing, and entertainment.

  He began his professional journey in the early 1990s as an MCS consultant with Price Waterhouse in Silicon Valley. Building on his expertise, Alex went on to establish The Content Agency, one of Asia’s first full-service licensing companies for the lifestyle industry, where he developed a dynamic global brand portfolio with over 250 licensees. His innovative approach and exceptional negotiation skills have enabled him to collaborate with the top global Fortune 500 companies, influential world-class entrepreneurs, Oscar-nominated film directors and composers, and influential cultural leaders.

  Alex’s career expanded into the tech sector, where his strategic insights as a global advisor for WeChat at Tencent Corporation played a pivotal role in shaping the platform’s international reach. As a storyteller, he has left a lasting impact through his work as an executive producer on several award-winning documentaries, including Bruce Brown: The Life of Endless Summers (2020), Birth of The Endless Summer (2021), and The Garden Bridge (2026).

  A polyglot and cultural connoisseur, Alex is trilingual in English, German, and Japanese, proficient in French, while continuing to learn Mandarin Chinese and Korean. He graduated from UCLA with highest honors, earning dual degrees in Economics and International Area Studies with the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa distinction. He furthered his postgraduate education at UCLA School of Law, earning his Juris Master’s degree with a specialization in Entertainment & Media Law, while completing advanced executive engineering courses at Harvard and MIT.

  In recognition of his relentless volunteerism over several decades, Alex received the United States Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, a testament to his dedication to community service and his enduring contributions to society. Combining strategic vision, cultural sensitivity, and creative foresight, Alex continues to shape global narratives and leave an indelible mark as a creator and tastemaker across industries and disciplines.

  Ventures

  • Bruce Brown Films ↗

    The company behind The Endless Summer (1966), Bruce Brown's documentary following two surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and On Any Sunday (1971), his Oscar-nominated motorcycle documentary. It keeps both films in circulation and runs a licensing program with more than 150 licensees and partners in over 50 countries.

  • The Content Agency

    A licensing company Alex founded for the lifestyle industry, one of Asia's first full-service ones. He built its brand portfolio to more than 250 licensees.

• 

  Samantha Leeds

  16-year-old founder of The Riot Stage, a Shakespeare company

  Samantha Leeds is a 16-year-old entrepreneur, award-winning filmmaker, writer, director, and actor attending Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles. She is the founder and company director of The Riot Stage, a nonprofit teen Shakespeare theater and film company dedicated to making classical theater more accessible and innovative. In just two seasons, the company has doubled in size, sold out every production, and grossed over $50,000 while providing need-based scholarships. Samantha also wrote and co-directed an original full-length play for the company’s second season. The Riot Stage has been featured in The Argonaut, L.A. Parent, and BroadwayWorld.

  Beyond theater, Samantha co-founded the Los Angeles High School Pickleball League, California’s first high school pickleball league, established pickleball as a varsity sport at Crossroads, and expanded the league to more than eight schools. The initiative and her work on it was featured in the Los Angeles Times and has organized tournaments sponsored by JOOLA. Samantha also co-chaired a charity tournament with Angel City Sports, raising approximately $6,000 to support adaptive sports opportunities for people with physical disabilities.

  As a filmmaker, Samantha received the New Talent Award at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the largest and most prestigious film festival for filmmakers under 25, for her debut short film, The Upright Hustle, which also earned Best Young Filmmaker at the Independent Shorts Awards and screened at the All American High School Film Festival in Times Square. Her upcoming short film, The Atlas of Human Accomplishment, won Best Short Script at the Asian Independent Film Festival, and she has also received numerous Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This summer she received a full scholarship to the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), where she was named a California Arts Scholar after being accepted into its film program, which had a 10% acceptance rate. As the only rising junior selected among four narrative directors from 40 student pitches, she wrote and directed her short film CHAIR, working with a professional cast.

  Most recently, Samantha was selected as one of just 30 students from over 320 applicants for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Teen Council, a highly selective, paid internship helping shape museum programming for young people and moderating discussions with industry professionals. She also received the $1,000 Julie Bergen Teen Innovation Grant for Second Skin, an arts-based nonprofit initiative exploring scars, identity, and personal storytelling through creative expression.

  Through her endeavors, Samantha hopes to show how identifying a gap, taking initiative, and bringing people together can turn creative ideas into meaningful impact.

  Ventures

  • The Riot Stage

    A nonprofit teen Shakespeare theater and film company in Los Angeles that pairs live performance with filmed sequences. Samantha started it after finding no youth Shakespeare program in the city to join. Based at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West LA, it has sold out every production across two seasons and grossed over $50,000, while offering need-based scholarships.

  • L.A. High School Pickleball League ↗

    California's first high school pickleball league, which Samantha co-founded with Crossroads classmates. Along the way they got pickleball approved as a varsity sport at their school. The league has grown to more than eight schools, including Brentwood, Windward and Palisades, and its tournaments have been sponsored by JOOLA.

  • Second Skin

    An arts-based nonprofit initiative exploring scars, identity and personal storytelling through creative expression, backed by a $1,000 Julie Bergen Teen Innovation Grant.

  Read more

  • BroadwayWorld feature ↗
  • The Argonaut profile ↗
• 

  Leah Liu

  Founder & CEO, Hour 20 Bakery

  Leah Liu is the Founder and CEO of Hour 20 Bakery, an artisan bakery in South El Monte, California, known for its 20-hour slow-fermented sourdough. She leads the company's operations, sales, and direct-to-consumer business, shipping fresh bread to customers across California. Before moving to the US, Leah built her career in e-commerce in China, running operations for major consumer brands and working with the country's leading online platforms. She brings that digital commerce experience to growing Hour 20 into a modern bakery brand. Leah lives in the San Marino area with her four children.

  Venture

  • Hour 20 Bakery ↗

    A sourdough bakery in South El Monte named for its long fermentation. Loaves are made from just flour, water and salt, raised with levain grown in-house rather than commercial yeast, and left to ferment for twenty hours or more before they're shaped by hand. Besides sourdough it makes milk bread, scones, buns and pretzels, and delivers next day across California.

• 

  Sophie Gao

  Co-founder, Hour 20 Bakery

  Sophie Gao is a co-founder of Hour 20 Bakery, a South El Monte bakery manufacturer focused on healthier, slow-fermented baked goods. Before Hour 20, she spent years in manufacturing, leading factory operations and sales for a business producing inflatable holiday decorations and outdoor tents, with three factories in China and one in Cambodia. She brings that hands-on production and sales experience to scaling Hour 20 and growing its reach in the Chinese American community. Deeply committed to giving back, Sophie has volunteered at her children's school for more than five years. She lives in San Marino with her three children.

  Venture

  • Hour 20 Bakery ↗

    A sourdough bakery in South El Monte named for its long fermentation. Loaves are made from just flour, water and salt, raised with levain grown in-house rather than commercial yeast, and left to ferment for twenty hours or more before they're shaped by hand. Besides sourdough it makes milk bread, scones, buns and pretzels, and delivers next day across California.

• Justin Prietto

  Lost Parrot Café and Huntington Catering

  Justin Prietto owns Huntington Catering. With his longtime surfing friend Winston Secrest, he also started Lost Parrot Café, its sister business in South Pasadena.

  Ventures

  • Huntington Catering ↗

    Boutique catering for weddings, private parties and corporate events across South Pasadena and Los Angeles, in business since 2007. It puts together handcrafted menus from local ingredients and brings its own staff and rentals.

  • Lost Parrot Café ↗

    A brunch and lunch café at 1929 Huntington Drive in South Pasadena, open seven days a week, with Taco Tuesday nights. The space is also rented out for events.

• 

  Tony Rey

  Tote & Carry, a luxury bag brand

  Tony Rey is an entrepreneur, creative visionary, and founder and CEO of TOTE&CARRY, a global travel and lifestyle brand that blends luxury design with street culture. Born in Taiwan and raised in the United States, Tony brings a multicultural perspective to fashion, business, and innovation.

  With a background spanning fashion, product development, manufacturing, and e-commerce, he has built his career around transforming creative ideas into scalable businesses. Since launching TOTE&CARRY in 2016, Tony has helped redefine accessible luxury through bold designs, strategic marketing, and a strong connection to contemporary culture.

  Beyond fashion, Tony is passionate about the creator economy, emerging business opportunities, and empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. He continues to explore new ways to connect creativity, technology, and commerce while inspiring others to turn their ideas into successful ventures.

  Venture

  • Tote&Carry ↗

    A travel and lifestyle brand Tony launched in 2016 that blends luxury design with street culture. It sells luggage sets, suitcases, travel bags and purses in bold colors and head-turning designs, pitched as luxury looks without the luxury price tag. Its best-known collection is the Apollo line, and its bags have been carried by artists including T.I., Omarion and Waka Flocka Flame.

  Read more

  • Flaunt interview ↗

Tentative agenda

1. 8:45Check-in
2. 9:00Welcome and icebreaker pitch challenge
3. 10:00Keynote: why entrepreneurship, with Q&A
4. 11:00Panel with local founders
5. 12:00Prize and wrap-up