The Panel

Meet the Judges

A panel of industry leaders scored each finalist on positioning, presentation, and credibility.

Keka DasGupta

Founder, Art of Lifeing · Award-Winning Brand Strategist

Brand strategist who has shaped work for Nike, Disney, IKEA, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, and Toronto’s Original Santa Claus Parade. With over 50 industry awards to her name, including two “Oscars of the PR industry,” Keka helps individuals build the confidence to lead like a powerhouse brand.

Marty Dickinson

CEO, Here Next Year · Founder, Speakers Speak LIVE

CEO of Here Next Year, a 29-year Colorado-based business growth agency. Known as the “Business Longevity Guy,” Marty helps business owners attract sales opportunities through relationship-driven marketing. He is also the founder of Speakers Speak LIVE, a global virtual platform for professional speakers.

Andrea Reindl

Founder, Legacy Creative · Brand Strategist for Authors

Brand Strategist for Authors and Founder of Legacy Creative. For over a decade, Andrea has helped high-performing visionaries turn their ideas into reality through her signature method and coaching.

Shawn Quintero

Scale Strategist · Personal Brand Advisor

Founder, operator, and scale strategist helping visionary leaders build lives and legacies that last. Shawn helps coaches and founders escape the “golden handcuffs” of personality-driven success by building scalable ecosystems rooted in ownership and long-term value.

What They Won

The Prize Package

Three tiers. Real value. Here's what goes to the Top 3 every competition.

$12,500+

Total Prize Package Value

Gold

Gold Prize Package

✓2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
✓Signature Legacy Video by Speaker Slam®$1,497
Brand Authority Mentorship with Keka DasGupta$4,000
Make It Clear brand strategy intensive with Andrea Reindl$3,500
90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
One-year membership to Speaker Revenue Accelerator with Marty Dickinson$500

Silver

Silver Prize Package

✓2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
Brand Accelerator Session with Keka DasGupta$1,000

Bronze

Bronze Prize Package

✓2026 Leader to Watch titlePriceless
90-minute Monetizing Your Personal Brand 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero$3,000
Brand Spotlight Session with Keka DasGupta$500

Inside the Prize Package.

What each prize is, and who’s behind it.

Signature Legacy Video

$1,497

by Speaker Slam®

A professionally produced brand video featuring the winner’s positioning and message, designed to elevate visibility for pitches, websites, and paid speaking opportunities. Produced by the Speaker Slam® team and built to be used as a calling card for years to come.

Gold — Signature Legacy Video ($1,497): A professionally produced brand video, given exclusively to the Gold winner as part of their headline prize package.

Brand Authority Mentorship

up to $4,000

three-tier brand mentorship suite with Keka DasGupta

Keka has shaped brand strategies for Nike, Disney, IKEA, American Express, and Mercedes-Benz, and she’s donating a tiered offering across all three placements. Each tier is built around a specific stage of speaker brand growth and gives the winner direct access to her 25+ years of expertise.

Gold — Brand Authority Mentorship ($4,000): Four 1:1 sessions over a month to build the strategic foundation of your speaking business, including positioning and the marketing collateral that gets you booked.
Silver — Brand Accelerator Session ($1,000): A one-hour 1:1 consultation with Keka to position yourself, amplify your brand, and build a thriving speaking business.
Bronze — Brand Spotlight Session ($500): A 30-minute 1:1 Q&A focused on shining a spotlight on your speaker profile and personal brand.

Learn more about Keka’s work →

Make It Clear

$3,500

brand strategy intensive with Andrea Reindl

Andrea’s signature engagement for authors and visionaries who need to translate big ideas into clear brand positioning. Built on her decade of work supporting high-performing leaders, the intensive helps you articulate what you stand for so the right audiences can find you.

Gold — Make It Clear ($3,500): A full brand strategy intensive with Andrea, designed to take your message from cluttered to clear so you can show up with confidence on every channel.

Learn more about Andrea’s work →

Speaker Revenue Accelerator

$500

one-year membership with Marty Dickinson

A full year of access to Marty’s program for professional speakers building sustainable income from their expertise. As the “Business Longevity Guy” and CEO of 29-year growth agency Here Next Year, Marty teaches relationship-driven marketing strategies that turn speaking into a long-term business.

Gold — Speaker Revenue Accelerator ($500): One year of membership in Marty’s program, giving you ongoing access to his frameworks for attracting paid speaking opportunities through relationship-driven marketing.

Learn more about Marty’s work →

Monetizing Your Personal Brand

$3,000

90-minute 1:1 intensive with Shawn Quintero

A focused 1:1 working session with Shawn, who’s generated millions across coaching programs, masterminds, and retreats. Walk away with a strategy for replacing hustle with infrastructure, so your personal brand grows without you having to be everywhere at once.

Gold — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): A 90-minute 1:1 intensive with Shawn focused on turning your personal brand into a scalable, monetizable asset.
Silver — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): The same 90-minute 1:1 intensive, given to the second-place finisher.
Bronze — Monetizing Your Personal Brand ($3,000): The same 90-minute 1:1 intensive, given to the third-place finisher.

Learn more about Shawn’s work →

The Full Field

Every leader who stepped forward.

Fifty-five leaders entered the April 2026 Brand Builder Competition. Here they are, together. Each one built their positioning and declared who they are to the world.