Liv Boeree
Former Professional Poker Champion; Astrophysics Graduate; Co-Founder of Raising for Effective Giving; TED Speaker
Kellee Santiago
BAFTA Award-Winning Game Executive | Producer of flOw, Flower & Journey | Innovation, Leadership & the Future of Play | Angel Investor | Sr. Director, Original IP, Niantic
Kellee Santiago is a pioneering video game producer, executive, and investor who has spent her career proving that games can be both deeply meaningful and wildly entertaining. Co-founder of thatgamecompany, she produced Flower, now in the Smithsonian, and the Peabody and BAFTA-winning Journey. Named one of Fast Company's top 100 women in tech, she speaks on innovation, creative leadership, and the future of play.
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Kellee Santiago biography
Video games can be both deeply meaningful and wildly entertaining, and few people have done more to prove it than Kellee Santiago. As co-founder and president of the acclaimed studio thatgamecompany, she produced some of the most celebrated games ever made: Flower, a commercial hit that became one of the first two video games ever acquired into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Journey, a Peabody Award winner and multiple Game of the Year that is widely regarded as a landmark in interactive art.
Innovation speaker Kellee Santiago is a pioneering video game producer, executive leader, and investor dedicated to expanding the boundaries of interactive media as an expressive, artistic medium. Named one of the top 100 most influential women in technology by Fast Company, she has spent her career pushing games beyond entertainment into a form capable of moving people, telling stories, and building empathy, work that helped legitimize an entire medium as art.
From thatgamecompany to the Future of Play
Santiago’s influence extends well beyond her own studio. Her extensive career spans key developer-relations and leadership roles at industry giants and innovators including Google, Niantic, Ouya, and E-Line Media, giving her a rare, panoramic view of how games are made, funded, and brought to global audiences. A TED Fellow and an active angel investor in independent games, she has been a tireless champion of new creators and fresh ideas, and her games remain on permanent display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum as enduring proof of the medium’s artistic power.
As a speaker, Kellee Santiago is insightful, engaging, and refreshingly accessible, equally compelling for lifelong gamers and for audiences who have never picked up a controller. She speaks on innovation and creativity, leadership in creative industries, the future of play, and how games are reshaping art, storytelling, and human connection. Audiences leave with a new appreciation for one of the most powerful cultural forces of our time, and with fresh thinking on creativity, risk, and building things that matter.
Kellee Santiago Speaking Videos
An argument for game artistry | Kellee Santiago | TEDxUSC
WHY EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN GAME DESIGN by Kellee Santiago
Kellee Santiago Keynote Topics
Santiago helped prove that games can be art, that they can move us, tell stories, and stay with us long after we put down the controller. Drawing on the creation of Flower and Journey, she shares how she and her team designed for emotion rather than mechanics, and what it took to have their work recognized by the Smithsonian. An inspiring look at creativity, meaning, and the courage to make something genuinely new.
Games have become one of the largest and most influential creative industries on earth, and the way we play, and who gets to create, is changing fast. Drawing on decades at the frontier, from pioneering indie studios to Google and Niantic, Santiago explores where interactive entertainment is going: the rise of creator-driven platforms, new business models, and new audiences, and what it all means for storytellers, brands, and players. A forward-looking, experience-grounded map of a medium still discovering its potential.
For leaders and organizations outside the games world, the industry can feel opaque, yet its reach, creativity, and business models offer lessons far beyond entertainment. In this accessible talk, Santiago translates the world of games for non-gamers, revealing what makes them so engaging, why they matter culturally and commercially, and what any organization can learn from how games capture attention, build communities, and inspire loyalty.
Games have the power to reach and represent everyone, yet the industry has not always reflected the players it serves. Drawing on her own experience as a pioneering woman in games and a longtime champion of new and underrepresented voices, Santiago shares a practical blueprint for building more inclusive teams, telling more inclusive stories, and welcoming the widest possible audience. A candid, inspiring talk on why inclusion makes games, and any creative organization, richer, more original, and more successful.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Kellee Santiago
Why Kellee Santiago?
Booking Kellee Santiago brings audiences a genuine pioneer, someone who helped prove that video games can be art and reshaped how the world sees an entire medium. As the producer behind Journey and Flower, she pairs extraordinary creative credibility with real executive and investing experience across companies like Google and Niantic, giving her both visionary and practical authority. She is a warm, articulate, and accessible speaker who connects with lifelong gamers and complete newcomers alike, and her message about creativity, innovation, and building things that matter resonates far beyond the games industry. She is ideal for events on innovation, creativity, technology, leadership, and the future of entertainment. To bring Kellee Santiago to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Kellee Santiago?
Kellee Santiago is a pioneering video game producer, executive, and investor, best known as the co-founder and former president of the acclaimed studio thatgamecompany. There she produced flOw, Flower, and Journey, games celebrated as milestones in video games as an artistic medium. Flower became one of the first video games acquired for the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Journey won a Peabody Award, BAFTA Awards, and multiple Game of the Year honors. Named one of the top 100 most influential women in technology by Fast Company, she has also held leadership roles at Google, Niantic, Ouya, and E-Line Media, and is an active angel investor in independent games.
What games did Kellee Santiago create?
As co-founder and president of thatgamecompany, Kellee Santiago produced three landmark games: flOw (2007), Flower (2009), and Journey (2012). Flower was a commercial and critical hit that became one of the first two video games ever acquired into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Journey was a Peabody Award winner, a multiple Game of the Year, and a BAFTA-winning title widely regarded as one of the most emotionally powerful games ever made. Her earlier student project, Cloud, helped inspire the founding of the studio. Across all of them, her focus was on creating games that evoke genuine emotion and stand as works of art.
What topics does innovation speaker Kellee Santiago cover?
Kellee Santiago speaks on innovation and creativity, video games as an artistic medium, the future of play and interactive media, creative leadership, and demystifying games for non-gamers. Her keynotes suit events on innovation, technology, creativity, leadership, entertainment, and the future. To book Kellee Santiago as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Kellee Santiago as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Kellee Santiago as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Kellee Santiago's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Kellee Santiago or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Kellee Santiago speaking fee?
Kellee Santiago speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Kellee Santiago to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Kellee Santiago.
How can I contact Kellee Santiago?
We only work with Kellee Santiago on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Kellee Santiago and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Kellee Santiago speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Kellee Santiago for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Kellee Santiago for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Kellee Santiago is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Kellee Santiago for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
