Visionary for The Human Element in the Age of AI
Meet Mitch Mitchem: The Disruptive Force Shaping the Future of Work and Humanity
Mitch Mitchem is a global powerhouse, a keynote speaker, author, and leadership visionary who’s redefining the future by fusing human connection with AI innovation. With over two decades of leadership expertise and three decades in entertainment, Mitch has emerged as the world’s leading authority on integrating human skills with emerging technology. His journey is a masterclass in disruption, from captivating audiences on stage to scaling tech startups and now championing the harmonious integration of AI and human potential. Often compared to a mix of Tony Robbins and Steve Harvey, Mitch blends humor, interaction, and transformative insights to ignite lasting change in every life he touches—a mission that now drives his work to prepare humanity for an AI-driven future.
Roots in Entertainment: Disrupting Stages and Mastering Connection
Mitch’s career began in the entertainment world, where he disrupted the stage with his unique blend of comedy, music, and audience engagement.
Studying Meisner technique acting at Baron Brown Studio in Los Angeles and improv comedy at the legendary Second City in Chicago, he honed a commanding presence as a DJ, emcee, actor, comedian, and television host.
He performed for millions, opening for icons like N’Sync, Jimmy Buffett, and Britney Spears, and energizing corporate clients.
His new and disruptive comedy and interactive creation, Comedy You Can Dance To, ran for 20 years at Chicago’s Excalibur Nightclub and Universal Studios in Orlando, blending comedy, music, and high-energy audience interaction to captivate thousands nightly.
That knack for controlling crowds, seen in the interactive chaos of Comedy You Can Dance To, or his creation the BUSTED show, laid the foundation for his ability to connect deeply with people, a skill that would soon pivot him into a new arena of impact.
From Stage to Training: Revolutionizing Learning at Eagle’s Flight
Mitch’s entertainment background wasn’t just about performance, it taught him how to engage and inspire, skills he brought into the world of developmental training.
As Senior VP at Eagle’s Flight, he disrupted traditional learning models, facilitating experiential programs for over 200,000 participants across ten countries and generating millions in revenue.
His high-energy, interactive approach, born from years on stage, transformed how Fortune 500 companies tackled complex challenges, making training not just educational but deeply engaging. “I took what I learned about holding an audience’s attention and turned it into a tool for transformation,” Mitch reflects.
This period sharpened his ability to blend human connection with structured learning, giving him the confidence to take on an even bigger challenge: disrupting an entirely new industry through technology.
Disrupting Tech with Human Connection: The High There Breakthrough
Fueled by a desire to innovate and connect people in new ways, Mitch took a bold leap into tech, founding High There, the world’s first social network in the cannabis space.
Launched in a controversial industry, the app scaled to over 300,000 users in under eleven months, faster than Twitter’s first year, disrupting how niche communities connected online. Initially struggling at 11,000 users, Mitch listened to feedback about user isolation and pivoted, introducing a “My Story” feature limited to 420 characters.
This sparked explosive growth, adding 20,000 to 30,000 users weekly, and taught him a critical lesson: technology means nothing without the human element.
High There’s success, featured in every major global news outlet, showcased Mitch’s ability to merge tech innovation with human engagement, a principle that became a cornerstone of his career.
After selling the app, this experience deepened his understanding of technology’s potential and pitfalls, particularly the over-customization of tech that can isolate rather than connect, setting the stage for his next transformative moment.
A TED Talk: Addressing Over-Customization
The lessons from High There propelled Mitch into the spotlight as a thought leader on technology’s impact on humanity. In a raw and deeply personal TED Talk, he shared a story from the High There days: a user’s struggle with cancer and isolation due to over-customized tech, revealing the human cost of innovation gone wrong.
Laugh-out-loud moments mixed with tears and motivation as Mitch challenged the tech world to prioritize human connection over algorithmic efficiency.
The talk, which sold out solidified his voice in the global conversation on tech and culture. “I realized tech can either divide us or bring us together, it’s our job to choose,” Mitch said, a mantra that would guide his next venture.
This moment of reflection and advocacy inspired him to double down on solving people problems, this time on an organizational scale.
Founding HIVE Interactive: Leading the Human-AI Revolution
In 2020, as the world grappled with the disconnection of the COVID-19 era, Mitch founded HIVE Interactive, a company dedicated to focusing on the human element and skill development. “Humans have lost so much, our ability to communicate, to build community at work and in life,” Mitch observed, and he set out to change that.
Initially focused on human skills, HIVE evolved when Mitch gained early access to ChatGPT, a moment that transformed his perspective. “Everything’s about to change,” he told his team, and HIVE pivoted to master AI tools, merging them with human skill development to prepare leaders for an AI-driven future.
As CEO, Mitch has disrupted the way organizations approach technology, advocating for a balance where AI augments human potential rather than overshadowing it. HIVE Interactive has become a global leader in this space, delivering keynotes like The Human Advantage and BYOAI, which equip leaders to turn AI into a superpower, navigate disruptions, and eliminate friction, as seen in Frictionless Future.