Grit and resilience keynotes for Los Angeles teams
From studios and streamers to ports, aerospace and fast-growing consumer brands, Los Angeles teams work in industries where the plan changes constantly. The Grit Code is about what you do next.
A creative economy runs on persistence
Los Angeles is the home of Hollywood and the US film and television industry, and one of the country’s biggest centres for media, entertainment and content. Behind every finished production are hundreds of people who kept going through rejections, rewrites and reshoots.
Paris knows that world from the inside: he presents and produces adventure TV, with shows distributed in 123 countries. His keynote connects that production reality with the endurance lessons of the open ocean, where a 4,800 km Pacific row ended in Hawaii after 39 days.
The city’s economy also stretches well beyond entertainment, from the Port of Los Angeles, one of the busiest container ports in the Western Hemisphere, to aerospace and technology. The common thread is pressure, and how teams keep their nerve under it.
Who Paris speaks to in Los Angeles
Studios, streamers and agencies
Kick-offs and offsites for production, marketing and creative teams who live deadline to deadline.
Ports, trade and supply chain
Conferences for teams that keep goods moving when conditions change by the hour.
Sales kick-offs
A story about refusing to quit when the target looks impossible, with tools for the year ahead.
Associations & trade shows
A main-stage keynote with expedition footage for delegates at the city’s convention venues.
Where Los Angeles meets
Los Angeles hosts large trade shows and industry gatherings at the Convention Center throughout the year, alongside a constant calendar of corporate and entertainment-industry events.
- Los Angeles Convention Center – the convention centre in Downtown LA, next to the Crypto.com Arena
- Hotel ballrooms and studio lots – across Downtown, Santa Monica, Hollywood and Century City, where many corporate events are held
Ways to book Paris in Los Angeles
The Grit Code keynote (45–60 min) · Grit Deconstruction workshop (90 min to half day) · virtual keynote (30–45 min) · event host and MC. Compare formats →
Tested at sea, on the ice and on stage
7 marathons, 7 continents
Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Rowed the Pacific
4,800 km in 2023, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
Paris’s Pacific row began on the US West Coast, at Monterey, California, and ended in Hawaii. His TV work, including Guy in Dubai with 22 million views, gives entertainment audiences a presenter who understands the business of making content. Watch Paris’s adventure TV shows · 39 days at sea: the Pacific row film
Speaking in Los Angeles, in person or virtually
Available for in-person events in Los Angeles, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers typically book US speakers three to five months ahead, so get in touch early to secure your date.
See also keynote speaker in the USA, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
Los Angeles’s economy and who the talk is for
Los Angeles has a population of about 3,898,747 (2020 figure, Wikidata), which makes it a substantial market for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings.
Los Angeles is the head-office city for organisations such as Riot Games (International Standard Industrial Classification), Herbalife (food industry), Guess (retail), Blumhouse Productions (film industry) and Skydance (entertainment industry).
Manufacturing and engineering (Herbalife, Blumhouse Productions and Skydance). Manufacturing and engineering audiences value process. The Grit Code breaks grit into habits that can be practised on a production line or a project site, using the discipline of a 4,800 km ocean row as the example.
Technology and software (Riot Games). For software and tech companies, the talk focuses on resilience during constant change, including the shift to AI. As CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, an AI video production company, Paris speaks from inside that change rather than about it.
Retail and consumer goods (Guess). Retail and consumer brands live and die by execution. Paris has spoken for Kraft Heinz and Al Kabeer Foods, and the keynote helps sales and store teams keep going through peak seasons and tough trading.
Students, graduates and faculty
Los Angeles’s universities, including California State University, Los Angeles, American Jewish University and Columbia College Hollywood, make it a strong market for student, graduate and alumni events. Paris speaks to young audiences about effort, setbacks and choosing hard goals, and to faculty about building resilient teams.
Typical formats include welcome weeks, graduation events, entrepreneurship programmes and alumni dinners. University keynote speaker →
Other large venues in Los Angeles
Beyond the main conference halls, Los Angeles also has large venues for major events, including Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Hazard's Pavilion and New United States Court House.
Paris is comfortable on any stage, from an arena to a boardroom, and can also host the main stage as MC. Event host and MC →
How a Grit Code session works
- Each booking begins with a call about the audience and what success looks like after the event.
- The talk turns the 7-marathon challenge and the Pacific row into habits teams can use on Monday morning.
- A virtual version of 30–45 minutes is available for distributed teams.
The content is shaped around Los Angeles organisations and their goals, so the room hears examples that match its own challenges. Paris presents as an adventurer and CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, not as a theorist.
Where the talk fits in Los Angeles
Organisers in Los Angeles usually book Paris for one of these occasions:
- Leadership offsites and strategy days, where senior teams need energy for a hard year ahead.
- Sales kick-offs and annual conferences, where the talk resets ambition and stamina.
- Awards nights and staff celebrations, where Paris can speak or host.
- Graduation, alumni and entrepreneurship events.
Credentials at a glance
- Past speaking clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
- In 2023 he rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
- He is the CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, an AI video production company.
- He ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
FAQ
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Los Angeles?
Yes. Paris speaks at conferences, sales kick-offs, offsites and company events in Los Angeles, in person or virtually.
Is the keynote a good fit for entertainment and media audiences?
Yes. Paris is a TV presenter whose adventure shows are distributed in 123 countries, so he can speak to the realities of production as well as endurance.
How far ahead should we book a Los Angeles event?
Organisers typically book US speakers three to five months ahead. Shorter notice is sometimes possible, so it is always worth asking.
Which Los Angeles industries is The Grit Code suited to?
The keynote is tailored to each sector. In Los Angeles it suits manufacturing and engineering, technology and software and retail and consumer goods audiences in particular, along with leadership teams, sales kick-offs and all-hands meetings in any industry.
Does Paris speak at universities in Los Angeles?
Yes. He speaks to students, graduates and staff, for example at institutions such as California State University, Los Angeles and American Jewish University, on grit as a learnable skill.
Is there a workshop option for teams in Los Angeles?
Yes. The Grit Deconstruction workshop runs from 90 minutes to half a day and turns the keynote’s ideas into team habits and actions.
Can the keynote be delivered online for teams in Los Angeles?
Yes. A 30–45 minute virtual version is available for remote or hybrid audiences, delivered in your local time zone.
Who has Paris spoken for?
Past clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
Bring grit to your next Los Angeles event
Share your date and audience, or book a call.
More about Paris: About · The Grit Code · TV shows · Contact