In 2016, Rina Rovinelli and Dan Shaikh launched Speaker Slam® with a question: what happens when you give everyday people a professional stage to share their most powerful story?
The answer surprised everyone. Audiences wept. Speakers found healing. Videos went viral. Careers were born. A community formed around the idea that storytelling creates empathy, and empathy changes the world.
Ten seasons later, over 1,000 speakers have stood on our stage. Some arrived with decades of experience. Others had never held a microphone. The stage treated them the same. At Speaker Slam®, the story is the great equalizer.
2016
Speaker Slam® launches in Toronto. The first competition fills a room with 200 people who came to hear strangers tell the truth. The format is simple: 10 speakers, 5 minutes, 1 theme.
2017
The competitions sell out every month. Speakers begin traveling from across Canada and the U.S. to compete. The first Grand Slam finals are held at CBC Glenn Gould Studio.
2019
Speaker Slam® speakers go viral. Partnerships with Goalcast, Jay Shetty, Power of Positivity, and other platforms turn Speaker Slam® videos into global content. Gina Hatzis's "Too Much Woman" speech is seen tens of millions of times and translated into 7 languages.
2021
Speaker Slam® adapts and expands. New speaker certification programs launch. The Momentum Membership begins offering year-round training to speakers at every level.
2024
Momentum Speakers launches as a standalone brand. Speaker development, corporate training, and speaker booking move to their own home at momentumspeakers.com, allowing Speaker Slam® to focus entirely on the competition.
2026
Season 10. The anniversary season. Five qualifier themes, the Grand Slam finals, and a decade of proof that one speech really can change your life.
