Dr. Gigi Louisa Johnson

Futurist · Educator · Creative Technologist · Systems Thinker

Dr. Gigi Johnson helps people and organizations make sense of—and make choices inside—an AI-enmeshed, fast-changing world. Her work sits at the intersection of futures thinking, narrative exploration, and practical AI use, helping individuals, teams, and communities build agency instead of overwhelm.

She designs and leads experiences like Discovery Salons, Futures Jam, Ready to Zag, AI for Career Shifts, and GoldKey Archive—programs that blend foresight, storytelling, and hands-on experimentation. Think: futures literacy with humor, tools you can actually use, and just enough play to unlock real insight.

Why People Bring Gigi In

Gigi doesn’t teach “AI 101.” She helps people live with AI—and think beyond it.

Her sessions help participants:

• Decode hype, signals, and algorithmic influence
• Reframe careers, creative work, and decisions in nonlinear ways
• Use AI as a clarity and imagination tool—not a replacement brain
• Leave with artifacts: maps, prompts, frameworks, and next steps

The result: fewer abstract futures slides, more “oh—that changes how I decide things.”

A Career Bridging Finance, Media, and Futures

Through Rethink Next, Gigi designs futures-focused programs for creatives, educators, civic leaders, and organizations navigating systemic change.

Previously:

• SVP / Managing Director, Bank of America – Led entertainment, media, and telecom M&A financing; evaluated early mobile, radio, cable, and independent film risk at scale.
• SVP, Studio 4 Networks – Worked on early video-on-demand channel strategies.
• UCLA (20+ years) – Founded and ran the Center for Music Innovation; taught media transformation, marketing, and digital strategy across the Herb Alpert School of Music and UCLA Anderson; led global programs from Spain to Abu Dhabi.

She also co-created Amplify Music, a 25-hour global summit supporting local music ecosystems during the pandemic—because futures work gets real when systems break.

Her innovation insights have been featured or cited by BBC, NPR (Marketplace & Morning Edition), New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Billboard, Reuters, Le Monde, and others.

Creative & Media Work

Gigi brings a maker’s mindset to foresight:

• Host/producer of Creative Innovators, Innovating Music, and Amplify Music Conversations podcasts and YouTube channels
• Designer of narrative futures games, speculative storytelling, and immersive workshops
• Creator of original media, learning tools, and collaborative formats that travel across sectors

Her work has been featured or cited by BBC, NPR (Marketplace & Morning Edition), New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, Billboard, Reuters, Le Monde, and others.

Education

• EdD, Educational Leadership for Change, Organizations and Technology Change focus — Fielding Graduate University
• MBA, Finance & Accounting — UCLA Anderson
• BA, Cinema-Television Production — University of Southern California

Speaking & Workshops (Selected)

SXSW · Web Summit · Collision · Academy of Management · EPIC International Summit · Augmented World Expo · Music Biz · NARM · UCLA conferences · U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development · universities, cities, and cultural organizations worldwide