Jon Wexler has an unbridled passion for basketball, sneakers and hip hop. Through his love for these three things he has embarked on an illustrious career as a global influencer. His idea was conveyed through a crash course in failing forward and permitting oneself to fail. "What do you want to be when you give up" challenges the paradigm of determination in all of us.
Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, Jon Wexler has lived in Portland for the better part of the past 18 years where he has emerged as one of the most influential people in the sneaker community. He has worked his way up from an entry-level product role to that of Senior Director of Entertainment and Influencer Marketing at adidas. In this role he focuses squarely on people, and relationship management.
is his art.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at