THE CIRCUIT 

LEADING AUTHORITIES' ROUND UP OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, TRENDS, AND PERSONALITIES ON THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT

With not too many days left until the kiddos are back in class and you tackle the obligatory back to school night small talk, I hope the next few issues of The Circuit provide you with some smart, casual banter. From the typical topics of kids and school to the ever present news cycle and the more artsy documentary scene, this week’s bites include a little something for every personality.

(If you don’t have kids or school-aged kids, not to worry. This is all for you too! It’s good shopping advice and a sneak peak of what you’ll soon be seeing on HBO and Netflix.)

Did You REALLY Get A Deal?
Still collecting all the back-to-school necessities? Behavioral economics expert, Jeff Kreisler, is encouraging parents to keep their eyes open as they add things to their shopping carts and pay attention to the decoy price. “Don’t go based upon what they tell you it used to be or should be, think about what it’s worth to you, whether you want to spend money on that item or save it and use if for something else.” Kreisler also believes in not sweating the small stuff. So go ahead and choose the sparkly notebooks that are 50 cents more, but focus on the big ticket items.

How Do You Take Your News?
In a new turn in the ever-disrupted news industry, HBO announced a deal with Axios last week to produce a documentary series of news-oriented specials. Calling it a “new, smarter way to better understand politics, business, technology and our lives,” Axios CEO Jim VandeHei says the combination of Axios and HBO is “a powerful way of bringing clarity and meaning to the most consequential topics.”

The Next Documentary On Your Must Watch List
Debuting its world premiere at the Banff Film Festival in October The Weight of Water follows blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer in his latest undertaking as he kayaks the Grand Canyon. Filmmaker Michael Brown describes the extraordinary and emotional film, “It’s the lead up that’s really intense; when you come on the horizon, and it goes from smooth and glassy to the rapids…that’s where it really gets you in the guts and all of your instincts say, ‘stop.’” On what drives him to press through these incredible adventures, Weihenmayer says, “People can get shoved into dark places and they get lost and can’t climb out. I want to reach them and teach them. Show them there’s a process and there’s a tool kit that they can build to live a no-barriers life.”