SANTA MONICA, CA, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Hawke Media, the premier marketing partner for growth-stage companies, has unveiled the speaker roster for Hawkefest 2026, its premier marketing and business gathering, which will take control of the famous Santa Monica Pier on Thursday, October 1.
Hawkefest 2026 reimagines the standard business conference as a premium experience developed in collaboration with RASA World, a worldwide experiential production company known for staging large-scale events from Los Angeles and Miami to London, Dubai, and Ibiza. Dominating the Santa Pier, Hawkefest will merge RASA’s production skills with genuine dialogues and significant connections among the founders, marketers, brand creators, and entrepreneurs defining the future of business and commerce.
Every year, Hawkefest selects a fresh theme that enriches the experience beyond the main stage. For 2026, Hawkefest embraces a Renaissance theme, transforming the Santa Monica Pier with live period performers, sword-fighting demonstrations that attendees can participate in themselves, carnival games, turkey legs, seafood bags, a mead bar, a live pitching competition, and additional surprises scattered throughout the day.
Sessions will delve into what it requires to build and expand brands within today’s fast-shifting business environment, featuring discussions on marketing, brand development, growth, and the genuine realities of entrepreneurship. Founders and operators will share honest accounts of constructing their companies, covering the choices, obstacles, and insights that influenced their expansion.
The 2026 list of speakers includes:
– Rob Dyrdek: entrepreneur, media mogul, and CEO of Existence
– Sean Frank: CEO of Ridge
– Brian Lee: CEO and co-founder of Arena Club; founder of LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle and The Honest Company
– Fiona Ma: California State Treasurer
– Shaun Neff: founder of Beach House Group, the company behind Shay Mitchell’s BÉIS and Tracee Ellis Ross’ PATTERN
– Shadi Bakour: co-founder and CEO of PATH Water
– Peter Pham: co-founder and partner of Science Ventures, an early investor in Liquid Death and Dollar Shave Club
– Miles Rogers: chief marketing officer at Archer
– Chris Detert: chief communications officer at Influential, acquired by Publicis Groupe for $500 million
– Scott Kelly: founder and CEO of Black Dog Finance
Last year’s Hawkefest drew more than 800 participants, including growth-stage founders, executives, senior marketing leaders, and media representatives. This year, Hawkefest anticipates 1,500 attendees, making it the largest gathering in its history.
“I worked at Hawke Media nearly 10 years ago, so coming back to speak at Hawkefest is a really cool full-circle moment,” said Sean Frank, CEO of Ridge. “A lot has changed in ecommerce and brand building since then, and I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned building and scaling Ridge and having real conversations with other founders and operators doing the same.”
“Hawkefest has always been about creating something bigger than a traditional business conference,” said Erik Huberman, founder and CEO of Hawke Media. “We’ve spent more than a decade working alongside thousands of brands, founders and business leaders, and we’ve seen how valuable it is to bring those people together. Our role as an agency goes beyond the work we do for our clients. It’s about building an ecosystem where people can connect, share what they’re learning and create opportunities together.”
Hawkefest 2026 Event Details:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026
Time: 12:00–8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California
Hawkefest 2026 is supported by Greenlight Cyber, Banc of California, Reitler Law, Threecolts, ShipBob, Pressed Juicery, Drip Hydration, Oya Femtech Apparel, Stack Adapt, Black Dog Venture Partners and OUTFRONT Media.
Tickets and additional information are available at hawkefest.com
Members of the media interested in attending Hawkefest, interviewing speakers or arranging coverage can contact Anya Avedissian at anya@hawkemedia.com. Complimentary media passes are available for press.
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About Hawke Media
Hawke Media is one of the country's most rapidly expanding marketing agencies, dedicated to delivering bespoke, data-driven, and performance-centric solutions to help launch, scale, and revitalize businesses. As Your Outsourced CMO®, Hawke Media provides CMO-level expertise to brands of all sizes, creating customized strategies that align perfectly with each client’s unique needs.
Founded in 2014 by Erik Huberman, Hawke Media has helped more than 6,000 brands grow, including world-class names such as Red Bull, Funko, Barstool Sports, K-Swiss, and Crocs. For more information, visit www.hawkemedia.com
Anya Avedissian
Hawke Media
aavedissian@hawkemedia.com
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