Steve Stoute has made a career of helping Fortune 500 companies thrive in the world of popular culture. He is the founder and CEO of the marketing firm Translation, whose client roster includes iconic brands like State Farm, McDonald’s Corporation, and Anheuser-Busch InBev. In 2014, Stoute was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. In 2013, Advertising Age recognized Stoute as its Executive of the Year.

Stoute is also author of the acclaimed book, The Tanning of America: How Hip Hop Created a Culture that Rewrote the Rules of the New Economy, which offers insightful lessons for understanding and engaging with today’s young adult market—what Stoute calls “The Tan Generation.”  The book was subsequently made into a four-part VH1 Rock Doc, “The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop,” which aired in February 2014.