Episode 01
Marketing and Branding
with Wade Breitzke
WeCreate
Build a compelling brand narrative, understand digital marketing and learn what it takes to earn your first customers.
A SparkED learning experience
Real stories.
Ready to teach.
Short documentary-style interviews and classroom activities bring entrepreneurship, innovation and real-world problem-solving to life.
Explore the episodes ↓
WatchDiscussCreate
Part of SparkED
Igniting entrepreneurial thinking.
SparkED by the Society of Innovators is Northwest Indiana’s hub for youth entrepreneurship and innovation education.
It brings together storytelling, hands-on learning, educator support and professional development to ignite curiosity in classrooms and communities. The Spark Series gives students the chance to learn directly from local entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers creating real impact.
01
Watch
Meet a Northwest Indiana entrepreneur or innovator through a short documentary-style conversation.
02
Discuss
Reflect on the guest’s decisions, challenges and lessons using focused classroom questions.
03
Create
Apply the ideas through a hands-on activity designed to fit within a single class period.
For educators
Flexible resources for authentic learning.
Every episode is paired with a Spark Lesson featuring a student worksheet, discussion prompts and a short classroom activity. These quick sparks help learners connect what they see on screen to their own ideas and goals.
The Spark Series Teacher Intro Guide provides suggestions for preparing students, encouraging active viewing, leading discussion and helping learners apply what they discover.
Download the Teacher Intro Guide ↓Free educator resource. No form required.Spark Series Learning Library
Real stories. Ready to teach.
Explore short documentary-style conversations with entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers. Each available lesson includes a student worksheet and teacher guide designed for discussion, reflection and hands-on learning.
Collection one
Spark Series
Fifteen stories featuring different entrepreneurial paths, industries and approaches to solving problems.
Episode 02
Product Development and Launch
with Allyson Straka
Frozen Garden
Explore customer feedback, minimum viable products and the process of turning a simple idea into a growing national brand.
Episode 03
Opportunity Recognition and Innovation
with Carol Podolak
BNutty
See how entrepreneurial curiosity, an unmet need and a side hustle grew into a product sold around the world.
Episode 04
Entrepreneurial Mindset and Leadership
with Maurice “Chef Blāque” Shelton
Steel City Bakery
Learn how resilience, character and personal vision can turn obstacles into fuel for building a values-driven business.
Episode 05
Building a Values-Led Company
with Dr. Nassim Abdi
StoryBolt
Consider investment, strategic pivots and how founders can remain grounded in purpose through seasons of change.
Episode 06
Innovating a Family Business
with Sam Cooper
PolyJohn
Explore product development, the future of manufacturing and innovation inside a third-generation family business.
Episode 07
Product Development and Launch
with Emily D. Edwards
Paradise Spreads
Follow the transition from social work to entrepreneurship and the creation of an inclusive consumer brand from scratch.
Episode 08
Entrepreneurial Mindset and Product Innovation
with DJ Moore
Erosion & Construction Solutions, Inc.
Discover sustainable product innovation, green technology and the challenges of scaling a values-based company.
Episode 09
Understanding Markets and Customers
with Joellen and Lewis Matzat
Lewellen Blooms
See how rural entrepreneurship and a small act of kindness blossomed into a community-minded flower business.
Episode 10
Innovating Authentically
with Edward Garza
El Popular
Learn how a century-old family brand balances cultural authenticity, consumer insight and continuous product innovation.
Episode 11
Entrepreneurial Mindset and Leadership
with Charita Lucas
dOSA Naturals and Future Cycle Breakers
Explore business, social impact and the importance of showing young people what is possible through entrepreneurship.
Episode 12
Figuring It Out
with Charlie Kimball
Professional race car driver
Learn how preparation, adaptability and persistence help innovators navigate uncertainty and continue moving forward.
Episode 13
Paving Your Own Way
with Olivia West
Professional speaker and brand strategist
Explore personal branding, storytelling and the confidence required to create opportunities and pursue an original path.
Episode 14
Problem Solving and Entrepreneurship
with Emmani Ellis
IronWorkz and No Limit Living
See how entrepreneurial thinking, community leadership and creative problem-solving can turn challenges into opportunities.
Episode 15
Turning Ideas Into Action
with Joshua Avila
NEX Marketing
Learn how preparation, customer relationships and complementary team strengths help transform an early idea into a growing business.
Collection two
Artrageous + SPARK
Six creative entrepreneurship stories produced in collaboration with Artrageous with Nate.
Episode 01
Forging Success
with Nathan Brandt
Coal Iron Works
Explore product design, skilled trades and the entrepreneurial process behind creating tools for makers around the world.
Episode 02
Skilled Trades and Entrepreneurship
with Consuela Poland Lockhart
Latinas Welding Guild
See how technical skills, entrepreneurship and community leadership can expand opportunity and reshape an industry.
Episode 03
The Artistry of Baking
with Caylyn Pruitt
CayPops
Discover how creativity, experimentation and customer experience come together in a distinctive food-based business.
Episode 04
The Art of Custom Vinyl
with Chris Banta
Romanus Records
Explore how artistic experimentation, manufacturing and an unconventional idea created a one-of-a-kind record company.
Episode 05
Design and Purpose
with Michael Green
Flags for Good
Learn how meaningful design, clear values and a mission-driven business model can turn creativity into community impact.
Video coming soon
Episode 06
Indy Toy Lab
with Indy Toy Lab
Toy design and creative entrepreneurship
Explore imagination, prototyping and the process of transforming playful ideas into products people can experience.
Video coming soonStudent worksheet coming soonTeacher guide coming soon
For the next generation
Every innovator’s story can spark another.
For 20 years, the Society has recognized Northwest Indiana innovators. SparkED carries that legacy forward by helping young people see themselves as the problem-solvers, creators and entrepreneurs we will recognize next.
Bring Spark to your learners →