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.
Download the teacher introduction ↗Season one
Watch the Spark Series
Eleven stories. Eleven different paths. One shared invitation to think like an entrepreneur.
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 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
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.
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 →