Signature keynote
Delivered at iJS Munich & San Diego
The Paths of Wisdom: AI and the Storyteller
Building for storytellers means getting out of their way. That instinct is what decides where AI belongs in the work, and where it does not.
Speaking
I help leaders decide what is worth building
Keynotes, sessions, and workshops on AI in creative work, on the questions that grow a team's judgment, and on what a career across entertainment, big tech, and startups teaches about deciding. Keynotes from Munich to Vancouver to San Diego, and I still like the small rooms best.
Core topics
Questions That Build
When Listening Is Not Enough
Most leaders get good at having the answers. I am more interested in asking questions that leave someone able to find their own.
Leadership Lessons from Middle Earth
The fellowship is a study in character, and half of what it teaches is what goes wrong. Courage, pride, loyalty, and doubt shape a team's ceiling more than any process does.
Innovation Across Industries
The same problem shows up in ISP portals, fulfillment centers, streaming platforms, and healthcare training, wearing different clothes each time. Recognizing it early is most of what breadth is actually worth.
The Career Nobody Plans
Most career advice assumes you picked a direction and went deep. Mine went sideways, and the part worth teaching is how each next step got chosen.
Multi-Tenant Architecture Strategy
Multi-tenancy is a series of decisions about where to draw the line between tenants, and the right line follows your isolation and security requirements rather than a pattern. This one comes with code.
Technology Adoption in Enterprise Organizations
Enterprise adoption stalls on who gets to decide and what counts as enough evidence to move. The technology is usually the easy part.
Recent engagements
May 2025iJS San Diego3 sessionsSan Diego, CA
Nov 2024iJS Munich2 sessionsMunich, Germany
Sep 2024iJS New York2 sessionsNew York, NY
Oct 2023All Things OpenRaleigh, NC
Sep 2023iJS New York2 sessionsNew York, NY
Nov 2022All Things Open, 10th AnniversaryRaleigh, NC
Oct 2022International JavaScript ConferenceMunich, Germany
Oct 2021All Things OpenRaleigh, NC
Sep 2019Music City TechNashville, TN
Apr 2019Open Source 101Columbia, SC
13 earlier engagements
Mar 2019ConFoo MontrealMontreal, QC
Feb 2019JSConf HawaiiHonolulu, HI
Oct 2018All Things OpenRaleigh, NC
Oct 2018Node + JS InteractiveVancouver, BC
Jul 2018Triangle Linux Users GroupRaleigh, NC
May 2018Revolution ConfVirginia Beach, VA
Apr 2018Open Source 101Columbia, SC
Mar 2018NC State IT ClubRaleigh, NC
Feb 2018BJU Computer ScienceGreenville, SC
Feb 2018Open Source 101Raleigh, NC
Aug 2017Midwest JSMinneapolis, MN
Aug 2017Seattle JSSeattle, WA
Nov 2016NodevemberNashville, TN
From people I've worked with
Garth has an exceptional ability to cut through complexity and bring clarity at exactly the moments it matters most. He helped us move faster with more confidence and fewer missteps.
Garth has an uncanny ability to listen deeply, challenge assumptions with care, and translate technical complexity into clear decisions. He doesn't just advise. He partners with you through the uncertainty.
He listens first, understands the real problem, then guides you to the right answer.
Speaker kit
Short bio — 40 words
Garth Henson is a technology leader and international keynote speaker raised on Guam. He has spent over two decades helping teams decide what is worth building, including nearly a decade of technology for storytellers at Disney and Lucasfilm. He currently serves as VP of Engineering at Muse.
Travelling from the Research Triangle in North Carolina. Will consider remote sessions individually.