Arick Wierson is a nationally renowned columnist for CNN, Newsweek, and the Observer. Previously, he has been a major contributor to NBC News, CNBC, Worth Magazine, the New York Daily News, and Vice. Wierson tackles major domestic political issues as well as the topics of disruption and innovation in business. A six-time Emmy®Award-winning television executive and documentary filmmaker, Wierson first rose to national prominence as a senior media and communications advisor to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, during which time he created NYC TV and NYC Media Group, the largest publicly-owned broadcast entity in the United States. Wierson began his career in investment banking with JP Morgan in New York City and later ABN AMRO in Brazil. From 2009 through 2016, Wierson was based in Luanda, Angola where he played a significant role in launching the country’s first private television network. Later, he founded Luanda Fashion Center, the first modern shopping mall in the country. In 2016 he returned to his native Minnesota and began working with the World’s Fair Bid Committee, which led to his involvement in MANOVA. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and holds a Master’s degree in economics from the State University of São Paulo at Campinas (UNICAMP.) In addition to MANOVA, he works as a political, communications and branding consultant to clients in the United States, Africa and Latin America. He speaks fluent Spanish and is bilingual in Portuguese and English. Wierson and his family reside in the Lake Minnetonka area of the Twin Cities. You can follow him on twitter @ArickWierson