Leslie Odom Jr. keynote speaker

Leslie Odom, Jr. is a multifaceted, award-winning vocalist, songwriter, author, and actor. With a career that spans all performance genres, he has received recognition with Tony and Grammy Awards as well as multiple Emmy and Academy Award nominations for his excellence and achievements in Broadway, television, film, and music. Most recently, Odom made his long-awaited return to Broadway to star in, and co-produce, the new Broadway production of the classic American comedy Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch by the legendary Ossie Davis, which opened in September 2023 to widespread critical acclaim. Additionally, he stars in the highly anticipated sequel to the original iconic film The Exorcist for Blumhouse and Universal Pictures. Odom is a BMG recording artist and has released four full-length albums.

Odom starred in and performed the songs of legendary singer Sam Cooke in the critically acclaimed Amazon film adaptation of One Night in Miami…, directed by Regina King. His portrayal of the soul icon was met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, earning him nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others. King also enlisted Odom to write, compose, and perform the film’s original song, “Speak Now,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar and has since earned him a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Song as well as several other award nominations.

He starred in The Many Saints of Newark, a prequel to David Chase’s Award-winning HBO series The Sopranos that was released in theaters and on HBO Max. Recently, Odom starred in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which broke records for Netflix and is currently streaming worldwide. The film debuted as Netflix’s #1 movie in its premiere week and has already secured its position as the #5 most popular movie of all time on the platform. He can also be heard voicing the character of ‘Owen Tillerman’ in Season 3 of the Apple TV+ animated musical-comedy series Central Park, for which he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance. Odom hosted “The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!” on CBS, earning his third Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) in 2022. Throughout the live 2-hour special event, he performed various musical numbers with David Byrne, John Legend, Audra McDonald, and many others. Additional film and television credits include the Disney+ filmed musical performance of the original Broadway production of Hamilton (2021 Emmy nomination, Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie), the limited series Love in the Time of Corona, which he executive produced and co-starred opposite Nicolette Robinson, Abbott Elementary, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder on Disney+, Harriet, Murder on the Orient Express, Only, Red Tails, Smash and many more.

Well known for his breakout role as the original ‘Aaron Burr’ in the smash hit Broadway musical Hamilton, Odom won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for his performance as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. He made his Broadway debut in RENT at the age of 17. He also starred opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda and Karen Olivo in a City Center Encores! revival of Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom! Odom returned to the New York City stage in a solo concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The cabaret-style performance was crafted around signature songs and music that shaped this artist's journey, all performed with a world-class band in front of a live audience. The show was filmed for broadcast as an hour-long PBS special as part of the 17-time Emmy Award-winning series, Live from Lincoln Center.

A Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Odom’s self-titled debut album was part-funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign and released by Borderlight Entertainment, Inc. His new label home, S-Curve, rereleased an expanded version with additional material and the album reached #1 on the Billboard Jazz charts and charted in the Billboard Top 200. Odom topped the charts once again with the rerelease of his second album and first holiday album, Simply Christmas, as a deluxe edition with new arrangements and new songs. Simply Christmas hit #1 on iTunes and the Billboard Jazz charts, #4 on the Billboard Holiday chart, and #31 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Odom released his third full-length album and first of original material, Mr, in November 2019, and the following October teamed up with nine-time Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum artist Sia to debut a new version of standout track “Cold.” His critically acclaimed second holiday album, The Christmas Album, was released in November 2020. Released in November 2023, Odom’s fifth full-length album and his first of all-new original music since 2019, When A Crooner Dies, features a collection of 10 newly penned, original tracks that mark his most personal body of music to date. He has performed at the White House, Super Bowl, Oscars, Grammys, and on hallowed stages such as Lincoln Center, Rockefeller Center, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Odom added the title of author to his resume with the release of his book – Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. Written in the style of a commencement speech, the book brings together what Odom has learned in life so far, tapping into universal themes of starting something new, following your passions, discovering your own potential, and surrounding yourself with the right people. Failing Up is about unlocking your true potential and making your dreams come true even when it seems impossible. The book was published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers. Co-written with Nicolette Robinson, Odom’s first children’s book, I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know, was published by Feiwel & Friends. The book debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at #7 in its first week.