ExitEvent intern Caitlin Grimes contributed.
Over the last year, a handful of local startup leaders have published books offering advice or insights from their personal entrepreneurial journeys. Podcast and video have become increasingly popular mediums for discussion and conversation between entrepreneurs as well.
There was enough activity for us to start keeping track of local authors and content creators, in hopes of eventually publishing a list of people in our startup community positioning themselves as thought leaders for startups and startup workers in various industries and disciplines. Here’s what we’ve got so far. Please email laura@exitevent.com with any additions.

Authors

Dan Heath is a Durham-based fellow at the Duke University CASE Center and co-author of a series of bestselling business books with his brother Chip. Their book Switch, in particular, was named one of the best nonfiction bestsellers of 2010 and spent 47 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Dan and his brother have had their books translated into over 30 languages.
 
Dan Ariely: Irrationally Yours (and other books) 
Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and founder of the Center for Advanced Hindsight, where a team of researchers work with major brands to better understand consumer behavior. Using the help of a New York Times cartoonist, Ariely expands on stories from his advice column that was featured in the Wall Street Journal. He is also the author of numerous other books such as Predictably Irrational, The Upside of Irrationality, and The Honest Truth about Dishonesty.  
Annie Franceschi: Skip to Action: 22 Free and Meaningful Ways to Start Your First Small Business Right Now
Annie Franceschi is the owner and creative director for Greatest Story Creative, located in Durham. Borrowing from lessons learned working for Disney in California, she helps businesses tell their stories and celebrate what makes them unique. Franceschi published a free ebook earlier this year, diving into the issues and fears she faced at the start of her own business. She aims to use her experiences to help other entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls. 
ChannelAdvisor founder and chairman Scot Wingo and a co-host explore the latest innovation in e-commerce and shopper marketing in this weekly show. The podcast covers general topics such as the “future of retail” along with profiling specific companies like Amazon. Scot, who’s based in the Triangle, is joined by Jason Goldberg, senior vice President of commerce and marketing for Razorfish and creator of the “retailgeek” blog. 
Victor Jimenez is a podcast entrepreneur, a business coach and a cycling enthusiast based in Chapel Hill. While a lot of his time is spent on the Cycling 360 podcast for cycling enthusiasts, he also hosts this podcast, featuring entrepreneurs and creative individuals from a variety of sectors. 
 
Hosted by Allyson Sutton of HQ Raleigh and Ryan Finch of Leadership exChange, this podcast highlights local individuals and businesses that are helping the Triangle become one of the top five places in the country for innovation and entrepreneurship. The most recent show provided a 2015 year in review by Bobby Ocampo from DC-based Revolution Ventures, as well as leaders at Mati Energy, Archive Social, Pendo and Undercover Colors.
 
Tales from the Cask is a weekly podcast about craft beer produced by Mims Distributing and hosted by Chip Mims, Tony Walldroff and Jennifer Balik. All three hosts work in the beer industry and host the podcast from a little bar in Raleigh. 
Michael Penney is a military veteran who works to inspire other military veterans to add value in the world, while telling their stories via a website, blog and podcast. Penney recently shared his story at TEDxRaleigh, and is a member of the inaugural class of Bunker Labs.