Chris Gannett

Role: President of DOC Cares and Dreams Experience Academy Met Date: May 14, 2025 (Virtual conversation) Last Interaction: May 14, 2025

Contact Information

• Email: [Update if available]
• Phone: [Update if available]
• Based in: Dallas, TX

Personal Background & Development

• Has 14-year-old twins
• Connected to Ari (mutual acquaintance with Gary Sheng)

Professional Background

• President of DOC Cares (connected to Dr. Dre/Andre Young)
• President of Dreams Experience Academy
• Building educational initiatives in the media, entertainment, and technology space
• Taking a "high-growth tech startup" approach to nonprofit work
• Has established numerous high-profile partnerships in entertainment and tech
• Has accomplished significant progress in just 18 months

Current Projects & Plans

• Creating Dreams Experience Academy in Southern Dallas
• Focusing on grades 7-12 students from underserved communities
• Building curriculum for pathways into media, entertainment, and tech industries
• Launching first program (game design) on June 2, 2025
• Partnering with Dallas YMCA and community organizations
• Organizing field trips to Taylor Sheridan's film set, Dallas Mavericks, GameSquare
• Raising $800,000 for 2025 operations
• Working on an AI project with Erica Wright (Erykah Badu) and Kendrick Lamar to recreate Easy-E's voice for what's described as "the first AI-embraced album"
• Developing a feature-length documentary (details not specified)

Areas of Expertise

• Education innovation for underserved communities
• Media and entertainment industry connections
• Startup-minded approach to nonprofit work
• Gaming/esports industry connections
• Curriculum development with workforce focus

Notable Connections

• Dr. Dre/Andre Young (DOC) - Primary partner
• Erica Wright (Erykah Badu)
• Kendrick Lamar
• Snoop Dogg
• Eminem
• Q-Tip
• Taylor Sheridan (Bosque Ranch)
• TD Jakes Foundation
• Dallas Mavericks
• GameSquare and Ninja (professional gamer)
• Matt Finnick (former CFO of Roblox and Marvel)
• Draper's social impact fund
• Big Thought Institute (curriculum partner)

Interaction Style & Perspectives

• Mission-focused, prioritizes outcomes over recognition
• Prefers to "do the work and talk about it" rather than making premature announcements
• Practical and data-driven in approach to education
• Sees education through workforce development lens
• Emphasizes real-world application and industry connections
• Values fast iteration and measuring impact

Key Quotes

"I want to be the guy behind the guy behind the guy behind the guy... we don't give a shit about celebrity."

"We're giving kids the opportunity to create real futures."

"We see an opportunity to create real futures and new pathways for motivated but under-champion kids grades 7 through 12 into the combined three trillion dollar media entertainment and technology industries."

"70% of consumers... don't see themselves represented in the product, which puts 300 and almost 350 billion dollars of non-white consumer spend at risk."

"We're building this like a high-growth tech startup... we are only interested in the outcomes and we are interested in the straightest path to that outcome."

"We're choosing to do the work and talk about it versus beat our chests and describe what we're going to do."

Recent Interactions

• May 14, 2025: Virtual conversation with Gary Sheng. Shared details about DOC Cares and Dreams Experience Academy initiatives. Discussed potential collaboration opportunities including an upcoming education event in Austin.

Strategic Value

• christofuture-prep: Chris's experience building Dreams Experience Academy for underserved youth (grades 7-12) and his startup-minded approach to education provide valuable insights for launching the K-8 microschool. His curriculum development expertise and industry partnerships could inform innovative educational programming.
• christofuture-foundation: With direct connections to influential figures like Dr. Dre, TD Jakes, Taylor Sheridan, and major entertainment industry players, Chris represents the type of high-influence individual who can advance kingdom impact through media and education. His DOC Cares work demonstrates kingdom-minded philanthropy.
• applied-ai-society: His experience with AI projects (recreating Easy-E's voice for "first AI-embraced album") and his data-driven approach to education innovation position him as both a potential community member and source of entertainment industry AI use cases.

Previous Collaboration Areas

• Exploring "DOC School" concept with Gary Sheng
• Participating in Gary's education event in Austin (planned for June 14, 2025)
• Connecting with Gary's network of education innovators
• Potential television/media project celebrating young genius
• Bringing entertainment industry connections to Alpha's specialized academies

Notes

Chris is leading innovative education initiatives focused on creating pathways for underserved youth into the media, entertainment, and technology industries. His approach combines traditional education with workforce development and leverages high-profile industry partnerships.

The Dreams Experience Academy model centers on addressing chronic absenteeism (reaching 46% in their target zip code) while providing relevant, engaging curriculum that leads to career opportunities. They're using a digital badge system to track and credential student progress.

Chris has direct connections to major entertainment figures, particularly in hip-hop, through his work with DOC Cares. This presents interesting collaboration opportunities with Alpha's vision of specialized academies featuring notable figures.

His startup-minded approach to nonprofit work aligns with Alpha's innovative education model, suggesting potential synergies in curriculum development, industry partnerships, and student engagement strategies.

Transcripts

Transcript ID	Date	Summary
2025-05-14-chris-gannett-doc-cares-conversation-summary	2025-05-14	Chris Gannett DOC Cares Conversation Summary