Every Last Word

Dallas Innovates’ signature series capturing what leaders across North Texas are saying — in their own words — about innovation, impact, and what’s next.

The Last Word: Steven Spielberg on Debuting “Jaws” at a Dallas Theater in 1975

by | Apr 2, 2025
The Medallion Theatre closed in 2001, but the Dallas moviehouse—once located in the Medallion Shopping Center at Skillman and Northwest Highway—hosted a key moment in film history. On March 26, 1975, it offered the first-ever public screening of "Jaws," the monster hit that invented the summer blockbuster. Now, with April here and summer looming, some are looking back at the screening that helped change Hollywood forever.
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The Last Word: Cardi B Reveals Her Skincare Secret From Raising Cane’s
by | Apr 1, 2025
Cardi B revealed her biggest skincare secret on Instagram Tuesday—and it has a North Texas connection. "Everyone always asks me how my skin looks so beautiful, so shiny, so amazing at the age of 32 with three kids, a job that stresses me out, and sleepless nights," the rapper said. "I've been using this new cream—it's the Cane's 'Moisturizing Sauce.' It's non-greasy, non-sticky, and it smells just like chicken."
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The Last Word: On the Opening Day Debut of the New Rangers Sports Network
by | Mar 27, 2025
It's opening day across Major League Baseball, and the Texas Rangers began the season at 3:05 p.m. with a 5-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Meanwhile, on screens across North Texas, viewers got to see the first-ever regular season broadcast by the team's new in-house Rangers Sports Network.
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The Last Word: Honoring Cancer Survivors with Public Art in Downtown Dallas
Later this spring, an inspiring work of public art is going up in downtown Dallas, honoring cancer survivors from its placement above the Cancer Survivors’ Plaza. The installation—originally conceived by artist and Aurora co-founder Joshua King in 2016—tells the deeply personal stories of four cancer survivors.
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The Last Word: On Nasdaq’s Plans for a New Regional HQ in Dallas

by | Mar 19, 2025
With the Texas Stock Exchange slated to launch trading in 2026 and the New York Stock Exchange planning its own launch of NYSE Texas, the Nasdaq is setting up its own home on Y'all Street. Yesterday the Nasdaq held a luncheon in Dallas honoring Ross Perot Jr. for his contributions to the thriving Texas economy—and announced that it will be opening a new regional headquarters in Dallas.
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The Last Word: DRC’s State of the Region Event Addresses High-Speed Rail and More
by | Mar 18, 2025
At the Dallas Regional Chamber's State of the Region event held in December, regional leaders addressed the opportunities and challenges of growth in North Texas—from mobility and high-speed rail to prioritizing green space over highways to ensuring health care for the uninsured.
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Michael Gorton’s latest book, “Tachyon Tunnel 2,” picks up the story of the Tranquility team as they take on a galaxy-spanning empire—blending in theoretical physics about particles that outrun light.
The Last Word: Teladoc Founder Michael Gorton on His Latest Frontier—Time Travel Sci-Fi
by | Mar 13, 2025
The Dallas entrepreneur’s new novel, “Tachyon Tunnel 2,” launches readers into space—built on the same big thinking that’s fueled more than 15 ventures.
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The Last Word: The TRA’s Victor Fishman on Why Advanced Mobility Is a Key North Texas Mission
by | Mar 12, 2025
The Texas Research Alliance helps businesses, public agencies, and governments engage with North Texas’ robust higher education research infrastructure to advance a wide range of goals. And yes, that includes mobility—which is why the TRA developed the North Texas Center for Mobility Technologies, a collaboration among industry, the North Central Texas Council of Governments, UNT, UTA, SMU, and UTD to develop advanced mobility technologies in North Texas.
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The Last Word: On Sam’s Club Donating $1.5M to Dallas’ Big Thought to Advance Youth Career Opportunities

by | Mar 6, 2025
Dallas-based Big Thought is one of two nonprofits who have each received a $1.5 million grant from Sam’s Club, part of a $3 million investment to help youth, aged 16-24, who are out of school and unemployed by providing them with meaningful career pathways.
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The Last Word: On Dave & Buster’s Launching a ‘Human Crane’ Experience and 6 New Arcade Games
by | Mar 5, 2025
Coppell-based Dave & Buster’s Entertainment is gearing up for spring break by dangling new enticements for visitors—including a new game that literally dangles guests up in the air. The all-new "Human Crane" experience is a life-sized version of the classic arcade claw machine—except here, guests act as the claw. Available in select Dave & Buster's locations nationwide, the Human Crane gently lowers guests into "a sea of oversized prizes," plus additional surprises throughout the year. 
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The Last Word: On the Center for BrainHealth’s Partnership With GoMo Health, 21 Impact Labs, and Virginia’s VHP
by | Feb 27, 2025
The Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas has announced three "major new partnerships" it says will enhance its mission to empower people at all ages and circumstances with science-backed approaches for proactive brain health and fitness. The center will be working with 21 Impact Labs, Gomo Health, and Virginia High Performance to advance proactive brain health and fitness approaches.
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The Last Word: Inside the ‘Trick Shot’ World of Dude Perfect’s Epic New Frisco Headquarters
by | Feb 25, 2025
What do you get when you combine a giant smoke-ring cannon, a chocolate-covered bone-in ice cream, and an 80,000-square-foot facility that its CEO describes as a "sports lover's Barbie Dream House"? The answer: A tour of Dude Perfect's jaw-dropping new headquarters in Frisco at The Star Business Park.
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The Last Word: Nominations Open for DFW Teachers to Experience ‘Teacher Retreat’ on Lake Austin

by | Feb 18, 2025
Do you know a deserving teacher in Dallas-Fort Worth who could use a break? Here's your chance to help. The Holdsworth Center, a nonprofit that builds stronger leaders for Texas public schools, is inviting North Texans to nominate a teacher for a weekend retreat at the center’s campus on Lake Austin—"a one-of-a-kind place dedicated to the idea that public education matters."
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The Last Word: Fort Worth-Based Bison Coolers on What It Feels Like to Star in a Super Bowl Ad—Thanks to Google

“Some moments are priceless.”

Fort Worth-based Bison Coolers
…. reflecting on the company’s Google Super Bowl ad appearance, via LinkedIn.

Despite the Cowboys missing out on Super Bowl LIX, a Fort Worth family business scored big during the championship game....

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The Last Word: How Advanced Therapies Week 2025 Positioned Dallas as a Life Sciences Leader
by | Feb 12, 2025
Advanced Therapies Week 2025—a conference focused on the latest innovations in cell and gene therapies, regenerative medicine, and other biotechnologies—attracted industry leaders, researchers, and visionaries to Dallas' Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in late January. Organized by London-based Phacilitate, the 4-day conference acted as a "collaborative hub" showcasing the intersection of cutting-edge science, transformative healthcare solutions, and dynamic regional collaboration.
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The Last Word: On Lyda Hill Philanthropies Partnering To Produce Women-in-STEM Movies and TV Shows
by | Feb 11, 2025
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science—an ideal day for a Dallas nonprofit to align with a Hollywood movie star to celebrate women in STEM in film and television. According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine to produce and distribute movies and TV shows that champion women's achievements in STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics). 
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