On the 10th of October 2010, the inaugural TEDxAmericanRiviera in Santa Barbara, California was held in a world-class setting at the stunning Bacara Resort and Spa.

We explored themes that celebrate the roots of the original TED Conference. The story goes that Richard Saul Wurman, the original founder of TED, noticed he was having amazing conversations with his wide range of friends in the areas of Technology, Entertainment and Design. He thought that it would be perfect if he could invite them all to Monterey, California to have a series of shared conversations that explored the diversity at the intersection of these topics and he named the event: TED: Technology, Entertainment and Design.

In October we sought out how imagination affects our lives and significantly influences Technology, Entertainment and Design. What does imagination mean to you? Does it evoke thoughts of wonder, delight and potential? Ideals and dreams? Making the impossible possible?

TEDxAmericanRivera explored all those topics and much more. On October 10, we focused on setting our minds free to ponder: Imagine that...

Santa Barbara
United States

Mike deGruy

Mike deGruy, who spoke at TED Galapagos in April 2010, is an accomplished diver and underwater cinematographer. deGruy has been filming in and on the ocean for three decades, and is as famous for his storytelling as he is for his glorious, intimate visions of the sea and the creatures who live in it.

Shaun Tomson

Shaun Tomson is an inspirational speaker, former world surfing champion, environmentalist, author, businessman and a spokesman for the The Surfrider Foundation. While the lessons Shaun shares are taken from the world

Debra Lieberman

Debra Lieberman, Ph.D., is a leading researcher and designer of digital games for learning and health behavior change. She teaches in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also directs the Health Games Research national program, aimed at advancing the research, design, and effectiveness of digital games for health.

Chris Orwig

Chris Orwig is a celebrated photographer, author and teacher. He is on the photography faculty at the Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, CA and he is the author of numerous best-selling books. More importantly, Chris brings unique perspective, creativity and passion to all that he does.

Jamey Marth

Dr. Jamey Marth is the Director of the collaborative Center for Nanomedicine, leading ground-breaking biomedical research that includes nano-sized “smart devices” which diagnose, target, treat and cure disease before it can cause symptoms and spread. The work being done at the Center for Nanomedicine will revolutionize medicine and how we treat the human condition.

Jay Freeman

Jay Freeman, better known as saurik, is fondly referred to as the “Godfather of Jailbreaking”. He was an integral part of the team that first successfully jailbroke an iPhone. He is also the founder of Cydia, the Apple App Store alternative for jailbroken iPhones.

Yulun Wang

Yulun Wang, Ph.D. is a world renowned authority on healthcare robotics. His work includes development of the RP-7®, which stands for “remote presence,” to assist doctors in delivering care.

Megan Birney

Megan Birney is the Renewable Energy Specialist at the Community Environmental Council, a non-profit leader in environmental issues in Santa Barbara for forty years. Megan is an expert in distributed and utility scale renewable energy.

Larry Barels

Larry Barels was founder and chief executive officer of Wavefront Technologies, a leading innovator of graphics software for the film, interactive multimedia, industrial design and visualization markets.

Noah benShea

Noah benShea is an international best-selling author, and respected scholar, theologian, long range thinker and executive advisor. His inspirational thoughts are branded and tied with some of the largest companies including Starbucks, American Greetings, Lucky Brand Jeans, C&H Sugar, and Costco.

Melodee Meyer

Melodee Meyer, a.k.a. Master Mel, is a 4th Degree Black Belt, a Certified Fitness Trainer, and an Inspirational Speaker who has created nationally licensed fitness, personal development and self defense programs. Melodee is the President of Kickboxers, Inc., breaks boards with her bare hands, and can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Keith Witt

Dr. Keith Witt is a licensed psychologist who has practiced psychotherapy in Santa Barbara for over thirty-seven years. He is the author of four books on individual, couples, and family psychotherapy. His dissertation exploring somatic psychotherapy was entitled An investigation of the effectiveness of talking plus touching in enhancing health.

Brian Cearnal

Brian Cearnal, AIA, LEED AP is the founder of Cearnal Andrulaitis LLP, a 27 year old Santa Barbara architecture and interior design firm responsible for some of the most recognizable projects on the South Coast including The Canary Hotel, Maravilla, Braille Institute, and “El Carrillo”, a Housing Authority project that recently received a National AIA Design Award.

Margaret Cafarelli

Margaret Cafarelli is the founder of Urban Developments, a real estate investment firm with a strong focus on sustainable and socially responsible development, incorporating green building practices in everything they do.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Jim Fitzpatrick, a descendent of Thomas Fitzpatrick, who first explored California in 1851 alongside Jedediah Smith, is a California native and has been involved with Montessori education for more than 40 years. He and his wife, Frances, founded Santa Barbara Montessori School in 1975; he is currently SBMS’s Head of School, and vice-chair of the Montessori Administrators Association.

John Davies

John Davies, is a founding board member of a National Bank, has served as Chair of Westmont University and California’s Economic Forecast Project, past president of the nation’s largest scholarship foundation, and with a group of friends has been purchasing upper-middle-class homes in South Africa and has been operating them in a family-like manner to raise HIV positive orphans.

Don Oparah

Don Oparah, Ph.D is the founder and CEO of VAI Global, an online Innovation Community that connects entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and others active in building high growth, high impact companies and organizations.

John La Puma

John La Puma, MD is a board certified internist and professionally trained chef, and is also known as “ChefMD”, Dr. La Puma is the country’s leading physician voice for healthful food in health care and is the first physician to teach cooking and nutrition in a U.S. medical school.