Jonny Sun wears many hats, creating work across multiple fields and modes that speaks to the increasingly expansive society in which we live.

Why you should listen

Jonny Sun never felt that the multi-hyphenate description of screenwriter/humorist/author/artist/researcher/technologist made much sense. He is a writer for the Netflix original series BoJack Horseman and is currently writing the screenplay for an original idea with Fox Family and Chernin Entertainment. He also wrote and illustrated the best-selling graphic novel Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too, illustrated Lin-Manuel Miranda's GMorning, Gnight! and regularly writes online.

Sun is currently pursuing a PhD at MIT, where he's studying social media communities and making art about artificial intelligence with the metaLAB at Harvard. He helped develop The Laughing Room, a self-aware sitcom set that plays a laugh track based on what participants say in the room. His work explores how technology interfaces with our lived, human experiences, believing that this critical eye on technology is essential to the stories we tell about contemporary life.

Sun's work comes from deeply personal places, asking: "Does anyone else feel this way too?" He seeks to feel less alone in the world and to try to help others feel less alone, too -- by making things that connect to people, and then connect people; by making work that helps people feel seen and find each other. 

Jonny Sun’s TED talk

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