Name: What happens when you lose everything
Uploaded: 2008-07-09T01:00:00Z
Duration: 3 min 47 s
Description: Nine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward.

Nine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward.

David Hoffman: What happens when you lose everything

What happens when you lose everything

From a devastating fire, a filmmaker's resolve to transform tragedy into creative rebirth emerges, proving resilience can ignite from ashes.

An epiphany amidst loss: "You've got to make something good out of something bad" becomes a mantra for navigating life's unpredictability.

In the wake of a catastrophic fire, a filmmaker finds resilience, piecing together a new vision from the ashes of his lost archives.