Theme: the Spark Within

In three sessions we will put our lens on creativity and what ignites it in all of us, from a variety of points of view. The sessions will be Creating Opportunities, with a focus on business, finance, our community and outreach efforts, Creating Happiness, with a focus on mental and physical health, vitality, nutrition and lifestyle and Creating Beauty, where we will focus on the arts, as we are all inspired by the amazing venue of this year’s event.

TEDxAmericanRiviera
1070 Fairway Road
Santa Barbara, California, 93108
United States

Stefan Bucher

Stefan G. Bucher is the man behind the ongoing drawing and storytelling experiment The Daily Monster and the “Daily Letter” segments on the Emmy-winning reboot of the classic children’s TV show The Electric Company.

Robert Gupta

Robert Gupta joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in June 2007 at the age of 19. He received his Master’s degree in Music from Yale University and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Marist College. Parallel to his undergraduate studies in biology, Gupta attended the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music, Pre-College Division. His principal teachers have included Glenn Dicterow, Ani Kavafian, and Isaac Stern.

Matthew Kenney

Matthew Kenney is the world’s leading raw food chef, the writer of several best-selling cookbooks, and an entrepreneur specializing in the raw lifestyle. He graduated from the French Culinary Institute and, after working in upscale New York City kitchens, opened a number of his own highly regarded restaurants in New York and along the East Coast. He has earned several awards, including being named one of America’s Best New Chefs by Food and Wine Magazine and was twice nominated as a Rising Star Chef in America by the James Beard Foundation. Kenney has appeared on numerous food and talk shows, and regularly lectures on the subject of raw food and health, including a highly watched TEDx talk in 2011.

Jenna McCarthy

Jenna McCarthy is the author of five books including If It Was Easy They’d Call the Whole Damn Thing a Honeymoon: Living with and Loving the TV-Addicted, Sex-Obsessed, Not-So-Handy Man You Married (Berkley Books, October 2011). (Please note that it says the man you married, not the one she married. Her husband likes it when she points that out.) A former staff writer/editor with leading publishers in New York and Los Angeles, her work has been published in more than sixty magazines and anthologies around the world. Jenna also is the former host of Santa Barbara’s KTYD Early Show and is not related to Jenny McCarthy in any way!

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.

Eugene Lee

Eugene Lee is the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors at Socialtext. Lee oversees day-to-day management and operational control over all aspects of Socialtext’s business, including driving product direction and development, strategic alliances, and scaling the sales, marketing and support organizations globally.

Peter Matthies

Many of us are striving to create a career that combines success with an inner sense of fulfillment and balance. In a world where pressure and complexity are only increasing, this goal seems ever more evasive. In this speech, Conscious Business Institute founder Peter Matthies discusses the hidden forces that determine how we pursue success – and why we need to change our approach to success to create the fulfillment and happiness we seek.

Eric Goodman

In this talk Dr. Eric Goodman discusses altered human movement patterns that have led to increasing levels of physical degeneration and chronic injury. The effect of modern technology can be seen and felt daily. Recognizing the significant role proper movement plays in in our overall health is the most important step in beginning to remedy the epidemic of chronic pain. This talk will leave listeners inspired as Eric shows us what the return to our fundamental movement pattern looks and feels like and shares extraordinary stories of what can happen when you teach your body to move as it is designed.

Barry Berkus

Barry A. Berkus, A.I.A. is the founder and President of B3 Architects and Berkus Design Studio. He has remained on the forefront of design in the US and abroad for over forty-five years. His firms are involved in a broad range of projects, including resort and master planned communities, urban infill, commercial and institutional projects and residential design.

Tom Snow

“So, where do I get off thinking I have any business trying to create beauty? What presumptuous impulse leads me to sit down at the piano everyday banging out tune after tune in search of a beautiful melody. Who do I think I am?” Such are the thoughts that generally inhabit the artistic mind. Doubt, fear, free floating anxiety, dissatisfaction, low self regard, et cetera. Tom Snow puts all those things into what he calls the “Mulch Pile.” Somehow beautiful and delicious and life affirming things pop up out that mess. Pretty much the same way a rose comes out of the dirt. It’s primal. And it’s the ultimate act of faith.

John Boettner

John Seigel Boettner has yet to grow up. Being around kids for as long as he can remember, John’s calling has allowed him to bind work to play. In his TEDx classroom, John will share stories on how he learned is learning — learning what prayer is, learning how to pay attention, learning how to kneel and be idle, learning how to frolic in fields . . . how he is learning to (st)roll. John will share stories on making lesson plans for a wild and precious life. There will be a test. True/False. Multiple Choice. Essay. Your pillow will be your blue book. You may use both sides.