In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

New World Stages
340 W 50th St
New York, New York, 10019
United States

Adam Sobel

Adam Sobel is a professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and Engineering School. He studies the dynamics of climate and weather, particularly in the tropics. In recent years he has become particularly focused on understanding the risks to society from extreme weather events and climate change. In recent years Sobel has received awards from the American Meteorological Society, the AXA Research Fund, and the American Geophysical Union. He is author or co-author of over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles; a book, Storm Surge (Harper-Collins), about Hurricane Sandy and climate change; and many op-eds and articles in the mainstream media, including the New York Times, CNN, Los Angeles Times, and many others. He currently hosts a podcast, Deep Convection, featuring wide-ranging conversations with other climate scientists.

Ash Marinaccio

Ash Marinaccio is a multidisciplinary documentarian, theatre artist, and Ph.D. Candidate in Theatre and Performance at the CUNY Graduate Center, where her research investigates documentary theatre and theatre in war/conflict zones. For her work, Ash has received a Lucille Lortel Visionary Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, been listed as one of Culture Trip's “50 Women in Theatre You Should Know”, a recipient of a Drama League Residency, a NY Public Humanities Fellow, and is a TED Speaker. Ash recently founded Docbloc (docbloc.org), dedicated to bringing documentary artists from across genres together to create live performance projects. She is the founding artistic director of the United Nations recognized NGO Girl Be Heard and creator of the digital documentary series Stage Left, which is currently available on Roku.

Bryan Joseph Lee

Bryan Joseph Lee is a creative producer, arts marketer, and civic organizer with a decades-long career building community at a local, national, and international level. He is the founder of CNTR ARTS, a creative agency that centers artists, activists, and communities of color through strategic consulting and civic placemaking projects.

Emma Daniels

Emma Daniels has been challenging the world’s idea of who she is supposed to be by making it her mission to create her own identity. Being blind from birth, she has overcome numerous challenges to achieve her goals. Born and raised in South Africa, Emma moved to the United States as an International Student. She earned her BFA in Acting (summa cum laude) at the New York Film Academy in May 2021 as their first blind student. Besides acting, Emma is a singer, speaker, and dog lover. She hopes to use her story to inspire others to write their own despite the world’s view of who they should be. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

Irene Gandy

IRENE GANDY, winner of the 2020 Tony Honors Excellence in Theatre Award, has recently been appointed to Drama League Board of Directors. She is the only Black female press agent member of ATPAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) for over 50 years. Working with Producer Jeffrey Richards for over 3 decades, she is a Tony-Award winning producer on Broadway for The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess and was a producer for Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill starring Audra MacDonald. Upcoming 2022-2023 Producing credits include a revival of Pal Joey co-directed by Tony Goldyn and Savion Glover and Ohio State Murders starring Audra MacDonald. She was also co-producer with Voza Rivers on the National tour of South African musical Sarafina. In 2008, she became the first female press agent to be immortalized with a Sardi’s caricature. A fashionista known for her furs, in 2015 she launched a signature collection featured in Vogue Magazine and debuted the Lady Irene Fur line in 2022. Other credits include The Great Society, American Son, China Doll, Fiddler on the Roof, and You Can't Take It With You. Gandy began her career in 1968 as a publicist with Douglas Turner Ward and Robert Hooks’ Negro Ensemble Company. Since then, she has worked on over 100 Broadway shows. including August Osage In addition to her work in theatre, she was Associate Director of Special Markets for CBS Records, working with such artists as Earth, Wind and Fire, and The Jacksons. Gandy is the Press Consultant for Harlem Week and is the recipient of the 2021 “Broadway Comes Uptown” 2019 Appreciation Award from the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, “Pioneer Award" for Excellence she was honored with the NAACP-LGBQT David Weaver Prize for Excellence in the Arts. In 2020, Gandy was inducted into New York Public Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library as part of The League of Professional Theatre Women’s Oral History Project. Gandy currently serves on the boards of City College for the Arts, HARLEM WEEK, and New Heritage Theater.

Jonathan Rockefeller

Jonathan Rockefeller and Rockefeller Productions have received global acclaim for their adaptations of such iconic works as Winnie the Pooh, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Paddington Bear. Rockefeller’s production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, based on the books of renowned author/illustrator Eric Carle, tours in over 12 countries. Its debut run in New York City, along with New York Times Critic’s Pick Paddington Gets In a Jam, both resulted in a Drama Desk and Off-Broadway Alliance nominations. Most recently, Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation (produced in association with Disney Theatrical Productions) premiered Off-Broadway in 2021. The show is currently playing in Chicago, returning to New York this summer. Alongside Rockefeller’s theatre work, ‘Paddington’ was commissioned by Studio Canal to be filmed as a holiday special: Paddington Saves Christmas. That Golden Girls Show! is a 16-part mini-series available online, and the award-winning short film, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, narrated by Bernadette Peters, continues to delight fans of Eric Carle’s work.

Junior Mintt

Junior Mintt is a drag artist, business owner, and motivational speaker based in Brooklyn. She is a proud Black Transwoman out to show how Minty the world can be with a little kindness, empathy, and a strong Black, Trans, Queer perspective. She is the creator of Mintty Makeup, one of the first Black Trans Makeup lines. Mintty Makeup has been featured in Buzzfeed, Paper Magazine, and Vogue Beauty. She's been featured in Vogue, The CUT, ID, and Gayletter for the work she does not only on the stage, but also in the community. She's a co-host of the Brooklyn Liberation March. She’s the creator and producer of “In Living Color,” a drag variety show operating for 3 years, showcasing the talents of the Black, Brown and Trans community members. Junior Mintt has brought to life her message of Black Transpower through her comedic, thought-provoking drag performances all over NYC, her work mentoring teen and young artists at the Brooklyn Arts Exchange and the Future Perfect Project. Whether it’s a stage, classroom or runway, when you see Junior Mintt, you'll leave feeling motivated and embraced.

Justin Schuman

Justin Schuman is a passionate multi-hyphenate and entrepreneur currently in the cast of Broadway's Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. He owns and runs a headshot photography studio in New York City, Jshoots. He’s an authenticity strategist and content creator with a diverse roster of clients and a following of over 200k across multiple social platforms. As a consultant to CEOs, mega-influencers, & creatives, he considers social media a tool for self-discovery, and he empowers his clients to explore their authenticity through content creation. Justin distills his client's stories and breaks down the energetics behind the tools in their human toolbox, allowing them to show up as their most purposeful and consciously chosen version of self on social and in life. As a person, he encourages those around him to step into their power and dig deeply into deservingness in a way they previously hadn't. He works daily to create a world where people feel empowered to live their loudest, most authentic lives and truly human well.

Margaret Hall

Margaret Hall is one of the foremost emerging theatre historians of her generation. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, and is currently in the process of obtaining her Master's in Musical Theatre History from New York University, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, the first degree of its kind to be granted worldwide. She works as a teacher of musical theatre history and has students across the globe.

Michael J. Bobbitt

Currently, Michael J. Bobbitt is the Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, the highest-ranking government official in Arts and Culture in Massachusetts. He is an award-winning theater director, choreographer, and playwright who has dedicated his professional career to arts leadership. Bobbitt serves on the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Board of Directors, the National Assembly of State Arts Agency’s (NASAA) Board of Directors, and was selected for artEquity’s BIPOC Leadership Circle. He is the former Artistic Director of the New Repertory Theater in Watertown, Massachusetts and the Adventure Theater in Maryland. He has directed/choreographed at Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Center Stage, Roundhouse Theatre, The Kennedy Center, and the Washington National Opera. His national and international credits include the NY Musical Theatre Festival, Mel Tillis 2001, La Jolla Playhouse, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, Jefferson Performing Arts Center, and the Olympics. As a writer, his work was chosen for the NYC International Fringe Festival and The New York and Musical Theatre Festival. His plays have been published by Concord Theatricals and Plays for Young Audiences. Bobbitt taught Boston Conservatory, Howard University, George Washington University and Catholic University. Bobbitt gained extensive experience in nonprofit arts management by training at Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management, The National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program, and Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program. Bobbitt is the recipient of the Excel Leadership Award (Center for Nonprofit Advancement), the Emerging Leader Award (County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities), and Person of the Year Award (Maryland Theatre Guide), along with eight Helen Hayes Awards.

Nicole Javanna Johnson

Nicole Javanna Johnson is Founder & Creative Director of the Harriet Tubman Effect Institute www.harriettubmaneffect.com, a human resource center and institute of research and strategy for justice advocacy. The institute seeks to usher in a new era of empathy by producing empathy driven artistry, participatory action research and human resource initiatives. Nicole is also Founder of Javanna Productions M.O.V.E. www.proudtobeamover.com a non-profit arts and education company that provides community members with the resources and platforms necessary to address social issues creatively. A member of SAG-AFTRA and a leader in the educational theater community, Nicole is currently pursuing her PhD at New York University (NYU) in the Music and Performing Arts Department of the School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Nicole has served as a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on Passover at the August Wilson Theater, Freestyle Love Supreme, Strange Loop, Dana H, Is This a Room and A Christmas Carol. Nicole also works with arts departments at Columbia, NYU, Augsburg University and New York City Department of Education schools.

Sammy Lopez

Sammy Lopez is a curious theatre-maker dedicated to uplifting historically excluded voices and stories through the arts. He is a producer with P3 Productions, currently developing Gun & Powder, How to Dance in Ohio, Midsummer, Chonburi International Hotel & Butterfly Club, Bradical, and more. Recent co-producing credits include The Old Vic's A Christmas Carol and Be More Chill on and off-Broadway. He is the first resident director of NY Children's Theatre developing new theatre experiences for families and young audiences. During the pandemic, Sammy co-founded The Industry Standard Group (TISG) and Second Act Theatrical Capital (2ATC), a decentralized leadership cohort of BIPOC producers strategically formed to promote work reflecting diversity and increase the presence of BIPOC investors and producers in the commercial producing arts and entertainment field. He is the 2022 program mentor for Theatre Producers Of Color (TPOC) and teaches with The Business of Broadway. Currently, he is a recipient of The Shubert Organization’s Artistic Circle and a Broadway League Fellow. Sammy is a proud graduate of Syracuse University's School of Drama, L.A. County High School for the Arts, and serves on the board of the New 42, TYA/USA, and CO/LAB Theater Group.