Theme: The Brave and The Brilliant

We'll celebrate together the 40-th anniversary of TED. Viewing videos from TED 2024 and combining them with "brave" and "brilliant" discovery sessions and live speakers. Imagination and creativity, excitement and community - we'll blend this together.

Planet Schwarz Tech Theater
51, Cherni Vrah blvd
Office X
Sofia, Sofia-Grad, 1407
Bulgaria

Doncho Donchev

Visual Artist

He is an artist of diverse talents - in a state of constant search for inspiration, regardless of style or means of expression. Doncho has illustrated graphic novels, poetry books, and even a heavy metal magazine. He painted on stage in castles and cathedrals in Germany. He drew inspiration from science to create “Particle Metamorphoses” and “Timeline of the Universe”, both at CERN in Switzerland. Doncho’s book "Persona_ Satyricona" was translated into several languages. His project Logos-Mithos connected to ancient thought. His panneau “Human Energy” was acquired by the World EXPO Museum in Shanghai. His fiction series Festum was printed on mythological play cards. He even created sculptures from… egg boxes. To mark 500 years of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, Doncho painted in front of an audience in Rivellino, recreating Leonardo’s “Salvator Mundi”.

Karin Okolie

TV host & Podcaster

She is a sprinter, a podcaster, and a TV host. Until recently, she has been competing in the world arenas at 60m, 100m, and 200m. She has been running fast and training hard since elementary school, winning at ease. Karin still holds the state records for under 14 y.o. and 16 y.o. at 200m indoors. In running, Karin Okolie found her passion. In 2020, she was in top shape, ready to grab the spot for the Tokyo Olympics and make her dream come true. Then, COVID hit the world. The Games were deferred. The limitations to train (and live) during the pandemic took their toll. The big Olympic dream slipped away. But that was not the end of Karin’s career, just a new beginning! Karin started Kari’s Calling podcast, having recorded 76 episodes already. She was invited to read the sports news at bTV, which she did for a year. She is now hosting a sports TV show at Euronews Bulgaria and she still runs every morning.

Martin Makariev

Producer & Movies Director

He watched "The Empire Strikes Back"... 170 times. At 13, he and several friends replicated scenes from "The Godfather". Yes, Martin Makariev has always adored movies. A film director, screenwriter and producer, he has already directed numerous movies. His apogee is "Heart of the Machine". It was the most difficult one to make – it took diving into personal dramas and years of emotional exposure. Martin studied scenic arts in Switzerland: pottery, drawings, singing, playing instruments. He ventured in theater and learned story-telling. As a student he was a good writer and won many essay competitions. But he also wanted to show the things he was writing about. He breaths theater, graphic arts and music, and the cinema has it all. He started his career in Germany, to soon move back to his homeland and create movies. Whenever Martin feels sad, the old movies help him heal and inoculate hope.

Plamen Miryanov

Philanthropist and producer

An architect by education and art musician by heart, Plamen Miryanov is the founder of the Our Home is Bulgaria Foundation. For the past 4 years, he has organized 24 memorial concerts dedicated to the Christian religion. All are held in breathtaking places - Mount Shipka, the God's Bridge cave, Belogradchik rocks, and Melnik rocks. He organizes an annual cleaning of the seven Rila lakes, and, two years ago - of the Arch of Freedom at the Beklemeto mountain pass. Plamen Miryanov has produced several short films celebrating iconic places, events, and personalities from Bulgarian history and culture - "The Soldiers of Shipka", "Paisii", "The Holy Alphabet", "The Spirit of the Flag", "Covenant of St. Ioan Rilski", "The Magic of the Bulgarian Rose", as well as the most viewed clip with landscapes of Bulgaria on YouTube - "Bulgaria in 8k". He is now producing a documentary about early christians in Egypt.