Inside the Team
TEDxUTAustin works as one cohesive organization that’s fueled by passion. Yet what lies underneath this body that is TEDx, is a collection of committees, all with their own sets of responsibilities, perspectives, and ideas. And today’s the day that we give you a glimpse into each of their worlds.
The multidimensional committees function as essential cogs in the great big machine that is TEDxUTAustin. Alongside the Executive members who we will delve into later on, there’s communications (yours truly), logistics, curation, and creative. No one committee stands as more or less important over others, as this equal balance is what creates the foundation for our community.
Creative Committee
You’ll likely have seen the fruit of their products around. Whether it be the bright X that symbolizes TED or the logo that is changed to represent the theme throughout the years, it’s all from Creative. (Speaking of the bright red X, if you have any ideas of its whereabouts, please contact us! It was stolen!) This committee is responsible for creating all creative assets, both digital and physical for TEDxUTAustin events. Their three main focuses are graphic, video and stage design. Graphics include the brilliant logo, programs, t-shirts, posters and anything else that is illustrated on a computer. Videos cover past event highlights, future event promo videos and photography the day of the event. They ensure all of the finest moments are captured digitally forever! In stage design, they plan how the event will be decorated for the audience’s enhancement of an aesthetically pleasing experience.
The members of the committee are Zane, Luke, Claire, Jess, and Jack. They were chosen due to their passion, talent, ability to create art, creative thinking, and decision-making independence. They are all hard-working individuals that work together and actively pursue TEDx even outside of meeting time, showing dedication to their work. The biggest project they are currently working on is the 2020 conference logo! It is an embodiment of the theme, therefore it is easily the most design intensive project this year. The team is doing an amazing job in including everyone in TEDxUTAustin in the process because this project affects everything. It can be laborious to include all of these different opinions, but everyone within our group has been invited to vote and share with the creative committee in regards to the logo, demonstrating their eagerness for inclusion and the ability to turn challenges into opportunities.
The biggest misconception that is brought upon this team is that they spend most of their time drawing products and designing on a computer. However, most of their time is spent ideating on whiteboards and continuously brainstorming content in and outside of meetings. Most of their inspiration comes from the everyday world, even a class or a poster can trigger a unique idea that sitting with a white paper cannot bring. It is not about setting a designated time to sit down and just draw, but about constantly thinking creatively and letting ideas flow. Additionally, many think that to be on the creative committee one must strictly have design talent, but minimal art skill is needed if you have the creativity that opens avenues to other possibilities. They don’t need the best technical graphic designers, but people who think in a different way.
Fun Fact: If the Creative Committee was an ice cream flavor, they would be Rocky Road!
Curation Committee
A large portion of the TEDxUTAustin speaker conference event wouldn’t have been possible without their endless work. The five that compose this committee are Nancy, Kyle, Anjika, Tammy, Pearse, and Kelly. Pouring in hours and hours of time to read and digest every speaker application they receive, the curation committee is one of the most highly concentrated in its endeavors. In the fall, they prepare for a large bulk of the conference. From seeking out speakers, reviewing applications, hosting auditions, and ultimately choosing the final speaker lineup for the spring, they’ve done it all. And while their eyes may be tired and bloodshot from the applications that they’ve read over for the tenth time, they can’t help but enjoy every moment of it.
Left to right: Pearse, Kyle, Tammy, Nancy, Kelly
It’s not every day that you’re able to see and understand what it is that people are thinking, let alone have the permission to read it. The curation committee recognizes this and is endlessly thankful for the numerous applicants that they’ve received. They thoroughly review the ideas people submit to guarantee that they find the best, even if it means reading the same application five more times. They take their roles seriously, looking for ideas that are like none other. The ideas that are engaging, universally intriguing, and profound in concept are exactly what they are seeking. It’s up to this committee to narrow the selection that portrays the best and brightest ideas in Austin that will ultimately be showcased to the public in the spring. Although they wish they could accept every idea, there simply aren’t enough slots to offer. Instead, they must rely on utilizing every pair of fresh eyes and perspectives that the other committees can offer to ensure that every person in the future audience will be able to go home, having taken something away from the talk.
And even though the speaker conference feels far off in spring, the curation committee is not lulled into a false sense of security by this distant deadline. Rather, they are working every second to prepare. Although every member of this division isn’t required to be a proficient public speaker (nor was this a requirement), they still provide the little pieces of advice for the speakers to improve the talk’s quality. It’s not about giving a TED Talk the “right way,” or hitting some marks on a rubric. It’s about focusing on the speakers and their ideas that deserve to resonate through the world through the words of their makers. In the end, that’s what matters the most to curation.
Fun Fact: If the Curation committee was an ice cream flavor, they would be rainbow sherbert!
Logistics Committee
When you first hear about the Logistics Committee, you might imagine a group of rigid workers. But really, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s true, they handle a large portion of the specific event details such as food and drink services, activities, ticket pricing, and collaboration with A/V production teams. But the committee goes beyond these roles. They’re the team responsible for marrying the creative visions from the other committees into a realistic timeline and event. It’s up to them to correspond with vendors and sponsors to help bring the vision of TEDx to fruition, and at the moment, this is their biggest challenge. It’s the time management portion of the process that proves to be demanding. Having to wait for responses from potential vendors and partners while juggling the limitations of needing concrete information quickly is no easy task. Everything the logistics committee does ultimately comes down to balance.
Perhaps the biggest misconception that people hold about the logistics committee, is that they think logistics functions as the control room for TEDx. However, it’s crucial that this committee works as the opposite. Logistics works as a facilitator between committees, rather than a dictator. They help to give the artistic and sometimes nebulous visions a shape that fits into reality but still retains the same creative thinking that many other committees utilize. They employ this creativity when trying to decide what decorations to incorporate or what activities to include. The ideation stage that they are currently working in is dependent upon this creative and flexible thinking. In fact, they must apply this flexible attitude constantly, as it’s always incredibly difficult to finalize details for the event, particularly when it comes to corresponding with other organizations and companies. At the moment, they’re reaching out to various start-ups, trying to figure out what piece of the puzzle these companies will play in relation to TEDx and the spring conference.
Left to right: Joyson, Conor, Claire, Gabe
And although it may feel frustrating trying to coalesce and balance the abstract with the concrete, the members continue to thrive and love what they do. Having the opportunity to constantly interact and reach out to various companies and partners isn’t something that’s always readily available. Nevertheless, Logistics members, look forward and even take the initiative to network and interact with new people to discuss the feasibility of their ideas. They thrive in the opportunity of having a direct hand in the workings of the event, yet still being able to retain a broad perspective as they learn from the people they work with. Every member, Joyson, Conor, Maryam, Gabe, and Claire, is full of passion and a zest for TEDx that is the lifeblood of their committee.
Fun Fact: If the Curation committee was an ice cream flavor, they would be coffee!
Communications Committee
The voice of TEDxUTAustin goes to this committee that passionately engages and delivers information from our desks to yours. Innovative pathways are fruits of the hard work put in by this team in the most entertaining way. Our committee responsibilities include managing communications between TEDxUTAustin and the community. This entails managing social media platforms and creating engaging content through our new blog. Also included are marketing strategies and execution, promoting the main and other events (Stay tuned!), handing out flyers and developing campaigns to spark interest in our work. Constantly combine creativity and business to bring you only the highest quality content.
The communications team was in search of creative individuals that were passionate about TED’s mission and engaging with the community. They needed social media users that knew the ins and outs of online platforms and good writers with the ability to create unique content. Evie, VP of Communications further selected the talented Kevin and Iris for social media engagement, while assigning Maria and Jess (US!) to create fresh content and this blog! Together we all work together to ensure you are informed, and inspired, left feeling like part of our community. This work is for you! Everyone takes initiative in their assigned projects and brings new ideas to our productive and fun meetings.
Left to right: Jessie, Evie, Kevin, Iris, Maria
The current biggest project is the video series of highlighting students and faculty around campus. The idea was born after analyzing the number of important ideas out in the community that we want to showcase, and might not have the opportunity to be shared at the main event. We are looking especially for individuals who have created interesting projects, follow the lines of being impactful, have a compelling idea or story that they would like to share, or something that they are proud of.
A misconception people may have about communications is that it is strictly about promoting the conference in the spring. However, we are working hard to grow communication by using brand new avenues to tell the stories, connect to the larger TED community and increase engagement with our followers in the most interactive way (Check out our quote posts on Instagram). We are positive that with TEDx as this vessel of communication we will achieve great and grand things.
A challenge we have faced is implementing the new ideas previously mentioned, figuring out the best format for each one, the frequency of the posts, and the quality of the content. We continue to work on this and have learned that it’s okay to take time to ensure high-quality outcomes. That is what matters the most to us.
Follow our social media pages! Our committee members work very hard on them!
Instagram: @tedxutaustin
Facebook: TEDx UTAustin
Also, If you know anybody that you think would be an amazing person to interview for the video series or find our missing X, reach out to us and let us know.
Fun Fact: If the Communications committee was an ice cream flavor, they would be Birthday Cake!
These are the TEDxUTAustin committees, each one unique and different but valuable and essential to this organization. Thank you to all of the committee directors for taking the time to be interviewed by us and share the inside scope of your team. We learned from each of you and can’t wait to see what great things you accomplish in the coming weeks.
Until next time we connect,
-TEDxUTAustin