TED goes to Hollywood

If you’re like me then you are already a huge TED fan. I find it way too easy to get caught in a TED marathon and two hours later you are overflowing with inspiration and enthusiasm and ready to change the world! If you are unfamiliar with TED, they are ‘nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading’, originating as a conference to bring together people from the worlds of Technology, Entertainment and Design they have now grown to include two annual conferences in the UK and US, a TEDTalks video site, TED Conversations, TEDx, and the annual TED Prize.

However TED have now brought the brand to new uncharted waters, Hollywood. Released on the 8th of June this year is the new film from Director Ridley Scott and the hotly anticipated prequel to the legendary Aliens trilogy. To wet our appetites screen writer Damon Lindelof thought it would be ‘incredibly cool’ to have one of the characters from the film give a TEDTalk from the future in the form of a viral teaser. Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott (Ridley’s son) the trailer is set 10 years in the future in 2023 where Peter Weyland (played by Guy Pearce) delivers a passionate speech in which he declares in true TED style ‘if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to change the world’.

It’s a very interesting move for TED to make as a brand but one that I think has worked really well. It works very well in the context of the film but doesn’t compromise TED’s values. And even though TED has already become extremely mainstream over the last few years this will really help propel it to whole new audiences.

Visit the TED page for the talk where they have done a great job of blurring the lines between Si-fi and reality.