TEDxAsburyPark Live Rehearsal Returns Thursday
Five Local Creatives Showcase Passion TED Talk Ahead of May 19 Event At The Historic Paramount Theatre
A few area locals participating in the Sixth Annual local Tedx Conference are slated to rehearse before a live studio audience 7 p.m. Thursday at the historic Paramount Theatre on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.
Host Carl Perino
Held to ready for the May 19 TEDxAsburyPark conference in the same location, these five local voices will speak to this year’s Passion theme. They will be coached by a team of curators before a live studio audience prior to a Q&A.
The local event is among the largest TEDx Conference offerings along the eastern seaboard, known for selling out each year.
Thursday’s TEDxAsburyPark Open Rehearsal sneak peek event is a culmination of their before a live studio audience format event, held to harvest this year’s talent pool. It all began with a November Open Mic, which featured a lineup of creatives from across the tri-state region.
“Passion drives Asbury Park, beginning with Bruce Springsteen’s poetry and culminating in the city’s rich design, entertainment, and innovation culture,” Founder Brian Smiga of Alpha Venture Partners said. “Each year our all-day TEDxAsburyPark event sells out because 90 percent of our passionate audience recommends it to friends. Our 1500 guests will fill their minds and souls with passion in science, ideas, dance, music, design – and get to know the other idea-passionate guests in our crowd.”
To date, the May 19 main event will feature talks from local and nationally renowned talents, including a supermodel-turned-feminist advocate, leading dancers and choreographers, explorers, business leaders, an LGBTQ pioneer, and a ‘comic book man.’
The rehearsal will be hosted by Smiga and Carl Perino, a former TEDxAsburyPark speaker. The local speakers will include:
Arlan Feiles, an award winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer from Matawan. Feiles, equally known for his voting and civil rights advocacy, was discovered and mentored by the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Record Producer Tom Dowd. He has recorded several highly acclaimed records and has his music can be heard on TV programs and movies, including the Academy award winning film the Dallas Buyers Club.
Simon Nynens
David Hernandez of Ocean Township tackles the friction between his Cuban household roots backed by a steadfast family culture and his quest to fulfill the dream of American success. The Cuban born first generation immigrant, raised New York City, went on to create lotus823 – an award winning integrated communications and marketing agency in Eatontown. Hernandez is a professional musician and published composer who has worked with the Village People, Thompson Twins, Elvis Costello, and Ringo Starr, to name a few.
Wyckoff based Scott Hopek will speak on how his father, a plumbing and heating contractor, edict of always leaving things better than the way you find them, led to a 21-year long career building teams and generating revenue in the media and entertainment industry. Look to how he’s leveraged a unique ability for balancing an analytic mindset with creative thinking to drive positive organizational change.
Little Silver based Simon Nynens, the CEO of Wayside Technology Group in Wall, will share a true story of struggles, real life tests, and vulnerability, but expect some fairy tales. This philosopher and university guest lecturer is a Harvard Business School graduate who serves on the board for the New Jersey Technology Council and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2011 Award winner in the Technology Services.
Felicia Simmons
And then there is Asbury Park’s own Felicia Simmons, an energetic community planner who despite a learning disability went on to hold various offices, including two elected terms on the Asbury Park Board of Education, president of the Monmouth/Ocean National Action Network chapter, education chair of Asbury/Neptune NAACP, and founder of Proper Foundation. Felicia, a single mother, artist and activist, will share how she traversed a sometimes rocky journey that led to becoming a motivated leader with strong organizational and prioritization abilities.
Doors open at 6:30 pm for the 7 pm free event. All seating is by general admission and there will be a cash bar. For information, visit TEDxAsburyPark.com.
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