Event Report: Ted Bowers Reports From TEDxPasadena

Ted Bowers with Heather Heimerl Brunold | Executive Director | Licensee, Words2Action | TEDxPasadena

We absolutely loved working in our backyard, Pasadena, CA, for this inspiring, uplifting event: TEDxPasadena 2018 -
Transform Words to Action.

Date: September 22, 2018
Location: The Huntington Library
Our Task: staging, lighting and sound as part of comprehensive technical support for the one-day conference featuring 17 individual speakers.

Ted Bowers: "The tag line "a day dedicated to transforming the future, and putting words to action" captures the essence of this event. TEDxPasadena's Executive Director Heather Heimerl Brunold, M.Ed., Ed.D. has done an incredible job organizing these events since 2015. Besides the large all-day annual conference, smaller salon events take place throughout the year. Since it's inception the scope of the all volunteer-managed conference has grown considerably. For the first time this year, they decided to hire us to assist with the technical aspects. It was a pleasure to work with Heather and the TEDx Team of wonderful, motivated people."

Janet Elkins: "I was very inspired by W2A's sponsorship program for young women in the Pasadena area. W2A is Heather's non-profit organization that puts on the TEDxPasadena events. During the conference Ted and I were both particularly moved by speaker Timothy Alexander. As a student he was ranked 8th best high school football player in Alabama. Colleges from all over the country wanted him. But then a car accident in 2006 changed everything. Timothy sustained injuries that left him paralyzed from the neck on down. His bio describes best how he succeeded in life in spite of the accident."

Timothy was left to find his purpose in life while paralyzed. After the accident, he went on to graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he double majored in Criminal Justice and Communication Management. He later earned a Master’s degree in Communication Management. Not only was he successful in his studies, but he was an inspiration to fellow students on the UAB campus. He was also the first paraplegic to receive a football scholarship.
However, his proudest moment came in July 2016. For the first time since being paralyzed, Timothy was able to stand up on his own while on the football field. This caught the eye of major news publications including ABC National News, TMZ Sports, and many others. Timothy was the recipient of an Emmy Award in January 2017 as the Sports Program Feature: for the 31st Midsouth Regional Emmy Awards of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
Timothy is a living example of his signature phrase, “We don’t need it to be easy, we just need it to be possible.”

Janet: "His session was incredible. The room was filled to capacity and the whole audience hung on to every word. Everyone was mesmerized by his incredible story of perseverance. His speech is truly unforgettable."

Ted Bowers: "As we were working we could not attend all the sessions but we witnessed the overall reaction of the attendees. The atmosphere was very upbeat and the energy was palpable. They loved the large variety in the speakers' backgrounds. While some were more spiritually encouraging and motivating, others like for instance Dr. Rene Sotelo, Dana Budzyn or Nancy Baker Cahill provided some very practical advice on putting words to action. Let's face it. Many of us have plans and good intentions but never turn that into action. TRANSFORM was very informative and motivating in that regard."

 Executive Director Heather Heimerl Brunold, M.Ed., Ed.D explains why the volunteer-work based non-profit organization hired EventWorks.

"First and foremost EventWorks offered me peace of mind. I knew from the get go of hiring them that I was in excellent hands. The guidance that Janet and Ted gave virtually before we even arrived on site, over the months of planning, was incredibly full of expertise and professionalism and wisdom that I don't have. I am essentially a spiritual guide for my community and we have to put on this huge event that is not in my wheel house. To be able to have partners like EventWorks pulled all of the lose threads together. To be able to create such a seamless production reconfirmed that we made the right decision to get professional help. The team they brought on the day of the event was masterful. I can't praise the human beings that were there enough. Their egos were never in the way of what needed to happen. They were humble and kind and patient and forgiving. They thought of things my team of volunteers could never think of. They brought knowledge to the inter-weaving of having a beautifully done production that we just don't have. You asked me for only a paragraph about the ROI but I could write a novel."

It was a pleasure to bring technical know-how to the table and to work for such a wonderful team of really skilled, creative, motivated, kind and positive people. 

Please visit their website: http://tedxpasadena.org/ 

Furthermore Heather Heimerl Brunold's non-profit organization Words2Action sponsors young women to attend educational salons and TEDxPasadena events. 

Words2Action (W2A) the producers of TEDxPasadena, provide sponsorships for girls from Pasadena and surrounding areas ages 13-18.

Sponsorships include free attendance to TEDxPasadena as well as the chance to participate in several unique Words2Action opportunities throughout the year. This includes personalized curriculum inspired by the TED Red Circle, as well as local mentorships and internships. Participants will learn to transform spoken word into tangible action, one idea at a time.

We could not resist this photo opportunity! 

Thank you for reading.