TEDx Park City relaunches in partnership with Utah Film Center

TEDxParkCityYouth_violinist. Photo: courtesy of Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild

PARK CITY, Utah –TEDxParkCity will return to presenting “ideas worth spreading” with the support of the Utah Film Center as its fiscal sponsor organization. 

“We are pleased to reboot this catalyst for conversations,” said Teri Orr in a statement. She’s the founder and organizer of TEDxPark City. “We hold one of the original 100 TEDx licenses. Today there are more than 5,000 TEDx gatherings all over the world. For decades, we have presented numerous locally organized TEDx events, including TEDxYouth, Women, Climate Countdown, and Circles”. All these experiences featured curated talks from local, national, and international speakers representing various corners of Technology, Entertainment, and Design.

Founded in 2007, Orr noted the TEDX ParkCIty has never been its own 501(c)3, but instead has had different fiscal-sponsor partners throughout its existence. “We are grateful for the support of our new partners at the Utah Film Center. Geralyn White Dreyfous, an Emmy Award-winning producer, and UFC’s cofounder, was instrumental in forging the partnership,” she said. “We are a small, lean organization, and having a fiscal sponsor is critical.” 

Orr added, “TEDxParkCity is supported by donors and sponsors who believe in the organization’s community-building, conversation-sparking ethos. “It’s their support that allows us to keep our ticket prices reasonable for each event—and to sponsor admission for members of our community who could not otherwise attend. And sometimes to bring in special talent.”

Orr and co-organizer Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild plan to present a mix of day-long conferences, evening TED Talk showcases, and pop-up dinners and performances. Those events will continue the tradition of engaging in discussions on topics with global importance and local impact. 

“We’ll kick off this fall with a twist on the TED conference recap,” Orr said. “We’re calling it “Back-to-TED”. It will be a mix of curated talks from the TED Conference I attended this April in Vancouver—most of which are not yet available to the public.  And perhaps some additional surprises to help reintroduce the Park City community to the TED universe.”

The organizers expect to create the day-long TEDxParkCity Women event in early December.

“It’s historically one of our most anticipated events,” Cohen Rothchild said in a statement. “It’s counter-intuitive to ask an audience of women to block a day out of their schedules during December.  But our attendees tell us they value the chance to step aside from the seasonal crush and connect with new people and ideas.”

Past events have included talks curated by TEDx ParkCity organizers from the TED Women Main Stage, with a mix of local musicians, student speakers, community activists, and internationally-known performers. 

Another headline event will be TEDxPark CityYouth. “This is always created for youth, by youth,” Orr noted. “This is the only event where we hold auditions. Students present their ideas for a talk, and once they are selected, we work with them to develop it. We coach them on delivery and presentation. Those filmed talks often serve as a calling card for students in future endeavors. Several students have included their talks in their portfolios for college admission—including Salt Lake Community College and Harvard University.”

Organizers noted TED uses different locations for its events. “We try to curate the venue as much as we do the programming. Planning and fundraising are underway for all TEDx Park City events. “We want to thank the Park City Chamber Bureau for becoming the first sponsor to join us in this new iteration. Geralyn White Dreyfouss, a co-founder of Impact Partners, was instrumental in helping us collaborate with the Utah Film Center.”