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Presenters

  • John Abele John Abele
    Founder/Chairman, Boston Scientific; Leader of the Grunion expedition
    Cofounder & Director of Boston Scientific, Chair of FIRST, philanthropist --- and explorer. John recently rediscovered his Dad's submarine, The Grunion, which was lost in WWII.

  • Faith d Faith d'Aluisio & Peter Menzel
    Writer & Photographer, Material World, Hungry Planet, ...
    The husband & wife team that brought the world such stunning photo books as Material World, Hungry Planet, and Man Eating Bugs. Their current eye-opening work on food aims to help save the world from eating itself to death.

  • Yves Béhar Yves Béhar
    Industrial Designer ("leaf" lamp, OLPC laptop, ...)
    Hailed as the new "Raymond Loewy," Yves is the founder of fuseproject, an integrated design agency, and has collaborated with such diverse clients as Herman Miller, MINI, Nike, Cassina, Microsoft, Swarovski, Birkenstock, Target and Coca-Cola.

  • Mark Bittman Mark Bittman
    Culinary Author, New York Times "minimalist" columnist
    New York Times food columnist, host of PBS Bittman Takes on America's Chefs, winner of the Julia Child award, the James Beard award, and prolific author of hugely successful books including How to Cook Everything, The Best Recipes in the World.

  • Keith Black Keith Black
    Neurosurgeon, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
    Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Dunitz Institute at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Black combines cutting-edge research with his extremely busy surgical practice. Since 1987, he has performed more than 5,000 brain surgeries.

  • Angelin Chang Angelin Chang
    Grammy-winning pianist
    A 2007 Grammy winner, pianist Angelin has performed to acclaim in great halls on five continents. She was the first Artist in Residence at the Kennedy Center, and is head of keyboard studies and professor of piano at Cleveland State University.

  • Caleb Chung Caleb Chung
    toy inventor (Furby, Pleo, etc)
    Inventor of Furby (which generated $1.2b in worldwide sales) and now Pleo, Caleb has been an actor, writer, comedian, street mime, producer, special effects designer and toy inventor. Pleo is an animatronic dinosaur coming to life this year.

  • Jim Citrin Jim Citrin
    Spencer Stuart senior director, author
    Renowned expert on leadership, Jim is a Senior Director at Spencer Stuart and one of the world's leading executive search consultants.

  • Miguel Angel Corzo Miguel Angel Corzo
    President, The Colburn School
    Former Director of the Getty Conservation Institute, and President of the University of the Arts, Miguel is now President and CEO of the Colburn School in Los Angeles — one of the leading performing arts schools in the nation.

  • Jared Diamond Jared Diamond
    Author, Professor of Geology and Physiology at UCLA
    Pulitzer Prize Winner, MacArthur Foundation Fellow and "Genius" grantee, recipient of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, the Dickson Prize in Science, and many other awards, Jared is a professor at UCLA and author of the acclaimed Guns, Germs and Steel.

  • Liz Diller Liz Diller
    Architect
    MacArthur-winning architect Liz Diller is a principal and co-founder of Diller Scofiddio + Renfro, one of the most innovative architectural and urban design firms in the world. Among her current projects is the $1b renovation of Lincoln Center.

  • Ian Dunbar Ian Dunbar
    Animal Behaviorist
    Veterinarian, animal behaviorist and dog trainer, Ian has authored numerous books, produced a dozen videos about puppy/dog behavior and training, and hosted his own television show in the UK — Dogs with Dunbar. He is Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior in Berkeley, California.

  • Leon Fleisher Leon Fleisher
    Concert Pianist
    One of the world's greatest pianists and most influential teachers, Leon recently regained the use of his right hand after nearly four decades. He is now concertizing at a blistering pace, and will arrive at EG as a new Kennedy Center Honoree. Leon carries on a tradition that descends from Beethoven to Czerny to Leschetitzky to Schnabel to Fleisher himself, and on to hundreds of students.

  • Peter Gelb Peter Gelb
    General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera
    He started his career as an usher at the Metropolitan Opera. Then became office boy to legendary impresario Sol Hurok. He managed Vladimir Horowitz, ran Sony Classical Records (overseeing artists as diverse as Yo-Yo Ma and Vangelis), and recently, became the new and iconoclastic General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera.

  • Rob Glaser Rob Glaser
    CEO, Real Networks, Inc.
    A Yalie, a Microsoft veteran, and Founder & CEO of RealNetworks, Rob is a true pioneer of digital media and a very active philanthropist.

  • Jonathan Gold Jonathan Gold
    Pulitzer-winning food critic for LA Weekly
    The first food critic to win a Pulitzer prize, Jonathan writes for LA Weekly and Gourmet, and is known for his passion for small, ethnic restaurants. A collection of his articles can be found in his book Counter Intelligence.

  • Brian Greene Brian Greene
    Professor of Physics, Columbia University
    With degrees from Harvard and Oxford, faculty appointments at Cornell and Columbia, and numerous major media appearances, Brian is recognized for seminal discoveries in physics, is the author of several best-sellers (like The Elegant Universe) and the Washington Post called him "the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today."

  • Jonathan Harris Jonathan Harris
    Web Artisan & Designer
    Artist, storyteller and prodigiously gifted programmer/designer, Jonathan Harris combines anthropology, art and computer science to create some of the most striking and compelling interactive designs on the web today.

  • Peter Hirshberg Peter Hirshberg
    Serial Entrepreneur, Chairman, Technorati
    Entrepreneur and marketing innovator, Peter is Chairman & CMO of Technorati, and has held leadership positions at Gloss.com, Elemental Software and Apple. He is a trustee of the Computer Museum and a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

  • Pablos Holman Pablos Holman
    Hacker
    He's a futurist, security expert, and a notorious hacker with a unique view into both breaking and building new technologies. Pablos has built the world's smallest PC and worked as a space ship designer, among many other things.

  • Paul Horowitz Paul Horowitz
    Harvard Professor, electronics nerd, SETI pioneer
    Harvard Professor of Physics and electronics nerd, Paul wrote "the" book: The Art of Electronics. He's also a seminal figure in SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence: he is like a real-life version of Jody Foster's character in CONTACT.

  • Donald Jackson Donald Jackson
    Royal Calligrapher to Queen Elizabeth II
    He's producing the first handwritten bible made since Gutenberg put the scribes out of business: 1500 pages handwritten on vellum. Donald is the Royal Calligrapher to Queen Elizabeth II, and one of the foremost practitioners of that art in the world.

  • A.J. Jacobs A.J. Jacobs
    Journalist, Humorist, Author, Know-it-all, Bible thumper
    Writer, editor and human guinea pig: A.J.'s 2004 memoir, The Know-It-All, chronicles his quest to learn everything in the world by reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. All of it. Recently, in The Year Of Living Biblically, he strictly heeded all of the bible's laws (even the obscure ones). He's an editor-at-large for Esquire.

  • Joe Jacobson Joe Jacobson
    MIT Professor, Inventor of e-ink
    A prolific inventor, Jacobson is a professor of Physics & Media at MIT, the inventor of "e-ink" and the founder of several companies.

  • Brewster Kahle Brewster Kahle
    Founder, Internet Archive
    Digital Librarian and renegade computer scientist, Brewster Kahle is the founder of the Internet Archive and one of the foremost activists in the quest for universal access to all knowledge. He's a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

  • Nathaniel Kahn Nathaniel Kahn
    Documentary Filmmaker (My Architect, Two Hands, ...)
    Son of architect Louis Kahn, filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn has twice been nominated for Academy Awards, most recently for Two Hands, which tells the story of Leon Fleisher.

  • Donald Katz Donald Katz
    Founder and CEO, Audible.com
    Don is founder, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Audible.com, the Internet's premier audio information and entertainment service. But for twenty years prior, he was a successful author (several prizewinning books), journalist and contributing editor (for publications such as Rolling Stone, Esquire, Outside, Sports Illustrated...)

  • Andrew Keen Andrew Keen
    Internet Entrepreneur/Author (Cult of the Amateur)
    In the Cult of the Amateur, Andrew rails against the mediocrity of the Web 2.0 groundswell: internet movements that are eroding knowledge, wisdom, expertise and culture. He was the founder of AudioCafe.com. Stephen Colbert called him "an elitist."

  • Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly
    Whole Earth / WIRED / Cool Tools Author, Philosopher
    The Whole Earth Catalog, WIRED magazine, CoolTools and more have a common thread in Kevin. An author, photographer and technology philosopher, Kevin is one of the world's experts on digital culture.

  • Ken Knowlton Ken Knowlton
    Computer Art Pioneer and mosaic innovator
    Computer graphics pioneer, artist, mosaicist, and portraitist, Ken worked at Bell Labs and has been one of the most consistently inventive computer artists.

  • Tim Kring Tim Kring
    HEROES...
    A student of religious studies, Tim shifted into filmmaking as a grip, gaffer, cameraman, and producer. His work blossomed from Knight Rider through a decade of feature films, and more recently, Crossing Jordan. You may know him as the creator and executive producer of HEROES, the smash-hit NBC saga that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

  • Frans Lanting Frans Lanting
    Naturalist and Photographer
    Dutchman Frans Lanting is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished and important wildlife photographers in the world. His work has been seen in every major nature publication. Recently, his LIFE has combined his spectacular photography with the music of Philip Glass. He is a Knight in the Royal Order of the Golden Ark.

  • Golan Levin Golan Levin
    Professor, CMU; Software Artist
    A professor at CMU, Golan is a new media artist and engineer whose creations explore new modes of reactive expression.

  • Emily Levine Emily Levine
    Philosopher-Comic
    Stand-up comedian, epiphanist, radio commentator, philosopher: Emily is a unique amalgam. She has worked on comedies for CBS, NBC, ABC, HBO and others. Norman Lear said: "Go see Emily at the risk of blowing your mind, splitting your sides and exiting a better person."

  • Ken Libbrecht Ken Libbrecht
    Professor of Physics, CalTech; authority on snowflakes
    Chairman of CalTech's Physics department, Professor Libbrecht was trained as a solar astronomer. But he is best known for his dazzling and exquisite work on the structure of snowflakes.

  • Andy Lippman Andy Lippman
    Media Scientist, MIT
    Andy is an ardent sailor, and among other things has sailed around the world on the BT Challenge. He also has been at MIT for more than three decades and is one of the most active researchers in the many fields of digital media.

  • John Markoff John Markoff
    Technology Reporter, New York Times
    Markoff has one of the most familiar and revered by-lines in the New York Times. An author and journalist, he has covered the history of the computer world for so long that he has become a vibrant part of it.

  • Marvin Minsky Marvin Minsky
    Professor, MIT; Artificial Intelligence Pioneer
    Marvin is a towering figure in the fields of robotics, computer science and artificial intelligence. A longtime professor at MIT, he cofounded the AI Lab and has authored several texts on the philosophy and implementation of artifical intelligences.

  • Nathan Myhrvold Nathan Myhrvold
    Scientist, Geologist, Photographer
    A prizewinning nature and wildlife photographer, a master French chef, a first place winner in the Memphis World Championship of Barbecue, Nathan was the CTO of Microsoft for many years and is co-founder of Intellectual Ventures.

  • Nicholas Negroponte Nicholas Negroponte
    MIT Professor, Digital Media Architect, OLPC Founder
    Trained as an architect specializing in urban sprawl, Nicholas grew up with the computer industry to become one of the most visionary, charismatic and urbane futurists in the digital world. He founded the MIT Media Lab and recently founded and founded and leads One Laptop Per Child.

  • Carolyn Porco Carolyn Porco
    Astronomer; Imaging Team Leader, Cassini Saturn mission
    A planetary scientist with a CalTech PhD, Carolyn leads the imaging science team for the Cassini Mission around Saturn and is emerging as one of the most public space scientists.

  • Adam Savage Adam Savage
    Myth Busters (and more)
    An animator, graphic designer, carpenter, television host, toy designer and sculptor, you might have seen Adam play the part of "Jimmy the stockboy" alongside Mr. Whipple in an early Charmin commercial. He's the costar of MythBusters.

  • Keith Schwab Keith Schwab
    Professor of Physics, Cornell; quantum technologist
    Cornell physics professor Keith Schwab studies fundamental quantum behaviors: nano-electro-mechanics, and superfluids: these involve some of the coldest, tiniest and weirdest phenomena known to science.

  • Rick Smolan Rick Smolan
    Photographer (A Day in the Life...)
    A former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer, Rick Smolan has spent two decades place himself and his projects directly in the path of the converging worlds of photography, design, publishing, and technology. He is the creator of dozens of extraordinarily beautiful and trenchant photographic books.

  • Jill Sobule Jill Sobule
    Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist
    Has there ever been a voice more perfectly matched to the magical sound of a guitar than Jill Sobule's? Singer, songwriter, storyteller, Jill is the balladeer of EG.

  • Jamy Ian Swiss Jamy Ian Swiss
    Magician, Mentalist and Sleight-of-Hand Master
    Magician and mentalist, Jamy is one of the most dextrous and ingenious sleight-of-hand magicians in the world.

  • Amy Tan Amy Tan
    Writer (Novelist, Librettist, Essayist, Screenwriter, ...)
    An award-winning writer, Amy's work includes novels, screenplays, television, and soon, opera. She is sometimes seen performing as the dominitrix with the Rock Bottom Remainders (which has raised more than a million dollars for literacy programs).

  • Bruce Vilanch Bruce Vilanch
    Comedian, Writer (The Oscars...)
    A regular Hollywood Square, Bruce has long been Hollywood's "E.R." of comedy, and has contributed to everything from the Star Wars Holiday Special to the Academy Awards.

  • John Q. Walker John Q. Walker
    Software Entrepreneur, Inventor, Musician
    President of Zenph Studios, building software for understanding and replicating exactly how musicians perform. Hear Zenph’s new recordings of pianists Glenn Gould and Art Tatum on Sony BMG.

  • Jonathan Winters Jonathan Winters
    Actor, Comedian, Painter
    Robin Williams' hero, Jonathan is one of the most remarkable comic geniuses of the 20th century. He's also an amateur painter. This will be his first visit to the Getty.

  • Richard Saul Wurman Richard Saul Wurman
    himself
    Author and producer of more than 80 books, creator and impresario of TED, TEDMED and EG, Richard was trained as an architect but moved into the realms of design, information and understanding.