Finding Your Spark | Global Living Room

with Featured Guests Ed Catmull, Elyse Klaidman & Harold O’Neal

“Real magic happens when you feel ego leave the room.” -Ed Catmull

Thoughts from Ed

• Whenever you reach a goal, you no longer have it and have to create a new one.
• It’s important to know you won’t always be right all the time, but you must trust in your team to help you understand what you don’t know.
• Find collaborators who are just as passionate as you about a project or organization. When you solve problems in an organization, it gives you a feeling of ownership.
• The concept of “leaders should have all the answers” is incorrect. As a leader, you should have the right people in the room who can show you the answers.

Thoughts from Elyse

• The ability to create a culture that allows you to be comfortable with the unknown. Culture is critical in how we think about education.
• We can’t teach students how to do something in a prescriptive way. It’s important to foster learning environments that support collaboration, embracing the unknown, and understanding that failing is part of the process.
• Everyone has a story – what is your special magic that you can bring to the world or your story?

Thoughts from Harold

• As a child, it can be overwhelming to be in this world and figure out how to exist
• Find a place to escape by building a bridge between anxiety and creativity
• Living your purpose doesn’t guarantee anything outside of that
• It’s important to be grounded in your purpose and creativity. This grounded mentally dictates how you treat others and yourself

Questions to Ponder

How are you living your purpose?

Consider a point in your life when you felt you were living your purpose, what contributes to you feeling that spark?

Behind the Scenes Interview – What is the importance of creativity in the world today?

Ed Catmull is co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios and was president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. Previously, Dr. Catmull was vice president of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm Ltd., where he managed development in the areas of computer graphics, video editing, video games and digital audio. He has been honored with five Academy Awards, including the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for lifetime achievement in the field of computer graphics. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Utah.

Harold O’Neal is a composer, speaker, and storyteller who has been profiled by The New York Times, The 92Y, Fortune, NPR, Forbes, and many of the world’s leading platforms.

His profile includes collaborations and performances with Jay Z, U2, Bob Geldof, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. As a storyteller, Harold’s platforms include PowerShift, Google Cubed, C2 Montreal, Summit Series, and HATCH. Recently, O’Neal played a role as a creative expert with the filmmakers of Pixar’s Soul.

Elyse Klaidman is an artist, educator and leader with a passion for inspiring and developing generations of diverse problem solvers, artists, innovators and storytellers through collaborative, community driven work.  She is thrilled to have her past experience and passions come together as Co-Founder and CEO of X in a Box. Previously, during her 22 years at Pixar, Elyse developed and over-saw programs and teams devoted to education, exhibitions and archives.