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Tiffany Shlain

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Tiffany Shlain
Tiffany Shlain, 2022
Born (1970-04-08) April 8, 1970 (age 54)
US
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, author
SpouseKen Goldberg
Children2
RelativesLeonard Shlain
Websitetiffanyshlain.com

Tiffany Shlain (born April 8, 1970)[1] is an American filmmaker, artist, and author. Described by the public radio program On Being as "an internet pioneer",[2] Shlain is the co-founder of the Webby Awards and the founder of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.[3]

Early life and education

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In high school, Shlain co-wrote a proposal called Uniting Nations in Telecommunications & Software (UNITAS), which envisioned students all over the world communicating over personal computers and via modems before the advent of the web. From this proposal, she was invited to be a student ambassador through the People to People program, and traveled to the Soviet Union in 1988.[4][5]

While a student at UC Berkeley, Shlain produced and directed Hunter & Pandora, an experimental film which won the university's Eisner Award, the highest award in art. In 1992, she earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, and was selected as a valedictory speaker for her graduating class.[6]

Shlain studied organizational change at the Harvard Business School Executive Education program and film production at New York University's Sight & Sound program. She is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute (Class of 2007).[7][8]

Career

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In 1996, Shlain co-founded the Webby Awards,[9] an annual event which the New York Times described as the "Oscars of the Web."[10] In 1998, she founded The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.[11] The Webbys had hosts that included Alan Cumming, and appearances by Al Gore, Prince, and Thomas Friedman.[12][13] Shlain appeared on Good Morning America as the program's on-air internet expert from 2000 – 2003.[14]

In 2002, Shlain directed, produced and co-wrote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, a documentary about reproductive rights in America. The film premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival[15] and was used nationally by Planned Parenthood to mark the 30-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade.[16]

In 2005, Shlain sold the Webby Awards and founded the San Francisco film studio, the Moxie Institute.[17] Shlain's next documentary, The Tribe,[18] co-written with her husband, Ken Goldberg, explored American Jewish identity through the history of the Barbie doll. The Tribe, which also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won 18 awards[19] and was the first documentary short to become #1 on iTunes.[20]

In 2011, her first feature documentary, Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[21] The film ran in theaters and on television, and was subsequently released on digital platforms.[6][22] It won 17 awards,[19] including the Tribeca Film Festival's Disruptive Innovation Award.[23]

In 2011, she introduced the concept of "Cloud Filmmaking" with a series of shorts produced through cloud-based collaborative filmmaking. The first film in the series, A Declaration of Interdependence, was released Sept 2011; the second film, Engage, debuted in early 2012.[24] Later that year, both a 10-minute film and a TED Book, called Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks were released.[25] Brain Power premiered in November 2012 at The California Academy of Sciences.[26] It was selected by the US State Department as a part of the 2013 American Film Showcase and was screened at embassies in the Middle East in November 2013.[27] Shlain discussed cloud filmmaking as the keynote speaker at the Tribeca Film Festival's 2013 Interactive Day where she delivered her "Cloud Filmmaking Manifesto."[28]

In 2013, Shlain co-founded the nonprofit Let it Ripple: Mobile Films for Global Change, and continued making cloud films. The next film in the series was The Science of Character. To premiere the film, Shlain and her co-workers founded Character Day, where schools and organizations around the world would premiere the film and discuss ideas around character development on the same day in a simultaneous online video conversation. For the second annual Character Day, they premiered The Adaptable Mind, which explores skills needed in the 21st century, and The Making of a Mensch, about the science of character through the Jewish Teachings of Mussar, interpreted through a modern-day lens. In 2019, the sixth and final Character Day included over 200,000 groups in 125 countries and all 50 states, drawing over 4 million participants.[29]

Shlain created two seasons of the AOL series The Future Starts Here,[30] which includes episodes entitled Technology Shabbats, Motherhood Remix, 10 Stages of The Creative Process,[31] The Future of Our Species, Why We Love Robots, co-directed with her husband Ken Goldberg, and A Case for Optimism.[32] The series, which began airing on AOL in 2013 was nominated for an Emmy Award in the News & Documentary for New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle & Culture in 2014, and has since been viewed more than 40 million times.[33]

Shlain "is often asked to comment about Web culture on television and lectures to groups in the U.S. and internationally", according to the Los Angeles Times,[34] and has spoken at TEDWomen and TEDMED.[35] She delivered the keynote address for UC Berkeley's commencement ceremony in May 2010;[35] the speech was included on NPR's list of "The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever."[36]

Shlain directed a film on women and power that was released through Refinery29's "Shatterbox Anthology".[37] Released on October 27, 2016, it is called 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power, and explores the 10,000-year history of women. In addition, on May 10, 2017, in support of 50/50 Day: Gender Equality, 11,000 events took place around the world, all linked by the internet.[38] These gatherings of people screened the film,[39] listened to noteworthy activists and celebrities.[38][40]

In 2017, Shlain was chosen to contribute one of 100 essays about the future, included in the world’s first 3D printed book, Genius: 100 Visions of the Future, which was printed in the International Space Station in zero gravity and debuted at the “Genius 100: Innovation Summit” event, attended by the participants.[41]

In 2019, Shlain's book, 24/6: Giving Up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection was published by Simon & Schuster.[42][43] In 2020, the book was awarded the Marshall McLuhan Award for Outstanding Book in the Field of Media Ecology.[44] In 2020, Shlain performed her spoken cinema show “Dear Human” at the Museum of Modern Art.[45][46][47][48]

In 2022, she exhibited her solo art show Human Nature, including her feminist history dendrochronology (tree ring) piece, Dendrofemonology.[49][47] The National Women's History Museum repeated the show in January 2023.[50][47][51]

Personal life

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Shlain lives in Marin County, Northern California, with husband, artist and Professor of Robotics at U.C. Berkeley, Ken Goldberg, with whom she frequently collaborates on art installations and other projects. They have two daughters.[52][53]

Shlain has a brother, Dr. Jordan Shlain; a sister, artist Kimberly Brooks; and brother-in-law, Albert Brooks. Her sister-in-law is Adele Goldberg. Following her father's death, Shlain and her siblings worked together to edit the manuscript of his final book, Leonardo's Brain: Understanding Da Vinci's Creative Genius.[2][3][15]

Filmography

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Year Title Credit
2021 Pause[54] Producer, host
2021 Dear Student[55] Director
2020 Dear Voter[56] Director
2019 Dear Parent[57] Director
2018 Unstoppable[58] Director
2018 Why I Pledge 5050 Director, co-writer, editor
2017 30,000 Days[59] Director, co-writer, editor
2016 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power Director, co-writer, editor
2015 The Adaptable Mind Director, co-writer, editor
2015 The Making of a Mensch[60] Director, co-writer, editor
2014 The Future of Our Species Director, co-writer
2014 Creative Bondage Director, co-writer
2014 Parentechnology Director, co-writer
2014 Transboom Director, co-writer
2014 The Photosynthesis of Social Media Director, co-writer
2014 Robots, Botox & Google Glass Director, co-writer
2014 Punk Rock Diplomacy Director, co-writer
2014 A Case for Dreaming Director, co-writer
2014 The Science of Character Director, co-writer
2013 Technology Shabbats Director, co-writer
2013 Motherhood Remixed Director, co-writer
2013 Tech Etiquette Director, co-writer
2013 Why We Love Robots Director, co-writer
2013 Participatory Revolution Director, co-writer
2013 The Creative Process in 10 Acts Director, co-writer
2013 Idea Porn Director, co-writer
2013 A Case for Optimism Director, co-writer
2013 The Future Starts Here' (series) Director, co-writer
2013 Facing the Future Director, co-writer
2012 Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks Director, co-writer
2012 Engage Director, co-writer
2011 Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology[61] Director, producer, co-writer
2011 Yelp: With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" Director, co-writer
2011 A Declaration of Interdependence Director, co-writer
2006 The Tribe Director, producer, co-writer
2003 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Director, co-writer
1992 Hunter & Pandora[62] Director, Writer

References

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  1. ^ Layman Low, Amanda (December 4, 2013). "SO WHAT DO YOU DO, TIFFANY SHLAIN, FILMMAKER AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE WEBBY AWARDS?". Mediabistro. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  2. ^ "Tiffany Shlain: Growing Up the Internet". On Being with Krista Tippett. March 31, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  3. ^ Moore, Boothe (7 July 2000). "From the Valley of the Geeks Comes the Digital Diva". July 7, 2000. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  4. ^ Davis, Rebecca (11 June 2012). "Shlain on the job: Life before – and after – creating the Webbys". June 12, 2012. Daily Maverick. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  5. ^ Said, Carolyn (30 July 1998). "The Woman Behind the Webbies / S.F., N.Y. woo Web award impresario Tiffany Shlain". July 20, 1998. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  6. ^ a b Shaw, Lucas. "Why Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain Has Given Up On Movie Theater". October 11, 2013. The Wrap. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  7. ^ "2007 We Go To Eleven Class". 2007. Aspen Institute. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". 2004. Film Festival Collection. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  9. ^ Carr, David (2005-06-08). "Accepting a Webby? Brevity, Please (Published 2005)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  10. ^ "Oscars of the Internet stay quirky and concise - Technology - International Herald Tribune (Published 2006)". The New York Times. 2006-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  11. ^ Thomas, Stuart. "Ex-Webby boss Tiffany Shlain on how the internet is revolutionising film". June 8, 2012. Yahoo News. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  12. ^ Kunzru, Hari (22 May 2000). "News Media Digital media Digital diva's big night". May 21, 2000. The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  13. ^ Carr, David (8 June 2005). "Accepting a Webby? Brevity, Please". June 8, 2005. New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Tiffany Shlain, Internet Expert". September 15, 2003. Good Morning America. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  15. ^ Andrea LeVasseur (2014). "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness (2002)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  16. ^ Ganahl, Jane (November 3, 2002). "Women's rights can't be taken for granted". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  17. ^ Smiley, Tavis. "Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain". November 8, 2011. PBS. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  18. ^ Pries, Jenn. "Tiffany Shlain". 2008. SOMA. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  19. ^ a b "LET IT RiPPLE | Awards and Distinctions". Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  20. ^ "The Tribe hits #1 on iTunes". October 26, 2007. JTA. 26 October 2007. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  21. ^ "Connected: An Autoblogography". 2011. Sundance Institute. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  22. ^ Dunaway, Michael. "Sundance 2013: An Interview with Tiffany Shlain". January 28, 2013. Paste. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  23. ^ "Tiffany Shlain". 2013. Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  24. ^ "Tiffany Shlain on Mindfulness, the Internet & her latest creation, "BRAIN POWER"". Brain World. November 8, 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  25. ^ Daly, Jim (15 November 2012). "The parallels between our highly wired minds and networks: Q&A with TED author Tiffany Shlain". November 15, 2012. TED. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  26. ^ Fancher, Lou (November 21, 2012). "Berkeley: Multimedia maven Tiffany Shlain connects all the links". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  27. ^ "// Program Spotlights // A New Type of Film Workshop - In The Cloud A New Type of Film Workshop - In The Cloud". US Dept of State. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  28. ^ "2013 TFI Interactive: Tiffany Shlain Keynote". 2013. TFI Interactive Film Institute. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  29. ^ "LET IT RiPPLE | About". Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  30. ^ Spangler, Todd (April 7, 2014). "AOL Renews Original Series from Nicole Richie, Sarah Jessica Parker". Variety. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  31. ^ Popova, Maria (19 February 2014). "The 10 Stages of the Creative Process". February, 2014. Brain Pickings. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  32. ^ Barker, Michelle. "Webby Awards founder, Tiffany Shlain, launches film series The Future Starts Here". September 8, 2013. Buzzquake. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  33. ^ "NOMINEES FOR THE 35TH ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES". emmyonline.org. Emmy Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  34. ^ Moore, Booth (7 July 2000). "From the Valley of the Geeks Comes the Digital Diva". LA Times. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  35. ^ a b Public Affairs (17 May 2010). "Invoke A Little Moxie". May 2010. UC Berkeley News Center. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
  36. ^ Bowers, Jeremy; et al. "The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever". npr.org. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  37. ^ Ge, Linda (May 2, 2016). "Kristen Stewart, America Ferrera and Gabourey Sidibe Directing Projects Lead Refinery29's Original Video Slate". The Wrap. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  38. ^ a b Rios, Carmen (May 10, 2017). "3 Ways to Celebrate 50/50 Day". Ms magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  39. ^ "The Dr. Julie Show All Things Connected">Presenters:Dr. Julie Krull (2008-04-05). "The Dr. Julie Show All Things Connected". All Things Connected. 00:01 minutes in. Empower Radio.
  40. ^ "The Goodfight Book". Dallas Observer. April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  41. ^ Eisenbud, Daniel K. (13 September 2017). "World's first 3-D book printed in zero gravity". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  42. ^ "In Praise of Being Unproductive". Harvard Business Review. 2019-09-01. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  43. ^ Miller, Emily McFarlan. "How taking a break from tech for Shabbat brought new purpose to this Internet pioneer's life". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  44. ^ "Media Ecology Association - 2020 Awards". www.media-ecology.org. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  45. ^ "Museum of Modern Art's Doc Fortnight Lineup Includes 'Crip Camp,' 'Some Kind of Heaven'". Variety. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  46. ^ Clarke, Christina (24 February 2020). "MoMa's Doc Fortnight was Diverse and Eclectic Highlights from the festival's 19th edition". POV (Canada's Documentary Magazine). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  47. ^ a b c Jewett, Daniel (2022). "See Tiffany Shlain's First Solo Exhibition in San Francisco". Marin Living Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  48. ^ "Dear Human, a Spoken Cinema Performance by Tiffany Shlain". moma.org. The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  49. ^ Beach, Charlotte (30 November 2022). "Tiffany Shlain Made Feminist History Tree Rings for Her Show 'Human Nature'". Print Magazine. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  50. ^ Mccarthy, Michael; Sweeney, Katie (8 December 2022). "9 San Francisco Artists, Exhibitions And Venues To Put On Your Radar". San Francisco Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  51. ^ "Tiffany Shlain's Dendrofemonology". womenshistory.org. National Women's History Museum. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  52. ^ "Filmmaker Tiffany Shlain Discuss Her Family's 'Technology Shabbat'". December 3, 2013. Huffington Post. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  53. ^ Brickman, Sophie (28 August 2011). "Tiffany Shlain". August 28, 2011. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  54. ^ "PAUSE | OneTable First Fridays". OneTable. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  55. ^ Dear Student - National Day of Unplugging 2021, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2021-03-16
  56. ^ "LET IT RiPPLE | Dear Voter". Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  57. ^ "LET IT RiPPLE | Dear Parent". Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  58. ^ "Planned Parenthood's UNSTOPPABLE Debuts Three Short Films Celebrating Bodily Autonomy, Equality, and Freedom". www.plannedparenthood.org. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  59. ^ "50/50 Day 2018 (April 26) Unveils Tool with 50 Actions Anyone Can Take to Achieve Gender Equality in Their Company, Community, School, or Home". www.businesswire.com. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  60. ^ "The Making of a Mensch | Watch Documentaries Online | Promote Documentary Film". www.cultureunplugged.com. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  61. ^ "Connected: An Autobiogography about Love, Death & Technology". Hollywood Reporter.
  62. ^ Wilson, Wendy (1994-08-01). "Shaking It Up On The Internet". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
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