BIF2017

"Stories are opportunities to hear ideas and to connect different ideas all in one place. A good story will inspire you, inform you, and activate you. Stories drive change by activating people to learn more that they can do."

"The stories of my patients make me get up in the morning and go to work. It’s how I remember my more than 3000 patients. Their stories link me to their numbers and the things I need to know about them."

“I’ve been both a victim of violence through [the legacy of] the Holocaust and then was top dog when it came to the Palestinians. I’m part of the weak and part of the strong; that’s a very humbling experience.”

"I love to tell stories, and have since I was young. Acting in itself is implicit in telling a story. Being an actor you have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, empathize with a totally different character. And everyone has the potential and the ability to listen to and to tell stories. That makes us special."

"I love stories — stories are one of only a few deep ways that human beings have held onto memory. Sometimes tell stories to song, like when we read the Torah in synagogue. That’s an ancient vehicle for memory transmission."

"We can hide behind all kinds of data, numbers, and research. But if you’re making me tell my story you make me open up, and that opening up makes other people share as well. "

"I think my purpose is to give any other person I meet to think, I can do this, I have the ability to create music."

Theater and Art must be by, for, and of the people. Art is not a luxury item which exists solely for the purpose of consumption.

"Inspiring people that no matter how tough a day it is today, tomorrow is never a definite. Live life to the fullest and pay it forward any which way you can."

"Stories provide examples of lessons, experiences, ideas that help us interpret, relate to, and see how those could work for ourselves."

"Story is the thing that can wake people up, that has an opportunity to bring a higher level of consciousness."

"A story is the best way to make information come alive. Stories create excitement, ease learning, and make it easier to connect to other people."

BIF's Chief Market Maker takes the stage to emphasize community and our role as citizens to co-create a better future.

Yarrow Kraner is the Founder of HATCH. A social media innovator, he has been building global networks since 1999.

"Be who you were, to learn how to become who you will be. Learn how to disrupt yourself to become the real you."

"The point is, you're gonna be able to do a lot by just being in a space that has intelligence, that has connectivity, that benefits from machine learning."

Tech guru and futurist, founder of Constellation Research and is one of the most prolific thinkers in the disruptive tech space.

"I think stories can change our lives. I know they've changed mine in the way I think about who I am and the world in which I live."

Our culture is shaped by stories. People remember stories, they don’t remember slides. Talking about new ideas without talking about stories is an aimless exercise. That’s what makes BIF wonderful.

I believe people have an ability to apply themselves to work, there’s the sense of being able to create opportunities and then being fully prepared for those opportunities.

"Marketing your authentic self is branding, and “brand” is another word for reputation, says Clark. We all have a brand that defines us in the eyes of others — whether we think so or not."

Macaulay’s detailed illustrations and sly humor have earned him fans of all ages.

It’s crystal clear to me that stories are fundamental for insight and imagination. They help us digest and synthesize the complexity around us.

When we share stories we share our humanity. And if we do it honestly, we share our vulnerabilities.

Stories are the windows to the soul and they can have a very personal impact on learning with long-term results.

Entrepreneurship is a vocation, it’s not about discrete projects or even companies. Pivoting is natural for entrepreneurs, along with the evolution of ideas, opportunities, feedback and the ever-changing landscape.

Bridging the gap between community, equality, and innovative next practices to change viewpoints.

In the days after Hurricane Harvey's catastrophic rainfall and flooding forever changed the landscape of Houston, TX, Angela Blanchard set up a shelter in the NRG Center to house 10,000 people. How long did she have to set it up? 24 hours.

"BIF has managed to create an amazing community of smart and creative people that inspire me every time I participate."

"The underlying story is important, not just the headlines or the pictures or the first impressions. What matters is the story of the journey and how someone impacts people."

Visionary, musician, and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman wowed audiences at BIF2017 with her stunning images from space.

BIF2017 Storyteller Mark Brand challenges perspectives by constantly striving to improve the lives of others, while providing opportunities for growth and social change through emerging technologies, alternate currencies, and best practices.

"I came to realize, as I was watching the trends and the moving ship, shapes of public discourse around the world, change and morph into unrecognizable things, that politics was the new Fast Company. And that I had to change my own focus from helping people start businesses."