MICK EBELING
Innovation | Creativity | Inspiration | Teamwork | Change | Business |
Non-Profits |
Author of Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn’t Be Done
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Recently named by Fortune Magazine as one of the Top 50 World’s Greatest Leaders , a recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award and listed as one of the world’s most influential creative people by The Creativity 50’s, Mick Ebeling has sparked a movement of pragmatic, inspirational innovation. As a career producer and filmmaker and now founder and CEO of Not Impossible, Ebeling harvests the power of technology and story to change the world.
Ebeling founded Not Impossible, a multiple award-winning social innovation lab and production company, on the premise that nothing is impossible. His mantra of “commit, then figure it out” allows him to convene a disparate team of hackers, doers, makers and thinkers to create devices that better the world by bringing accessibility for all. This unconventional approach brought to life highly acclaimed initiatives -- the EyeWriter, Project Daniel, Don’s Voice and most recently Music: Not Impossible -- that brought the ability to draw back to a paraplegic street artist, 3D-printed arms to Sudanese amputees, a ‘voice’ to an ALS patient who hadn’t spoken in 15 years, and wearables that let deaf and hearing people alike feel music in a “surround body” experience.
Working with a wide array of Fortune 500 companies, Ebeling not only pushes the bar on innovation, he also shares the emotionally resonating story of doing so. These narratives of overcoming seemingly impossible odds to “Help One. Help Many” have inspired people across the world to do the same.
Ebeling’s book, Not Impossible: The Art and Joy of Doing What Couldn't Be Done, recounts the life experiences that led to the founding of Not Impossible. Published in a multitude of languages, the book was hailed as “a unique and inspiring tale of brave abandon” by Nicholas
Negroponte.
Named one of Wired’s ‘Agents of Change’, a two-time SXSW innovation of the year award winner, a two-time Tribeca Disruptor innovation winner, a fellow with The Nantucket Project, and recipient of every major creative and advertising award, Ebeling is on a mission to provide “Technology for the Sake of Humanity.” By tapping into a community of passionate and talented engineers, makers, idea generators and storytellers, Ebeling is making the
inconceivable, the unbelievable and the impossible, Not Impossible.
TOPICS
Technology + Innovation
Radical Collaboration
Take a Hollywood producer, a NY professor, a fine artist and a hacker with a criminal record…Put them together and what do you get? A device that helped a paralyzed man create drawings using only the movement of his eyes. Collaboration comes in many form, some of them unexpected. In this talk, Mick discusses the tools necessary to become a stellar collaborator, and to recognize the traits of collaboration-worthy individuals for your next big idea.
Making The Next Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution 2.0—it’s the next turning point in human history and we’re right in the middle of it. Industrial Revolution 2.0 has been about the birth, adolescence, and young adulthood of the Internet. It’s been about communicating, relating, evaluating, and BUYING. From social media to the Maker Movement, this “revolution” has shifted the way we live, work, and interact with one another. It revolves around the newfound global accessibility to making our own solutions. Having created one of Time Magazine’s “Top 50 Inventions” with little more than $70 of over-the-counter supplies, Mick outlines the contributing factors that make this the most exciting time in modern history and how to capitalize on it for social and business good.
Education + Business
Teaching Innovation
Everyone’s an innovator—but whether they know it or not is another story. Creative thinking takes place daily in business, family life and in relationships. Believe it or not, it can be taught. If we can teach our business leaders this process of innovation, our businesses can drive sustainable growth for years to come. Mick shatters the myths about what it takes to make a great innovator and provides useful techniques and solutions for teaching the art of innovation to improve your career and your life.
Open Source for the Classroom
“Creativity is as important as literacy,” says Sir Ken Robinson. If we can teach our children to innovate and the skills and process of innovation, we can give them the tools they need to achieve great things. Since every new invention is built on the framework of existing ideas, when information is shared freely between thinkers, radical new ideas can emerge at light-speed. Some of the most thought-provoking new inventions are coming from today’s high school and college students—due in large part to the unprecedented access they have to the research of their predecessors. How can we build curricula that stimulate today’s bright young minds? Answer: supplement the learning experience with open source ideas and technology.
Non-Profit
Social Innovation thru Open Source
Great minds think alike. And today’s technology connects great minds at the speed of electricity. In the pre-internet era, learning was largely predicated on, or a result of, geographical access to teachers and institutions. Today, due to our near-immediate access to news and information, it is nearly impossible to not be inspired and affected by what’s happening in other cultures, time zones and schools of thought. This access, and the natural human tendency to want to share information, is at the heart of the open source movement. The goal of this talk is to inspire participants to create change and solutions within their own classrooms and communities by learning how to be part of the open source community. Thru discussion and collective brainstorming, each participant will walk away with the foundation for their own open source project.
Inspirational + General
The Fallacy of “Impossible”
Since the launch of the Eyewriter and Not Impossible Foundation, Mick has passionately studied the concept of “Impossible.” All the modern conveniences we see around us were once considered “impossible” by people who didn’t know any better. Synthetic fabrics, cell phones and digital watches (not to mention cars and computers) were all figments of the imagination until inspiration met execution and the impossible became a reality. In this talk, Mick dives deeper into “Impossible,” the underlying psychological affects it has on an organization, and how to overcome “Impossible” so true innovation can take place.
WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING
"Mick inspired us with his message that anyone can make a positive difference right now. There was a standing ovation at the end of his talk, and more than a year later I still hear from people that Mick motivated them to do something meaningful, to act, and to make a difference.”
— Microsoft
"Mick Ebeling is “inspiring”, “life changing”, “the real deal”. He had 400 attendees hanging on his every word, captivated by his raw passion and drive to change the world, one feat at a time. If you are looking for a speaker who will elevate your meeting to the next level, he is the man for you."
--- Consumer Healthcare Products Association