Meet a young entrepreneur, cartoonist, designer, activist …
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0:03 - 0:07Server: May I help you, sir?
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0:07 - 0:10Customer: Uh, let's see.
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0:10 - 0:12Server: We have pan seared registry error
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0:12 - 0:14sprinkled with the finest corrupted data,
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0:14 - 0:16binary brioche, RAM sandwiches,
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0:16 - 0:18Conficker fitters,
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0:18 - 0:20and a scripting salad with or
without polymorphic dressing, -
0:20 - 0:23and a grilled coding kabob.
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0:27 - 0:29Customer: I'd like a RAM sandwich
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0:29 - 0:33and a glass of your finest Code 39.
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0:33 - 0:35Server: Would you like any desserts, sir?
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0:35 - 0:37Our special is tracking cookie.
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0:37 - 0:40Customer: I'd like a batch of some
zombie tracking cookies, thank you. -
0:40 - 0:42Server: Coming right up, sir.
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0:42 - 0:46Your food will be served shortly.
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0:46 - 0:50(Applause)
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0:53 - 0:56Maya Penn: I've been drawing ever
since I could hold a crayon, -
0:56 - 0:58and I've been making animated flip books
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0:58 - 1:00since I was three years old.
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1:00 - 1:03At that age, I also learned
about what an animator was. -
1:03 - 1:06There was a program on TV about jobs
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1:06 - 1:07most kids don't know about.
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1:07 - 1:09When I understood that an animator
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1:09 - 1:11makes the cartoons I saw on TV,
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1:11 - 1:15I immediately said, "That's what I want to be."
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1:15 - 1:17I don't know if I said it mentally or out loud,
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1:17 - 1:21but that was a greatly defining moment in my life.
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1:21 - 1:25Animation and art has always been my first love.
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1:25 - 1:27It was my love for technology that sparked the idea
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1:27 - 1:29for "Malicious Dishes."
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1:29 - 1:31There was a virus on my computer,
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1:31 - 1:33and I was trying to get rid of it,
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1:33 - 1:34and all of a sudden, I just thought,
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1:34 - 1:37what if viruses have their own
little world inside the computer? -
1:37 - 1:40Maybe a restaurant where they meet up
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1:40 - 1:41and do virusy things?
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1:41 - 1:45And thus, "Malicious Dishes" was born.
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1:45 - 1:47At four years old, my dad showed me
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1:47 - 1:50how to take apart a computer
and put it back together again. -
1:50 - 1:52That started my love for technology.
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1:52 - 1:55I built my first website myself in HTML,
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1:55 - 1:58and I'm learning JavaScript and Python.
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1:58 - 1:59I'm also working on an animated series
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1:59 - 2:01called "The Pollinators."
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2:01 - 2:03It's about bees and other
pollinators in our environment -
2:03 - 2:05and why they're so important.
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2:05 - 2:08If plants aren't pollinated by the pollinators,
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2:08 - 2:10then all creatures, including ourselves,
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2:10 - 2:12that depend on these plants, would starve.
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2:12 - 2:14So I decided to take these cool creatures
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2:14 - 2:18and make a superhero team.
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2:18 - 2:23(Applause)
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2:26 - 2:29(Foot stomp)
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2:29 - 2:34(Music)
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2:36 - 2:38(Roar)
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2:38 - 2:41Pollinator: Deforestsaurus! I should have known!
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2:41 - 2:43I need to call on the rest of the Pollinators!
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2:43 - 2:49(Music)
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2:55 - 2:58Thank you. (Applause)
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2:58 - 3:01All of my animations start with ideas,
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3:01 - 3:04but what are ideas?
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3:04 - 3:07Ideas can spark a movement.
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3:07 - 3:11Ideas are opportunities and innovation.
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3:11 - 3:15Ideas truly are what make the world go round.
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3:15 - 3:17If it wasn't for ideas, we wouldn't be
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3:17 - 3:19where we are now with technology, medicine,
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3:19 - 3:23art, culture, and how we even live our lives.
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3:23 - 3:25At eight years old, I took my ideas
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3:25 - 3:28and started my own business called Maya's Ideas,
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3:28 - 3:31and my nonprofit, Maya's Ideas for the Planet.
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3:31 - 3:33(Laughter)
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3:33 - 3:36And I make eco-friendly clothing and accessories.
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3:36 - 3:39I'm 13 now, and although I started my business
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3:39 - 3:40in 2008,
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3:40 - 3:44my artistic journey started way before then.
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3:44 - 3:46I was greatly influenced by art, and I wanted to
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3:46 - 3:49incorporate it in everything I did, even my business.
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3:49 - 3:51I would find different fabrics around the house,
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3:51 - 3:53and say, "This could be a scarf or a hat,"
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3:53 - 3:56and I had all these ideas for designs.
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3:56 - 3:58I noticed when I wore my creations,
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3:58 - 4:00people would stop me and say,
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4:00 - 4:02"Wow, that's really cute. Where can I get one?"
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4:02 - 4:05And I thought, I can start my own business.
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4:05 - 4:07Now I didn't have any business plans
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4:07 - 4:09at only eight years old.
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4:09 - 4:11I only knew I wanted to make pretty creations
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4:11 - 4:12that were safe for the environment
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4:12 - 4:14and I wanted to give back.
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4:14 - 4:16My mom taught me how to sew,
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4:16 - 4:18and on my back porch, I would sit and make
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4:18 - 4:19little headbands out of ribbon,
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4:19 - 4:22and I would write down the names
and the price of each item. -
4:22 - 4:24I started making more items like hats,
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4:24 - 4:26scarves and bags.
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4:26 - 4:28Soon, my items began selling all over the world,
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4:28 - 4:31and I had customers in Denmark, Italy, Australia,
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4:31 - 4:34Canada and more.
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4:34 - 4:37Now, I had a lot to learn about my business,
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4:37 - 4:38like branding and marketing,
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4:38 - 4:40staying engaged with my customers,
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4:40 - 4:43and seeing what sold the most and the least.
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4:43 - 4:46Soon, my business really started to take off.
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4:46 - 4:50Then one day, Forbes magazine
contacted me when I was 10 years old. -
4:50 - 4:52(Laughter)
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4:52 - 4:54They wanted to feature me and my company
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4:54 - 4:56in their article.
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4:56 - 4:58Now a lot of people ask me,
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4:58 - 5:01why is your business eco-friendly?
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5:01 - 5:03I've had a passion for protecting the environment
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5:03 - 5:05and its creatures since I was little.
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5:05 - 5:07My parents taught me at an early age
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5:07 - 5:10about giving back and being a
good steward to the environment. -
5:10 - 5:12I heard about how the dyes in some clothing
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5:12 - 5:15or the process of even making the items
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5:15 - 5:17was harmful to the people and the planet,
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5:17 - 5:19so I started doing my own research,
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5:19 - 5:22and I discovered that even
after dyeing has being completed, -
5:22 - 5:24there is a waste issue that gives a negative impact
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5:24 - 5:26on the environment.
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5:26 - 5:28For example, the grinding of materials,
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5:28 - 5:31or the dumping of dried powder materials.
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5:31 - 5:32These actions can pollute the air,
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5:32 - 5:36making it toxic to anyone or anything that inhales it.
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5:36 - 5:38So when I started my business,
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5:38 - 5:40I knew two things:
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5:40 - 5:43All of my items had to be eco-friendly,
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5:43 - 5:45and 10 to 20 percent of the profits I made
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5:45 - 5:47went to local and global charities
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5:47 - 5:49and environmental organizations.
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5:49 - 5:53(Applause)
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5:53 - 5:55I feel I'm part of the new wave of entrepreneurs
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5:55 - 5:57that not only seeks to have a successful business,
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5:57 - 6:00but also a sustainable future.
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6:00 - 6:02I feel that I can meet the needs of my customers
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6:02 - 6:05without compromising the
ability of future generations -
6:05 - 6:08to live in a greener tomorrow.
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6:08 - 6:10We live in a big, diverse and beautiful world,
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6:10 - 6:13and that makes me even more passionate to save it.
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6:13 - 6:15But it's never enough to just
to get it through your heads -
6:15 - 6:17about the things that are happening in our world.
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6:17 - 6:19It takes to get it through your hearts,
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6:19 - 6:21because when you get it through your heart,
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6:21 - 6:23that is when movements are sparked.
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6:23 - 6:25That is when opportunities
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6:25 - 6:26and innovation are created,
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6:26 - 6:29and that is why ideas come to life.
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6:29 - 6:34Thank you, and peace and blessings.
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6:34 - 6:40(Applause)
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6:40 - 6:43Thank you. (Applause)
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6:43 - 6:46Pat Mitchell: So, you heard Maya talk about
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6:46 - 6:49the amazing parents who are behind
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6:49 - 6:51this incredible woman. Where are they?
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6:51 - 6:54Please, Mr. and Mrs. Penn. Would you just -- Ah!
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6:54 - 6:58(Applause)
- Title:
- Meet a young entrepreneur, cartoonist, designer, activist …
- Speaker:
- Maya Penn
- Description:
-
Maya Penn started her first company when she was 8 years old, and thinks deeply about how to be responsible both to her customers and to the planet. She shares her story -- and some animations, and some designs, and some infectious energy -- in this charming talk.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:16
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