Hello, everybody.
It's great to be here on stage at TEDxSpokane.
(Cheers) (Applause)
That's encouraging.
I'm really nervous right now.
But let me explain by telling you a little bit about myself and my story.
I've always considered myself as having two different identities.
The first and more natural identity is a shy and awkward high school freshman.
I'm not very popular in school,
and I try to avoid drawing attention to myself.
In fact, nobody at school even knows that I'm here today.
They all just think that I'm homesick.
So let's just keep this whole TED Talk thing between us, okay?
(Laughter)
Great.
But anyway, I think this persona,
the one that you're seeing on stage right now
started taking shape when I was just a little kid.
As long as I can remember,
whenever I wasn't in school,
I was always making silly home movies with my Dad.
As time passed,
we started using video to tell stories.
And this was back when Facebook and YouTube
were just getting started.
So nobody really knew much about social media or online video.
So I started screening my work in film festivals
when I was about eight years old.
When I was in the fourth grade,
something that was bothering me
was the lunch being served at my elementary school.
I asked my parents if I could pack my own lunch,
but they wanted me to eat the school lunch.
They saw the monthly menu published by the Department of Education
and thought the food sounded amazing.
I told them that's not what I was actually being served,
but, of course, they didn't believe me.
So I started sneaking a small video camera into the lunch room,
and over the next six months,
I recorded pictures of my school lunch
and then compared them to what was being advertised on the menu.
We turned that footage into a short film called
"YUCK! A Fourth Grader's Short Documentary About School Lunch."
(Video) Zachary Maxwell: For this operation,
I was going to have to go way undercover.
I thought I'd use a few small HD cameras
that I could easily fit into my pocket.
That way, I could sneak shots
when the lunch monitors weren't looking.
I had to keep a low profile
because according to the School Chancellor's Regulation A-640:
filming in school facilities during school hours is only allowed
with the Principal's permission.
I really like our principal but she runs a pretty tight ship,
and I don't think she's going to approve.
Needless to say ...
I could get in big trouble for this.
(On stage) ZM: Here's what happened.
The film ran in a bunch of film festivals,
the New York Times ran a feature story on the project,
and that sparked international media attention.
The school's Chancellor
had to make a public statement about what was going on.
They created a student feedback committee to work with the food service managers.
And my school ...
got a salad bar.
(Laughter)
(Applause)
I'm not huge fan of salad but that's not the point.
The point is that the film raised awareness and caused change.
And it was at that moment that my second identity was born.
Zachary Maxwell: Fearless Kid Filmmaker.
Meanwhile, right around this time,
my other self was learning about how government was supposed to work.
What I was being taught
was that government is supposed to work for the people,
and regular people are supposed to have the power
to tell the government what to do.
If you were a concerned citizen, the solution was simple.
Just like we learned in "School House Rock,"
you would call your elected official,
they would listen to your problem, and then they would make a law.
But it seems to me that somewhere along the way
that simple process became broken.
Because today, I think most politicians
only listen to rich and powerful donors or special interest groups.
So I started wondering if there was a better way
to get the attention of elected officials
and make them aware of the problems that were important to me -
a regular shy and awkward kid from Brooklyn.
For example, I want to tell you about a problem that I had
when I was in the sixth grade.
Sometimes in New York City, we get very brutal winters.
We get pounded with snow, dangerous temperatures,
and pretty much the entire city has to shut down.
Everything except, of course, New York City Public Schools.
Nope. We never close.
Not even when the Governor declares a state of emergency.
Well, I wanted to figure out why.
So enter my second identity.
I started writing letters, sending emails,
and making short video messages to the people in charge.
And I did this for months but nobody would respond to me.
They all thought I was some crazy sixth grader.
And you know what?
They were right! And I kept coming at them.
(Video starts) (Phone ringing)
Phone voice: Press Office. Hello?
ZM: Hello, my name is Zachary Maxwell and I'm a documentary filmmaker.
Right now, I'm working on a project about snow days,
and I've sent a number of letters and emails
requesting an on-camera interview with the Chancellor.
PV: Okay. When did you send these letters?
ZM: Like, for the last three months.
PV: Three months? Alright.
Let me check and see if she's received them
and someone's looking into that for you.
ZM: Thank you so much.
PV: Thank you, Zach. No problem.
ZM: Bye.
(On stage) ZM: And here's what happened.
I finally started bothering the right people,
and they helped me get meetings with officials
in charge of both city sanitation and emergency management.
And believe it or not,
I was eventually invited to City Hall
for a one-on-one sit-down interview with the Mayor of New York City
where I grilled him on his decision-making process.
(Laughter)
Later that year, the resulting film "Anatomy of a Snow Day"
premiered in the country's largest documentary film festival,
and it's also drawn a lot of positive attention.
But more importantly,
the film raised awareness about how our city works.
We all hear about how technology today is so advanced,
and just about anybody can make a film
as long as they have a cell phone and a modest computer.
Well, unfortunately,
what I've been seeing is that most kids my age
are just wasting this opportunity and only using this technology
to do things like record themselves playing video games
or babbling about their life.
When I think we can be using this technology
to flex our creative muscles
and highlight real issues in our community.
Because what I've started learning with the stuff that I've been doing is
if you work really hard to create something interesting and unique,
people pay attention.
And when enough people begin to pay attention to an issue,
elected officials pay attention.
And when that begins to happen, change can happen.
I want to give you just one more example.
This is my little brother Lucas.
He goes to the same elementary school that I went to.
The lunches are much better now.
You're welcome, Lucas.
But anyways, he was scared of the traffic
at a dangerous intersection near his school.
So earlier this year, I helped him make a video
to send to the Commissioner of Transportation for New York City.
Now, look.
When you're going after somebody very busy and important,
you have to grab their attention
with a concise, yet compelling title for your video.
So we decided to title this one ...
"Dear Polly Trottenberg: Urgent Imminent Death."
(Laughter)
(Video) Lucas: When I leave school with my friends and family,
sometimes we have to walk to the downtown six train.
To get there, we walk north on Centre Street,
then we go west on Kenmare Street to Lafayette Street.
Or as I like to call it ...
The "Corner of Death."
(Children screaming)
Okay. There's a big problem at this corner.
When westbound vehicles on Kenmare get to Lafayette,
they have to merge left.
But when they get to the intersection,
all they see is a green light and a big sign that says "all traffic."
So when they make the turn, they don't even realize
that kids with the walk sign are trying to cross Lafayette.
And since they drive real fast and there are two lanes,
sometimes, they don't even see us until it's too late.
(Singing) La la la la la.
(Screeching tires)
(Gasp!)
Kid: Oh no! They killed Lucas!
Lucas: Ugh. Uh. I'm not dead but I'm hurt really bad.
(Sirening)
It's okay, everybody. I'm fine.
But it could have been a lot worse.
(Groans) Ugh. Uh.
Oh the pain! Oh the pain!
Go away from the light.
Agghh. Go away from the light. Aggh.
(Laughter)
(On stage) ZM: I think you already know where this is heading,
but let me tell you what happened.
The video drew a lot of attention.
The City Council got involved and the Dep. of Transportation responded.
The Commissioner invited Lucas to a press conference
where she announced all kinds of new changes to the corner,
including new traffic lights, new crosswalk markings,
and a 12-second head-start signal for pedestrians.
Lucas was a hero for 15 minutes,
but most importantly,
that corner is now infinitely safer for millions of pedestrians.
(Applause)
You have the power to do this too.
Even if you're just a kid,
you have the ability to make meaningful change
in your community.
Think about something in your hometown right now that's always bothered you.
Do the cars drive too fast?
Is there too much litter?
Should lightsaber dueling be a varsity sport at your high school?
Yes. Yes, it should.
Then find a creative and interesting way to tell the story of that problem.
I make films, but maybe that's not your thing.
You can write a poem, compose a song,
take some pictures, paint your canvas.
It doesn't matter how you express yourself,
just that you do it with passion,
and that it's in your own unique voice,
in a way that only you can say it.
And once you're done with your masterpiece,
share it with the world.
Post it online.
Generate buzz through social media.
Send it to your TV station or the local newspaper.
You have to make some noise.
But most importantly,
go directly after the people that hold the power.
Don't be afraid to call somebody out.
Name names.
Shine the spotlight on the issue and the people in charge,
and I promise you they will pay attention.
Because the fact is, we're no longer living in the simple days
of just sitting back
and hoping that our government is going to work for us.
You need to make it happen.
So even if you're shy and quiet like me,
find that other side of you.
Be bold.
Be creative.
Be fearless.
Channel your inner badass and make change.
(Applause) (Cheers)
Thanks. Thanks, everyone.
And with that,
I guess I'm going to head back home now
and resume my other life as a shy and awkward ninth grader.
(Laughter)
Thanks again.
(Applause) (Cheers)