TEDx Pontiac accepting applications for speakers

Well, TEDx Pontiac, looking for builders and believers to help revitalize the community. Applications are now open for speakers, as well as some volunteers and sponsors, curator and organizer, Drake Thompson, out here on the couch with me to talk more about this, because one I think is so interesting, there's... A highlight, really, that you're putting on the city of Pontiac. Can you just walk us through, one, the history of Pontiac in terms of just, you know, when we talk about builders and believers and just, you know, revitalizing that hope and injecting that back into the city, where does all that come from? I would say this all comes from just the community. If you've ever been to Pontiac, it's... It's own distinction outside of Detroit where you have just this like family vibe of people that really love and care about their city, similar to the citizens of Detroit. And I would just say with everything that's going on with the Pontiac project and Oakland County moving their 700 employees to downtown Pontiac. The time is now, and the time will be had. So I can tell you that on April 30th, 2027, the 2026 event we just did, we had over 450 people. It was a movie. So I definitely invite you to come. You know, you VIP because you're with me. So you definitely got to pull up. You got to pull up. Well, talk to me about that. I mean, because one, you know, the whole tagline, welcome to my TED Talk, okay, and entering Pontiac in that conversation. Walk me through the process and the importance. The importance of having these types of conversations and inviting so many different perspectives and voices to contribute to a conversation of revitalizing and rebuilding, believing in a city like Pontiac. Absolutely. So it all really started with me applying for a license from Big Ted because TEDx events are independently curated events that you have to be sanctioned or approved rather to host. And so I was able to get that approval back in 2025. And our inaugural event took place in May 2026 of this year. And we had authors, we had doctors, we had small business owners, nonprofit leaders. Executive David Coulter came on and spoke. The mayor had a few words, There are state representatives, It's like this was a real community initiative. And our first theme was when adversity meets innovation, a play on AI, segueing into now builders and believers. So do you build in Pontiac? Do you believe in Pontiac? Are you a Michigander that is invested in the betterment of mankind? And so I feel that it's very important that. We give a voice to the voiceless and that everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard. And that was one of the focal reasons why I had the vision to create this event, because I wanted people to be able to share their perspectives in a constructive way. And if it's an idea worth spreading that'll better humanity, why not amplify it on a stage like TED? Right, I think it's interesting you mentioned the questions, would you build, do you believe, pulling in so many different voices of really kind of scoping out any barriers too. Do we need to be able to make a better Pontiac or whatnot? And you're saying it's not just those who live in Pontiac. Everyone can pull up to the conversation and have a part in this. Absolutely. I love teachers. I'd even welcome you to apply as a speaker. I mean, if you're on Fox 2 News, why not? So it's literally open to everyone. You don't have to be a professional speaker. But all I ask is that you, you know, have a compelling idea, be committed to the task and just want to serve and see the betterment of others. And so to apply, all people have to do is go to our website, which is www.tedxpontiac.org. You click contact us and you fill out the form. And we're not only just looking for speakers. I need volunteers. We need sponsors. And we really want people to come out. And as I said, we eclipsed over 400 people for... Our first event, typically, stand-alone TED events garner like 100 people, so this was like overly ambitious, and so I'm very excited to see what April of 2027 will look like, and I'm just extremely humbled, blessed, appreciative to be here, and I'm excited for what the future holds. We are, too. Hey, it starts with a conversation and then folks being a part of it, so all right, thank you. Very appreciated.