How to Break Into Media and Communications at TED With Cloe Shasha Brooks, TED Conferences [re-release]

Cloe Shasha Brooks is the Speaker Development Curator for TED, a non-profit organization focused on sharing ideas through short, powerful speeches and presentations. TED stands for “technology, entertainment, design” and it is Cloe’s job to research and choose potential new speakers to share their ideas onTED’s stage, podcast and video programs. Through her work, she helps speakers write and develop their talks. Cloe curates talks in many fields with an international focus on literature, culture, social justice and humor and she aims to provide a platform for marginalized voices through TED. She has curated many notable speakers including:  Monica Lewinsky, the co-founder of Airbnb Joe Gebbia and the former World Bank President.  WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: What entry level jobs there are in TED and why it is a unique space to work  (3:58) How TED has been affected by the pandemic, including current and future job opportunities (6:22) Why Cloe looks for prospective hires to demonstrate their interests (8:44) Why writing is a super important skill in this field (10:26) Why internships are so important at TED and other organizations and how to to find TED internship opportunities (12:27 What experiences to think about doing to prepare yourself for career in media (18:02) What the TEDx program is and Cloe’s own college experience with it (19:51) What the best part of being a TED curator is! (21:09) Why the hardest part of her job is rejecting potential speakers (22:38) Why TED doesn’t fit into any traditional media category, but how Chris Anderson’s book Ted Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking gives great insight on their process (28:14) If you want to learn more about what a Speaker Development Curator Does at TED and how Cloe has built her career please tune in to T4C episode #539