ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joe Sabia - Storyteller
Joe Sabia investigates new ways to tell stories -- meshing viral video and new display technologies with old-fashioned narrative.

Why you should listen

Joe Sabia is a NYC-based conceptual digital video artist who creates shareable videos and formats across a multitude of genres, amassing more than 1 billion views in total. As a creative consultant, Moth Programming Board member, and award-winning director/editor, his current role has him creating franchise video formats across the Conde Nast Portfolio as VP of Creative Development. 

You may recognize his voice as the guy on Vogue's "73 Questions." Some of his work includes the "Wired Autocomplete Interview" series, "You Sang My Song" on Glamour, and "Lie Detector" and "Tinder Takeover" on Vanity Fair. Joe created "African Men, Hollywood Stereotypes" which launched the awareness campaign of Africa-based non-profit Mama Hope. He spent two years making an art project called "The Office Stare Machine" which takes 700 stares from The Office and catalogues them against hundreds of emotions. He also co-founded "CDZA", a music channel featuring hundreds of conservatory-trained musicians in viral videos, including directing a set with Spike Jonze at the first ever YouTube Music Awards. 

Sabia's hobbies include being an amateur classical pianist, the 2007 international pun champion and proud co-owner of an Italian restaurant. He also documents management facility in the Republic of Georgia.

More profile about the speaker
Joe Sabia | Speaker | TED.com
Full Spectrum Auditions

Joe Sabia: The technology of storytelling

Joe Sabia: D'Technologie vum Geschichtenerzielen

Filmed:
1,352,099 views

Den iPad Geschichtenerzieler Joe Sabia stellt eis de Lothar Meggendorfer fir, deen am leschte Jorhonnert eng gewoten Technologie fir Geschichten ze erziele creéiert huet: d'Obklappbuch. De Sabia weist wéi nei Technologie emmer gehollef huet eis eege Geschichten ze erzielen, vun den Höhlemauere bis zu sengem eegenen iPad ob der Bühn.
- Storyteller
Joe Sabia investigates new ways to tell stories -- meshing viral video and new display technologies with old-fashioned narrative. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
Ladies and gentlemen, gather around.
0
0
2000
Dir Dammen an dir Hären, kommt all erbäi.
00:17
I would love to share with you a story.
1
2000
3000
Ech géing iech gären eng Geschicht erzielen.
00:20
Once upon a time
2
5000
2000
Viru laanger Zäit
00:22
in 19th century Germany,
3
7000
2000
an Däitschland am 19ten Jorhonnert,
00:24
there was the book.
4
9000
2000
gouf et e Buch.
00:26
Now during this time,
5
11000
2000
Deemools
00:28
the book was the king of storytelling.
6
13000
2000
war d'Buch de Kinnek vum Geschichtenerzielen.
00:30
It was venerable.
7
15000
2000
Et war éierwierdeg.
00:32
It was ubiquitous.
8
17000
2000
Et war allgéigewäerteg.
00:34
But it was a little bit boring.
9
19000
4000
Mee et war e bësse langweileg.
00:38
Because in its 400 years of existence,
10
23000
3000
Well a senger 400-järeger Existenz,
00:41
storytellers never evolved the book
11
26000
2000
hunn d'Geschichtenerzieler d'Buch ni
00:43
as a storytelling device.
12
28000
2000
als Medium fir Geschichten ze erziele weider entwéckelt.
00:45
But then one author arrived,
13
30000
2000
Mee du koum en Auteur,
00:47
and he changed the game forever.
14
32000
4000
an hien huet d'Spill fir ëmmer geännert.
00:51
(Music)
15
36000
2000
(Musik)
00:53
His name was Lothar,
16
38000
2000
Säi Numm war Lothar,
00:55
Lothar Meggendorfer.
17
40000
3000
Lothar Meggendorfer.
00:58
Lothar Meggendorfer put his foot down,
18
43000
3000
De Lothar Meggendorfer huet mat der Fauscht ob den Dësch geschloen
01:01
and he said, "Genug ist genug!"
19
46000
3000
a gesot: "Genuch ass genuch!"
01:07
He grabbed his pen,
20
52000
2000
Hien huet e Bic an de Grapp geholl,
01:09
he snatched his scissors.
21
54000
2000
hien huet no senger Schéier gegraff.
01:11
This man refused to fold to the conventions of normalcy
22
56000
2000
Dëse Mann huet refuséiert sech de Conventioune vun der Normalitéit ze erginn
01:13
and just decided to fold.
23
58000
2000
an décidéiert Pabeier ze falen.
01:15
History would know Lothar Meggendorfer
24
60000
2000
Geschicht kennt den Lothar Meggendorfer
01:17
as -- who else? --
25
62000
2000
als - wee soss? -
01:19
the world's first true inventor
26
64000
2000
de weltwäit éichten wirklechen Erfinder
01:21
of the children's pop-up book.
27
66000
3000
vum Opklappbuch fir d'Kanner.
01:24
(Music)
28
69000
2000
(Musik)
01:26
For this delight and for this wonder,
29
71000
2000
Fir des Freed a Wonner
01:28
people rejoiced.
30
73000
2000
hun d'Leit gejubelt.
01:30
(Cheering)
31
75000
3000
(Jubel)
01:33
They were happy because the story survived,
32
78000
3000
Si ware frou well d'Geschichten haten iwerlieft,
01:36
and that the world would keep on spinning.
33
81000
2000
an d'Welt wärt sech der emmer weider ausdenken.
01:38
Lothar Meggendorfer wasn't the first
34
83000
2000
De Lothar Meggendorfer war net deen éichten
01:40
to evolve the way a story was told,
35
85000
2000
den d'Art a Weis wéi eng Geschicht gezielt get weiderentweckelt huet,
01:42
and he certainly wasn't the last.
36
87000
2000
an hee war ganz secher net dee leschten.
01:44
Whether storytellers realized it or not,
37
89000
2000
Ob Geschichtenerzieler et realiséiert hun oder net,
01:46
they were channeling Meggendorfer's spirit
38
91000
2000
si hun dem Meggendorfer säi Geescht kanaliséiert
01:48
when they moved opera to vaudville,
39
93000
5000
wéi se vun Oper ob Vaudeville,
01:53
radio news to radio theater,
40
98000
3000
vu Radio Norichten ob Hörspiele,
01:56
film to film in motion
41
101000
3000
vu Film ob bewegte Film
01:59
to film in sound, color, 3D,
42
104000
3000
ob Film mat Toun, Faarw, 3D,
02:02
on VHS and on DVD.
43
107000
2000
ob Videokassett an DVD weider gaangen sin.
02:04
There seemed to be no cure for this Meggendorferitis.
44
109000
3000
Et huet geschengt wi wann et kee Géigemettel fir d'Meggendorferitis géif gin.
02:07
And things got a lot more fun when the Internet came around.
45
112000
3000
An d'Saach as nach vill mi flott gin wi den Internet bis obkomm as.
02:10
(Laughter)
46
115000
2000
(Laachen)
02:12
Because, not only could people broadcast their stories throughout the world,
47
117000
3000
Well, net nemmen konnten d'Leit hier Geschichten duech d'Welt senden,
02:15
but they could do so
48
120000
2000
mee si konnten dat maan
02:17
using what seemed to be an infinite amount of devices.
49
122000
3000
mat Hellef vun et schengt onendlech villen Hellefsmettel.
02:20
For example, one company
50
125000
3000
Zum Beispill, eng Entreprise
02:23
would tell a story of love
51
128000
2000
kann eng Liebesgeschicht azielen
02:25
through its very own search engine.
52
130000
3000
mat Hellef vun hierer eegener Sichmaschinn.
02:30
One Taiwanese production studio
53
135000
2000
Een Produktiouns-Studio an Taiwan
02:32
would interpret American politics in 3D.
54
137000
3000
kann amerikanesch Politik an 3D interpretéieren.
02:35
(Laughter)
55
140000
5000
(Laachen)
02:40
And one man would tell the stories of his father
56
145000
4000
An ee Mann kann d'Geschichten vu sengem Papp azielen
02:44
by using a platform called Twitter
57
149000
2000
an deems en eng Platform di Twitter heescht benotzt
02:46
to communicate the excrement his father would gesticulate.
58
151000
3000
fir seng Ausscheedungen a Gebärden ze kommunizéieren.
02:49
And after all this, everyone paused;
59
154000
2000
A no all deem huet jidderen fir e Moment stall gehal
02:51
they took a step back.
60
156000
2000
an ee Schrett no hannen gemaach.
02:53
They realized that, in 6,000 years of storytelling,
61
158000
3000
Se hu realiséiert, dat se an 6000 Joer Geschichtenerzielen,
02:56
they've gone from depicting hunting on cave walls
62
161000
4000
vum Duerstellen vun Juegt ob Höhlenmaueren
03:00
to depicting Shakespeare on Facebook walls.
63
165000
4000
ob Duerstellen von Shakespeare ob Facebook Pinnwänn gaangen sin.
03:04
And this was a cause for celebration.
64
169000
3000
An dat war e Grond fir ze feieren.
03:07
The art of storytelling has remained unchanged.
65
172000
2000
D'Konscht vum Geschichtenerzielen as onverännert bliwen.
03:09
And for the most part, the stories are recycled.
66
174000
3000
An zum gréißten Deel gin d'Geschichten recycléiert.
03:12
But the way that humans tell the stories
67
177000
2000
Mee d'Art a Weis wi d'Menschen Geschichten erzielen
03:14
has always evolved
68
179000
2000
huet sech emmer weiderentweckelt
03:16
with pure, consistent novelty.
69
181000
3000
mat purer, bestänneger Neiheet.
03:19
And they remembered a man,
70
184000
2000
An si wärten sech emmer un ee Mann arenneren,
03:21
one amazing German,
71
186000
3000
een immensen Däitschen,
03:24
every time a new storytelling device
72
189000
4000
all Kéiers wann e neit Mettel fir Geschichten ze erzielen
03:28
popped up next.
73
193000
2000
obkomm as.
03:30
And for that,
74
195000
2000
An dofir
03:32
the audience --
75
197000
2000
wärt d'Publikum -
03:34
the lovely, beautiful audience --
76
199000
2000
eist allerléifst, wonnerbart Publikum -
03:36
would live happily ever after.
77
201000
3000
wann se net gestuerwen sin, haut nach liewen.
03:39
(Applause)
78
204000
5000
(Applaus)
Translated by Manon Fiorino
Reviewed by Sven Clement

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joe Sabia - Storyteller
Joe Sabia investigates new ways to tell stories -- meshing viral video and new display technologies with old-fashioned narrative.

Why you should listen

Joe Sabia is a NYC-based conceptual digital video artist who creates shareable videos and formats across a multitude of genres, amassing more than 1 billion views in total. As a creative consultant, Moth Programming Board member, and award-winning director/editor, his current role has him creating franchise video formats across the Conde Nast Portfolio as VP of Creative Development. 

You may recognize his voice as the guy on Vogue's "73 Questions." Some of his work includes the "Wired Autocomplete Interview" series, "You Sang My Song" on Glamour, and "Lie Detector" and "Tinder Takeover" on Vanity Fair. Joe created "African Men, Hollywood Stereotypes" which launched the awareness campaign of Africa-based non-profit Mama Hope. He spent two years making an art project called "The Office Stare Machine" which takes 700 stares from The Office and catalogues them against hundreds of emotions. He also co-founded "CDZA", a music channel featuring hundreds of conservatory-trained musicians in viral videos, including directing a set with Spike Jonze at the first ever YouTube Music Awards. 

Sabia's hobbies include being an amateur classical pianist, the 2007 international pun champion and proud co-owner of an Italian restaurant. He also documents management facility in the Republic of Georgia.

More profile about the speaker
Joe Sabia | Speaker | TED.com