THE ORIGINAL THINKERS STORY
Vision
Original Thinkers believes that everyone can be an original thinker if they put their minds to it, and that engaging with new ideas and authentic stories can help us better navigate the complex world we live in with empathy and understanding. We know that great ideas take time, and that some of the most famous society shifters weren’t afraid to explore, to push the envelope, to think contrarian or even make mistakes. Their inner confidence, abundant courage and consummate belief in their work kept them moving forward until their ideas changed hearts, minds and lives. Society is ready for change — it just takes Original Thinkers.
Mission
Original Thinkers is a media company that endeavors to discover and introduce new thinking around the complexities and challenges of our ever changing world. Original Thinkers curates creative, fresh and thought-provoking programming that shines a spotlight on a host of new voices, artists, thinkers, storytellers, and visionaries and invites audiences on a transformative journey to listen, think deeply, see possibility and embrace new ideas.
What We Do
A Note From OT Founder David Holbrooke
I first conceived Original Thinkers in 2004 as a film company that would produce a series of profiles of smart, fresh voices who were off of the mainstream media’s radar. The first film was Live from Shiva’s Dance Floor, which premiered at Sundance and was directed by the brilliant Richard Linklater, featuring the astonishingly smart NYC tour guide Speed Levitch. As I directed additional short documentaries my intention was to inspire other filmmakers to find their favorite original thinker to profile and fill out the series.
In 2007, I happily put my OT plans on hold as I became Festival Director of Telluride Mountainfilm, where I spent a decade building the festival into a force in the environmental space. Over my tenure, I got to see first hand how important it was to gather, to take in culture that was imbued with meaning, and to discuss it and have a shared experience.
With that in mind, in 2018 Original Thinkers was reborn with the launch of our flagship festival event in Telluride, Colorado. The first Original Thinkers was held in October against a backdrop of golden aspens and snow-capped mountains. It was truly a glorious weekend with our intrepid staff, courageous audiences and bold speakers all showing up to see what this new paradigm was all about. It worked, and here we are today presenting fresh ideas through story and creating a community of original thinkers.
At Original Thinkers we are committed to making sure that we look at the world through a human lens, and honor everyone’s story, knowing we all can be original thinkers when we put our mind to it and there is wisdom in our ways.
-David Holbrooke
Founder and Ringleader