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Elliot Kotek

Founder & CEO -The Nation of Artists; 5xCannes, 5xSxSW & Emmy-winning International Speaker

Elliot is an innovator and content creator who blends technology and empathy to change the world. His 4Ps approach is used to re-center companies in their purpose, and the 50+ honors he's received while working with the planet's biggest names proves that Ideas + Empathy = Impact.

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Bio

A leader in Innovation & Inspiration, Elliot Kotek is the founder & CEO of The Nation of Artists, founded Beyond Cinema and co-founded Not Impossible and the Not Impossible Foundation. His work has generated more then 7 billion media impressions and been honored with more than 50 international awards, including 5 Cannes Lions, 4 SxSW Innovation Awards, 2 Clios, 4 One Show Pencils, AICP Best in Show honors, Webby honors, Fast Company's World Changing Ideas honors and an Emmy. He is guided by the north star that IDEAS + EMPATHY = IMPACT.

Elliot's work includes projects that resulted in:

- the world's first user-generated feature film;

- a social robot duck for kids going through chemotherapy;

- the world's first 3D printing prosthetics lab;

- a "Brainwriter" device that ALS patients can use to play a video games using eye movements and brain waves;

- a communication device to enable a locked-in patient to independently tell his wife he loves her;

- delivering a phone-based eye examination kit to rural areas in Central America where it cured a grandmother's eyesight and enabled her to see her grandchildren for the first time;

- the delivery of mobile-communication innovations to indigenous communities in India, Colombia and The Philippines; and

- a global platform called "ForTomorrow" where grassroots innovators can share their ideas and be connected by the United Nations Development Programme's Accelerator Labs to mentors and other innovation communities

A perennially curious "student," Elliot has formally trained and studied at five leading academic institutions - Northwestern University's Kellogg School awarded Elliot its Innovation Fellowship and Australia's Monash University named Elliot their Alumni of the Year, and he's received additional accolades from the US Congress, US House of Representatives, California Senate and other legislative bodies. His curiosity has also put him in the hot seat from where he's interviewed 1000 of the world's most recognizable people, ranging from Elmo to Elon Musk.

Known for his new take on the "4Ps" (Passion. Purpose. People & Possibility); his low cost purpose principle titled "Idle Worshipping," and his "Earnestness Equation" for choosing clients, Elliot has produced content and campaigns for 2 of the world's biggest consulting firms, as well as the likes of Amgen, CNBC, HP, Hyundai, Intel, LEGO, NBC's PeacockTV, Netflix, New Balance, Participant Media, the Sundance Film Festival, Qualcomm and Whirlpool.

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Keynotes

Featured Keynote

Not Impossible

Kotek's "Not Impossible" mobilizes the international community to save lives by collaborating with a growing community of creative makers and hackers, Not Impossible utilizes crowd-sourcing to crowd-solve previously insurmountable healthcare issues. It aims to directly change lives around the globe via low-cost solutions on an open-source, DIY platform. It's “technology for the sake of humanity”.

Ideas + empathy = impact

Ideas + empathy = impact

Kotek and his team are proof that a lot can happen in the span of one year, including the completion of inspiring projects like Don's Voice as well as impressive accolades for Project Daniel. In Deepak Chopra's words Not Impossible is about being “the template for a new science of consciousness.” Read on for Kotek's top five tips for innovators. 1. The only obstruction to our innovation, is our will to innovate. The physical tools of innovation used to be harbored in massive corporations and institutions. Given that most manufacturing and construction tools are now available online for purchase or rental by us mere individuals, we now have access to more tools than ever before. We can view YouTube videos on how to use those tools and join Facebook communities (or a raft of other community noticeboards or chat rooms) to help us with any questions around the use of those tools. No matter where we are, we are no longer alone, our interests align with the interests of others, and the only thing stopping us from innovating is our own will to innovate. 2. Crowd-Funding. Crowd-funding the technology and ideas that we have outside of industry has become the status quo, but it is the people we find who share our passion and our purpose who will enable us to make things truly happen, and will help those things find scale. Find your people — in person, or via the virtual, they exist. 3. What makes your life more convenient? Will that make someone else's life more livable? We have so many things at our disposal that make what we do faster, stronger, easier — if it can have that impact on US, what can it do for someone more vulnerable, who might not otherwise have immediate access to what we have? 4. Open-Source. Awesome Sauce. Sometimes mass impact must happen commercially, but if you've an idea that can benefit others immediately, and can get even an early version of it up online somewhere, so that someone else might happen upon it and improve upon it for more immediate impact, then there's no greater gift. 5. Help One. Help Many. We can all help thousands of people, but that is an overwhelming prospect. Let's each target on helping one person — that one solution for one person's problems are usually adaptable to helping others, too. By telling people about what we're doing, they can identify whether your solution fits their needs, too. So, help just one person, then communicate that help to empower or inspire others to do the same. It's a much easier and more meaningful starting point.
Queen Mimi (now streaming on Netflix)

Queen Mimi (now streaming on Netflix)

Marie “Mimi” Haist defied her adulterous husband and moved onto the streets in her 50s, living in parking lots and doorways until finding her “home” one stormy night between rows of washers in a Californian laundromat. Encouraged to stay by a more than generous laundry owner, Mimi’s ‘the past is the past’ philosophy endeared her to regular fluff and fold clients and, after more than 20 years, Mimi has made some unlikely friends, ranging from local loves to Hollywood A-listers Zach Galifianakis and Renee Zellweger.

When you feel like a queen, even a laundromat can be a palace.
The Power of Social Media - "140"

The Power of Social Media - "140"

The first-ever user-generated feature film using social media. “140” is an experimental documentary produced by Frank Kelly and Elliot Kotek. Inspired by twitter, the film addresses the limitations and constraints of communicating via social media, was helmed by Kelly and was ‘directed’ simultaneously by 140 filmmakers in 23 countries on 5 continents.

Topics

Entrepreneurs
Innovation & Creativity Trending

Crossing Borders with Passion | Elliot Kotek | TEDxYouth@Austin

The Robot Duck Helping Kids With Cancer

Project Daniel - Not Impossible's 3D Printing Arms for Children of War-Torn Sudan

Social Innovation Summit

Humanity Extended

SIGGRAPH

The story of "Queen Mimi" - Elliot Kotek gives insight on Mimi's passion on being positive

Innovation Squared

Whirlpool & Habitat for Humanity

Forbes: Filmmaker And Entrepreneur On A Mission To Educate

Gold & Silver Anthem Awards for work with Whirlpool & Habitat for Humanity

USA Today: Non-profit 3-D prints a $100 arm for boy in Sudan

Not Impossible Labs is constantly striving to live up to its mission of providing technology for the sake of humanity.

Fox Business: Not Impossible

Not Impossible Labs Founders Elliot Kotek and Mick Ebeling discuss their 3D prosthetic printing business.

Daily Mail: Project Daniel

Meet the Not Impossible team behind Project Daniel who plan to set up more 3D printing and training labs around the world to give war victims new limbs Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2700716/Meet-Not-Impossible-team-Project-Daniel-plan-set-3D-printing-training-labs-world-victims-war-new-limbs.html#ixzz3od573WJJ Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Daily Mail: Father of Three with MND Speaks to His Wife for the First Time in 15 Years

Father of three with motor neurone disease speaks to his wife for the first time in 15 YEARS to renew his wedding vows... and the groundbreaking Aussie whose technology company allowed it to happen

Strategy: Making the Impossible Possible

Not Impossible Labs' founders on creating visceral storytelling, robotic arms, the maker movement and lessons for brands.

Popular Mechanics: Brilliant Idea

3D-Printed Prosthetic Arms for the Children of Sudan. We caught up with Elliot Kotek, content chief and co-founder of Not Impossible, to hear about the project.

Branded Content Lets Sick Farmer Say "I Love You" to His Wife for First Time in 15 Years

An Australian content maker is behind a Valentine’s Day branded content offering about a farmer living with ALS being given the ability to say ‘I love you’ to his wife for the first time in 15 years.

Aussie Makes Docs with Altruistic Angle

California-based Australian Elliot Kotek is combining his passions of creating technology to help humanity and making documentaries. The co-founder of Not Impossible, Kotek is producing Project Daniel and he’s just released Don’s Voice. In a separate venture he has just completed Queen Mimi, a feature doc profiling 89-year-old “Mimi”, who was homeless for 35 years. Living and working in a laundromat in Santa Monica she befriended actors Zach Galifianakis and Renée Zellweger and turned her life around. Kotek has financed Not Impossible’s shorts by corporate sponsorships, highlighting technology devised by his firm.

ACM SIGGRAPH: 5 Tips for Innovators from Not Impossible's Elliot Kotek

Kotek and his team are proof that a lot can happen in the span of one year, including the completion of inspiring projects like Don’s Voice as well as impressive accolades for Project Daniel. We connected with Kotek during SXSW 2015, where Project Daniel was honored with the Innovative 3-DIY Award, in hopes to encourage the SIGGRAPH community to continue to search to “find your Daniel” and innovate for the good of humanity.

Forbes: Setting Your Sights on the Impossible

Don’t tell Elliot Kotek something is impossible. The content chief and co-founder of Not Impossible Now has made a career out of making the word “impossible” obsolete.

Q&A with Co-Founder of Not Impossible

Not Impossible makes DIY, accessible, tech-based solutions for people in need around the world, and then powerfully tells the stories of how that tech transforms a life. It was exciting to learn more about Not Impossible’s innovative work and how they are changing the world.

Uniting Impact & Creativity with Elliot Kotek

While the list of honors bestowed upon his teams is long—spanning Emmy nominations, 5 Cannes Lions, SxSW awards and more—the greatest testament to his work is the impact it achieves. Elliot joined Purpose 360 to talk about the power of storytelling to engage citizens, drive progress, and touch hearts.

Adobe Experience Makers Podcast with Elliot Kotek

Elliot is the Founder & CEO of The Nation of Artists, an Emmy-nominated social good content production company, who's creativity and innovation knows no bounds. They have partnered with some of the globes biggest brands like Accenture, Hyundai, Wal-Mart, Intel and others, creating authentic experiences that come to you sincerely.

The Troublemakers: Elliot Kotek. Passion. Purpose. People. Possibility

Elliot Kotek is a man with a humbling resume. The current CEO of the Nation of Artists, a social impact production company dedicated to helping people through a unique brand of storytelling. Beyond his resume, Elliot is one of the nicest guys we've ever met. Join as we hear about his insanely creative background, his 4P's for finding your creative way and how he's using creativity to drive social impact.

Filmmaking for Change: Creative Impact with Elliot V Kotek

"Ideas + Empathy = impact" is the motto for The Nation of Artists. We sat down with the Founder and CEO of this innovative company, Elliot Kotek to learn more about how they work with a broad ranger of parters to leverage the power of story to create change.

What's it like working with Zach Galifianakis & Queen Mimi, 3-D printing an arm for a boy in Sudan & Winning a Cannes Lion Award?

Elliot Kotek is the CEO and founder of The Nation of Artists, the founding editor of Beyond Cinema and co-founded Not Impossible. To put it simply, he believes in the power of content and campaigns to change the world and is the key creative in building collaborative teams around ideas that deliver real impact to real people in real need. He is the producer of Project Daniel, Don's Voice, Queen Mimi and other projects that have been recognized for their innovation and which delivered compelling and award-winning content while simultaneously changing the daily narrative in people's lives.

The Death of Impossibility

Elliot breaks down Not Impossible's methodology for innovation, ideas, amplification, entrepreneurship, and creating good in the world. (recorded on location at SXSW)

Value Added: The Importance of Storytelling & Collaboration with Elliot Kotek

Elliot Kotek has produced films like 140 and Queen Mimi, he is the co-founder of Not Impossible Labs, editor-and-chief of Beyond Cinema magazine, along with playing a part in many other awesome projects. Elliot talked about his journey getting to where he is now, the importance of storytelling, and the opportunities to work with brands to bring ideas to life.

Activateen: Interview with Social Innovator, Elliot Kotek

Elliot Kotek is a leading mind on purposeful content, technology for good, innovating for humanity, storytelling for social impact. His films and innovations have won multiple awards. He is the CEO & founder of The Nation of Artists, founder of Beyond Cinema and co-founded Not Impossible. Activateen founder, Shaku Selvakumar talks to him about his childhood in Australia, being a teen, his journey, influences and advice for students.

test

You took the event to another level – highpoint for me personally. The survey results allow us to hear highs and lows, and you had rave reviews; which didn’t surprise us one bit. Thank you so much for taking the time to join us… You brought such a wonderful human element to the dialog and it reverberated with the attendees the rest of the conference.

J. Matton, US Chamber of Commerce Foundation

"The most inspiring talk that I watched at NXNE Interactive 2014 was the first person to step on stage: Elliot Kotek, the cofounder of Not Impossible."

Joseph Czikk, Beta Kit

"I would like to add my appreciation for your session at this past SIGGRAPH. In the over twenty years I have been involved with SIGGRAPH, yours was the best."

Professor Marc Barr

Thanks to YOU for being amazing, people really loved your talk and impact, wow... You brought a unique passion and warmth to the topic of innovation, and clearly in context offer evidence of the art and science of what is possible.

Social Innovation Summit

I can't thank you enough for being a part of this amazing team last night that not only educated the audience, but also inspired them, changed their thinking, and challenged them to be better. You were a wonderful presenter and we were all so impressed with the lifechanging projects you are working on. Thanks again for coming to Houston.

The UP Experience

Elliot- We’re the lucky ones to have you join us and inspire our network. The feedback we’ve received on your presentation has been nothing short of incredible… Our world needs more Elliot Koteks

US Chamber of Commerce

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Elliot Kotek

Bio

Keynotes

Not Impossible

Topics

"The most inspiring talk that I watched at NXNE Interactive 2014 was the first person to step on stage: Elliot Kotek, the cofounder of Not Impossible."

"I would like to add my appreciation for your session at this past SIGGRAPH. In the over twenty years I have been involved with SIGGRAPH, yours was the best."

Thanks to YOU for being amazing, people really loved your talk and impact, wow... You brought a unique passion and warmth to the topic of innovation, and clearly in context offer evidence of the art and science of what is possible.

Elliot- We’re the lucky ones to have you join us and inspire our network. The feedback we’ve received on your presentation has been nothing short of incredible… Our world needs more Elliot Koteks

Let's find your perfect speaker!

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Keep Up To Date

Elliot Kotek

Bio

Keynotes

Not Impossible

Ideas + empathy = impact

Queen Mimi (now streaming on Netflix)

The Power of Social Media - "140"

Topics

"The most inspiring talk that I watched at NXNE Interactive 2014 was the first person to step on stage: Elliot Kotek, the cofounder of Not Impossible."

"I would like to add my appreciation for your session at this past SIGGRAPH. In the over twenty years I have been involved with SIGGRAPH, yours was the best."

Thanks to YOU for being amazing, people really loved your talk and impact, wow... You brought a unique passion and warmth to the topic of innovation, and clearly in context offer evidence of the art and science of what is possible.

Elliot- We’re the lucky ones to have you join us and inspire our network. The feedback we’ve received on your presentation has been nothing short of incredible… Our world needs more Elliot Koteks

Let's find your perfect speaker!

Explore

Quick Links

Keep Up To Date