Tiffany Shlain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tiffany Shlain
Tiffany Shlain, 2022
Born	(1970-04-08) April 8, 1970 (age 55) US
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley
Occupation	Filmmaker, author
Spouse(s)	Ken Goldberg
Children	2
Relatives	Leonard Shlain

Tiffany Shlain (born April 8, 1970) is an American filmmaker, artist, and writer. She is known as an "internet pioneer" because she helped shape the early days of the internet. Tiffany also co-founded the Webby Awards and started the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Early Life and Education

When Tiffany was in high school, she helped write a plan called Uniting Nations in Telecommunications & Software (UNITAS). This idea was about students worldwide talking to each other using computers and modems. This was even before the internet as we know it existed!

Because of her ideas, she became a student ambassador. In 1988, she traveled to the Soviet Union to share her vision.

While studying at University of California, Berkeley, Tiffany made an experimental film called Hunter & Pandora. This film won the university's top art award, the Eisner Award. In 1992, she earned her degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She was even chosen to give a speech at her graduation.

Tiffany also studied at the Harvard Business School and New York University. She is a special member of the Aspen Institute, called a Henry Crown Fellow.

Amazing Career Highlights

In 1996, Tiffany Shlain helped start the Webby Awards. These awards celebrate the best of the internet and are often called the "Oscars of the Web." Two years later, in 1998, she founded The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.

The Webbys have had famous hosts like Alan Cumming. Important people like Al Gore and the musician Prince have also appeared. From 2000 to 2003, Tiffany was the internet expert on the TV show Good Morning America.

Films and Digital Projects

In 2005, Tiffany sold the Webby Awards. She then started a film studio in San Francisco called the Moxie Institute. Her next film, The Tribe, explored what it means to be American Jewish using the history of the Barbie doll.

The Tribe premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It won 18 awards and was the first short documentary to reach #1 on iTunes.

Her first full-length documentary, Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology, came out in 2011. It also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. This film won 17 awards, including a special award for being "Disruptive Innovation."

Cloud Filmmaking and Global Change

In 2011, Tiffany introduced "Cloud Filmmaking." This is a way to make films by working together online from different places. Her first film in this series was A Declaration of Interdependence. The second was Engage.

Later, she released a film and a book called Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks. This film was even shown at US embassies in the Middle East. Tiffany talked about cloud filmmaking at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013.

In 2013, Tiffany co-founded a group called Let it Ripple: Mobile Films for Global Change. They kept making cloud films. One film was The Science of Character. To show this film, Tiffany and her team started Character Day.

On Character Day, schools and groups worldwide watch a film and talk about character development. They do this on the same day through online video calls. Later films for Character Day included The Adaptable Mind and The Making of a Mensch. By 2019, Character Day had over 4 million people taking part in 125 countries!

Tiffany also created a web series for AOL called The Future Starts Here. This series explored topics like Technology Shabbats and Why We Love Robots. It was nominated for an Emmy Award and has been watched over 40 million times.

Speaking and Writing

Tiffany often talks about internet culture on TV and at events around the world. She has spoken at TEDWomen and TEDMED conferences. She also gave a speech at UC Berkeley's graduation in 2010. This speech was even listed as one of "The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever" by NPR.

In 2016, Tiffany directed a film called 50/50: Rethinking the Past, Present, and Future of Women + Power. This film looks at the 10,000-year history of women and their roles. In 2017, over 11,000 events took place worldwide for "50/50 Day: Gender Equality." People watched the film and listened to inspiring speakers.

In 2017, Tiffany wrote an essay for the world's first 3D-printed book. This book, Genius: 100 Visions of the Future, was even printed in the International Space Station!

In 2019, Tiffany's book, 24/6: Giving Up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection, was published. It won an award in 2020. She also performed her "spoken cinema" show called “Dear Human” at the Museum of Modern Art.

In 2022, she had an art show called Human Nature. It included a unique art piece about feminist history called Dendrofemonology. The National Women's History Museum showed it again in 2023.

Personal Life

Tiffany Shlain lives in Marin County, Northern California. Her husband is Ken Goldberg, an artist and Professor of Robotics at U.C. Berkeley. They often work together on art projects. They have two daughters.

Tiffany has a brother, Dr. Jordan Shlain, and a sister, artist Kimberly Brooks. Her brother-in-law is Albert Brooks. After her father passed away, Tiffany and her siblings helped finish his last book, Leonardo's Brain: Understanding Da Vinci's Creative Genius.

Filmography