Tiffany Shlain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tiffany Shlain
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Tiffany Shlain, 2022
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| Born | April 8, 1970 US
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| 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 author. She is known for being an "internet pioneer" because of her early work with technology. Shlain is famous for co-founding the Webby Awards, which are like the Oscars for the internet, and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
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Early Life and Big Ideas
When Tiffany Shlain was in high school, she had a vision for the future. Before the World Wide Web existed, she co-wrote a plan called Uniting Nations in Telecommunications & Software (UNITAS). Her idea was for students around the world to use personal computers and modems (devices that connected computers to the internet over phone lines) to talk to each other. Because of this forward-thinking idea, she was chosen to be a student ambassador and traveled to the Soviet Union in 1988.
Shlain later went to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she made an experimental film called Hunter & Pandora that won the university's highest award for art. She graduated in 1992 and was chosen to give a speech to her graduating class. She also studied at Harvard Business School and New York University's film school.
Career in Film and Technology
The Webby Awards
In 1996, Shlain helped create the Webby Awards. The New York Times called this annual event the "Oscars of the Web" because it honors the best websites, videos, and social media. The awards show had famous hosts and guests like actor Alan Cumming, musician Prince, and former Vice President Al Gore. From 2000 to 2003, Shlain also appeared on the TV show Good Morning America as its internet expert.
Making Inspiring Films
In 2005, Shlain sold the Webby Awards and started her own film studio in San Francisco called the Moxie Institute.
Her documentary The Tribe explored American Jewish identity by looking at the history of the Barbie doll. The film won 18 awards and was the first short documentary to become #1 on iTunes.
Her first full-length documentary, Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology, was released in 2011. The film, which is part autobiography and part blog, explores how everyone and everything is connected. It won 17 awards.
What is Cloud Filmmaking?
Shlain came up with a new way to make movies called "Cloud Filmmaking." This method uses the internet to collaborate with people all over the world on a single film.
One of her most famous cloud films is Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks (2012). It was so well-received that the US State Department chose it to be shown at American embassies in the Middle East.
Character Day and Global Projects
In 2013, Shlain co-founded a nonprofit organization called Let it Ripple: Mobile Films for Global Change. Through this group, she started Character Day. On this day, schools and organizations around the world would watch one of her films, like The Science of Character, and have discussions about building good character. By 2019, over 4 million people in 125 countries participated in Character Day.
Shlain also created a popular web series for AOL called The Future Starts Here. The show, which was nominated for an Emmy Award, explored topics like taking breaks from technology (called "Technology Shabbats"), creativity, and robots.
Spreading Ideas About Women and the Future
Shlain directed a film called 50/50, which looks at the 10,000-year history of women and power. To support the film, her team organized 50/50 Day in 2017, where 11,000 events were held worldwide to discuss gender equality.
In 2019, she published the book 24/6: Giving Up Screens One Day a Week to Get More Time, Creativity, and Connection. The book suggests taking a 24-hour break from all screens once a week to improve life and relationships.
Personal Life
Shlain lives in Northern California with her husband, Ken Goldberg, who is an artist and a professor of robotics at U.C. Berkeley. They often work together on art and film projects and have two daughters.
After her father, Leonard Shlain, passed away, Tiffany and her siblings edited his final book, Leonardo's Brain: Understanding Da Vinci's Creative Genius, so it could be published.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Pause | Producer, host |
| 2021 | Dear Student | Director |
| 2020 | Dear Voter | Director |
| 2019 | Dear Parent | Director |
| 2018 | Unstoppable | Director |
| 2018 | Why I Pledge 5050 | Director, co-writer, editor |
| 2017 | 30,000 Days | Director, co-writer, editor |
| 2016 | 50/50 | Director, co-writer, editor |
| 2015 | The Adaptable Mind | Director, co-writer, editor |
| 2015 | The Making of a Mensch | Director, co-writer, editor |
| 2014 | The Future of Our Species | Director, co-writer |
| 2014 | A Case for Dreaming | Director, co-writer |
| 2014 | The Science of Character | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | Technology Shabbats | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | Motherhood Remixed | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | Why We Love Robots | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | The Creative Process in 10 Acts | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | A Case for Optimism | Director, co-writer |
| 2013 | The Future Starts Here' (series) | Director, co-writer |
| 2012 | Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks | Director, co-writer |
| 2012 | Engage | Director, co-writer |
| 2011 | Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology | Director, producer, co-writer |
| 2011 | Yelp: With Apologies to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" | Director, co-writer |
| 2011 | A Declaration of Interdependence | Director, co-writer |
| 2006 | The Tribe | Director, producer, co-writer |
| 2003 | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness | Director, co-writer |
| 1992 | Hunter & Pandora | Director, Writer |
