Our theme for the event is "Crafted" - made, created, constructed, though up with care, intelligence and craft.

205 8th Avenue SE
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

Dragon Fli Empire

Dragon Fli Empire is a leading force in the city’s hip hop scene. Their work is released primarily under their own label, Makebelieve Records.

Hello Moth

Hello Moth brings a mesmerizing presence to the stage, combining pop sensibilities with unearthly sounds and intriguing musicality in songs that surprise and charm listeners. The result is powerful and unexpected.

Blake Spence

Blake Spence is one of the creators of Calgary's award winning WiseGuyz program at the Calgary Sexual Health Centre. WiseGuyz is an innovative school based program that aims to create safe spaces for young men to connect with one another, learn and grow into socially aware young adults. WiseGuyz gives young men an opportunity to safely explores questions and concepts around sex, health, relationships, gender and vulnerability.

Bobby Mileage

Bobby Mileage’s story is one of incredible resiliency. Growing up, Bobby faced obstacles that seemed insurmountable. However, from a young age, he held fast to an unwavering belief in himself. Through sheer determination, discipline and talent, Bobby earned a college football scholarship, graduated with a business degree, tried out for the NFL, launched an urban clothing line and established himself as an international hip hop dance star. Recognized for his dance talent and his commitment to the art, today Bobby is changing perceptions about hip hop dance and paving the way for other talented young dancers to embark on successful careers. Bobby tours the world inspiring dancers to accomplish their dreams.

Chloe Rutzerveld

Chloé Rutzerveld is a Dutch food and concept designer who creates conceptual food products and interactive, experimental dinners. Recently, Chloé has used 3-D printers to create a selection of unique, tasty and healthy hors d’oeuvres, which are as beautiful to look at, as they are good to eat. She uses food as a medium to address, communicate and discuss social and cultural issues. Chloé’s passion for food and curiosity for nature are driving forces behind everything she does.

Christine Gibson

Christine Gibson is a family doctor who volunteers her time for academic consultation in family medicine training overseas. She is Executive Director of Global Familymed Foundation, a not-for-profit that supports the great work being done worldwide to bring better quality health care to those most in need.

Joel Klettke

Joel Klettke is a content marketing strategist at Business Casual Copywriting. After graduating from the Haskayne School of Business in 2010, he spent most of his early 20’s arm wrestling Google at a digital marketing agency. There, he learned the deep, dark secrets of bending the web to your will. Having flown the coop on agency life in 2013, Joel now uses the power of persuasive writing, along with his knowledge of online marketing, to help brands send more interesting messages and make new friends with money to spend.

Kateri Cowley

Kateri Cowley is a horse trainer, stunt double, TV host, motion picture animal wrangler and former Calgary Stampede Princess. Growing up on the famous guest ranch, Rafter Six Ranch Resort, Kateri graduated from Olds College with an Equine Science Diploma, following an internship in Texas where she worked with top trainers, and high end cutting horses. She put her education to work when she won the first ever Cowboy Up Challenge at Aggie days (being the only woman to win the event), and continues to push boundaries by being the third woman ever to be invited to the coveted Red Deer Mane Event Trainers Challenge.

Lars Krutak

Lars Krutak is a tattoo anthropologist, author and television host who has spent the last two decades traveling the world, learning about unique tattoos and the meanings behind them.  Lars has a special interest in preserving Indigenous knowledge of tattooing, as this ancient culture has begun to vanish quickly around the globe. Having published several books on the subject, and hosting a Discovery Channel series, entitled “Tattoo Hunter”, Lars has worked to reveal the cultural diversity of tattoos, the biographies they represent and what they say about being human. Lars’ latest project is a recently published book highlighting the Indigenous tattoo history of the North American continent.

Rachel L'Orsa

Rachael L’Orsa graduated from UBC with degrees in both Arts and Engineering, and is now a graduate student at the University of Calgary. She is affiliated with Project neuroArm’s Surgical Performance Laboratory at the Foothills Medical Centre, where she researches adaptive control software for telesurgical robots. She leads the Dinos rowing team and is passionate about youth robotics, organizing free workshops for children and mentoring an all-girls high school robotics team. Rachael maintains a Primary Care Paramedic license with the BC Ambulance Service, and spends summers with the BC Forest Service fighting wildfires as one of 36 smokejumpers in Canada.

Ric Esther Bienstock

Emmy-Award winning Canadian filmmaker Ric Esther Bienstock is best known for her ground-breaking investigative documentaries, including “Tales from the Organ Trade“, “Sex Slaves“, “Ebola: Inside an Outbreak“, and “Ms. Conceptions“.  Ric is globally recognized for her brilliant storytelling and her unique way of shining light into some of the darkest corners of the world. Her films have been screened at over 80 international festivals and aired in over 50 countries.  Ric has garnered dozens of prestigious awards including an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, a Dupont Columbia Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism (the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize), and two Amnesty International Awards. Most recently, in 2015 the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television honoured Ric with the renowned Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism.

Steven Keating

Steven Keating is a doctoral candidate at MIT who is developing novel platforms for 3D printing buildings, synthetic biological fabrication, and designed growth of the next generation of products. From gears to genomes, he is interested in exploring new design possibilities and open health data networks. Calgary is his hometown and he is invigorated by creativity, design, and maple syrup.

Yukichi Hattori

Yukichi Hattori wants to change the way you see ballet. Dancer and choreographer for the Alberta Ballet Company, Mr. Hattori is passionate about bringing the art form to places it’s never been before. Join him at TEDxYYC as he pushes the boundaries of performing arts, and shatters our notions of what ballet can be.