Even Before 'The Show' Ze Frank Was the Same Old Ze

TED is an annual conference in Monterrey, California where, for the past 23 years, thought and industry leaders in the fields of technology, entertainment and art have showcased whatever it is that made them thought and industry leaders.

What used to be a closed event for the exchange of ideas for an intellectual bourgeoisie, has , since April 2007, become a closed event for the exchange of ideas for an intellectual bourgeoisie with an accompanying  website, TED Talks

The list of speakers reads like a who’s who of critical thought.  From Tipping Point author Malcom Gladwell discussing his “radical conclusions” on food marketing and eating habits, to Cambridge researcher Aubrey de Grey arguing that the human aging process is a curable disease, to the 14-year-old pianist Jennifer Lin improvising a moving, tear-jerking, virtuoso performance, to one TED Talk that stands out from the rest…at least for the fans of online video, and especially those that call themselves Sports Racers.###

In February 2004, after his viral dance moves went gangbusters, and a good two years before The Show (Tilzy.TV page) ever hit computer screens, Ze Frank offered his antics, witticisms, and web-toys live to an audience of a thousand.

What would become one of the internet’s most beloved personalities starts off with a rote memorization of classic spam before delving into his internet experiments with social space.

“Making things actually does give me a lot of joy. It’s the proces of creation that keeps me sort of a bubble and a half above perpetual anxiety in my life. And it’s that feeling of being about 80% complete on a project where you know you still have something to do where you’re not finished but you’re not starting something that really fills my life.”

It’s as if Ze was already famous in the online video space, just ahead of his time. He only needed the medium to catch up.