David Hoffman: Losing Everything

Nine days before TED 2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that’s been wiped clean in an instant and looks forward.

ABOUT TED

TED is a small Non Profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design. They make the best talks and performances from TED and partners available to the world, for free. These videos are released under a Creative Commons license, so they can be freely shared and reposted. Here at PLO.com I repost them for your convenience. All videos found in this section have previously appeared in the Major MindStylers section on the frontpage of my website. Enjoy.

ABOUT David Hoffman

“Documentary filmmaker David Hoffman has been capturing reality for almost 4 decades, following his wide-ranging interests and turning them into films for PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E, National Geographic.

Highlights from his career include the ground breaking experimental doc King, Murray, which blurred boundaries between truth and fiction as it tracks its subject through a debauched weekend in Las Vegas; A Day With Filmmaker Timmy Page, about a 12-year-old auteur; and his series of films on American indigenous music.

Lately, he has become fascinated with the Atomic-era Space Race, turning out a feature-length documentary about the Sputnik era. Sputnik Mania was scored by Thomas Dolby and has played at festivals and theatres around the country. He suffered a devastating setback in early 2008 when, nine days before TED 2008, his home, containing adevastating setbackfrom his long and fascinating career, burnt to the ground. His next project: to reframe his life and rebuild.”

The VIDEO