1
00:00:15,592 --> 00:00:19,023
Darren Jiang: Hello everyone,
my name is Darren Jiang.

2
00:00:20,517 --> 00:00:26,055
Every individual has different sides
or dimensions, given the environment.

3
00:00:27,478 --> 00:00:31,663
Those dimensions are not always
transparent to the external world.

4
00:00:32,866 --> 00:00:37,305
For each person, there are sides
or dimensions that we know,

5
00:00:37,813 --> 00:00:42,604
but of course, there are sides and parts
that are hidden or unknown to us.

6
00:00:43,666 --> 00:00:49,205
These are the images of the famous
international actor and model Godfrey Gao.

7
00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:54,290
He was the first-ever
Asian male model to be featured

8
00:00:54,290 --> 00:00:56,183
in the Louis Vuitton campaign.

9
00:00:56,901 --> 00:00:59,316
He's also been ranked as number seven

10
00:00:59,698 --> 00:01:04,502
on the world's top 100 sexiest men alive.

11
00:01:05,577 --> 00:01:07,852
Woo, I hear woos and wows from the crowd.

12
00:01:07,887 --> 00:01:08,955
(Laughter)

13
00:01:09,707 --> 00:01:13,833
So everything does seem very perfect
about Godfrey Gao, doesn't it?

14
00:01:14,415 --> 00:01:17,288
From his chiseled face
with flawless features

15
00:01:18,257 --> 00:01:22,233
to his tall, toned, athletic body, right?

16
00:01:24,353 --> 00:01:28,994
However, he may also give off the vibe
and impression of being distant,

17
00:01:29,268 --> 00:01:33,980
or sometimes stuck-up,
given this image portrayed by media.

18
00:01:35,460 --> 00:01:38,341
I've had the good fortune
of getting to know Godfrey

19
00:01:38,505 --> 00:01:43,279
both as a person, but more importantly,
as a very close friend for many years,

20
00:01:44,710 --> 00:01:46,353
and I'm here to tell you,

21
00:01:46,715 --> 00:01:50,325
he has different dimensions
that he doesn't reveal to the public.

22
00:01:52,707 --> 00:01:54,401
When the cameras stop rolling,

23
00:01:54,728 --> 00:01:58,857
Godfrey, or G as I would like to call him,

24
00:01:59,716 --> 00:02:01,611
is actually very easygoing,

25
00:02:02,107 --> 00:02:06,126
caring, kind, generous,

26
00:02:06,853 --> 00:02:09,876
but most importantly, down-to-earth.

27
00:02:10,914 --> 00:02:12,608
He's just a boy next door

28
00:02:12,608 --> 00:02:16,062
who could throw on
some shorts, a baseball cap,

29
00:02:17,125 --> 00:02:20,644
and have the audacity to break
into my brand-new Jordans

30
00:02:21,651 --> 00:02:24,916
as he was riding around town,
goofing around with me on a rickshaw.

31
00:02:27,149 --> 00:02:30,718
He's also that one friend
who will reach out to you first

32
00:02:31,540 --> 00:02:34,586
if he sees that you're going through
a down time in your life.

33
00:02:34,983 --> 00:02:37,642
For everything he is and all he's not,

34
00:02:38,549 --> 00:02:42,697
Godfrey is that one loyal friend
I've had for many years

35
00:02:43,494 --> 00:02:46,540
and with whom I can trust my life.

36
00:02:47,890 --> 00:02:50,457
I know this is starting
to sound like a little bit

37
00:02:50,457 --> 00:02:52,372
of a love confession I have for Godfrey.

38
00:02:52,372 --> 00:02:53,472
(Laughter)

39
00:02:53,472 --> 00:02:54,828
I get it, I get it.

40
00:02:57,023 --> 00:03:01,242
And I know he's rolling his eyes
to the back of his head as we speak.

41
00:03:01,515 --> 00:03:03,627
(Cheers)

42
00:03:03,627 --> 00:03:05,381
(Applause)

43
00:03:05,575 --> 00:03:06,986
Godfrey Gao: Hey guys.

44
00:03:06,986 --> 00:03:09,321
(Applause)

45
00:03:09,321 --> 00:03:14,267
Yeah, um, I've never had another man
describe me like that so, um,

46
00:03:14,267 --> 00:03:15,748
DJ: I'm that man.

47
00:03:15,748 --> 00:03:16,988
GG: Thank you, Darren.

48
00:03:16,988 --> 00:03:18,767
Thank you everyone for coming today.

49
00:03:18,767 --> 00:03:22,221
I'm very excited to be here,
here at TEDxBangsar.

50
00:03:22,747 --> 00:03:27,067
DJ: So for celebrities
or KOLs like Godfrey,

51
00:03:27,848 --> 00:03:30,770
what you guys see in media or social media

52
00:03:30,770 --> 00:03:34,382
is actually a very, very small fraction,
a very small glimpse

53
00:03:34,692 --> 00:03:36,011
of who he actually is.

54
00:03:36,011 --> 00:03:37,454
GG: Exactly DJ: right?

55
00:03:37,603 --> 00:03:39,443
GG: As you can see this handsome face,

56
00:03:39,450 --> 00:03:40,732
(Laughter)

57
00:03:40,798 --> 00:03:43,974
um, that is only one side of me, okay.

58
00:03:43,974 --> 00:03:48,810
That's what you see on social media,
in TVs and movies, and talk shows.

59
00:03:49,075 --> 00:03:54,225
But here, standing on the stage,
talking to you is another side of me

60
00:03:54,225 --> 00:03:56,871
that many of you
don't get to see very often,

61
00:03:57,906 --> 00:04:01,657
and like millions of people
across the world,

62
00:04:02,144 --> 00:04:05,662
today, are always asking
the same questions:

63
00:04:06,510 --> 00:04:07,671
Who am I?

64
00:04:08,281 --> 00:04:10,372
Who are we as individuals?

65
00:04:10,982 --> 00:04:12,542
What do we represent?

66
00:04:12,732 --> 00:04:14,508
And who do we look up to?

67
00:04:15,382 --> 00:04:19,265
This is a big topic because 
there's a lot of confusion nowadays

68
00:04:19,915 --> 00:04:26,142
with the young generation
and the rise of the KOL phenomenon.

69
00:04:26,667 --> 00:04:29,552
Obviously, everyone knows
what KOL means:

70
00:04:29,860 --> 00:04:33,147
key opinion leaders,
or, you know, the mass influencers,

71
00:04:33,686 --> 00:04:39,177
and these influencers make an impact
in the world today through social media.

72
00:04:39,573 --> 00:04:44,340
They could be experts
like myself on fashion;

73
00:04:45,528 --> 00:04:48,139
they could be experts
like DJ in basketball;

74
00:04:49,811 --> 00:04:55,014
they could be, you know, experts
in diet routines or workout routines.

75
00:04:55,989 --> 00:05:01,412
But you don't know what these KOLs
go through behind the scenes.

76
00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:06,078
Like myself and like many of you,
we go through struggles in life.

77
00:05:06,313 --> 00:05:10,657
We have to get through obstacles
and in order to do that,

78
00:05:11,422 --> 00:05:13,940
we need to be very strong and confident.

79
00:05:14,597 --> 00:05:17,872
DJ: [What] you guys see
is the picture-perfect Godfrey in media,

80
00:05:18,364 --> 00:05:20,709
but let me tell you,
I'm here to spill secrets -

81
00:05:20,776 --> 00:05:22,215
He ain't that perfect.

82
00:05:22,215 --> 00:05:24,015
GG: Exactly. DJ: Right?

83
00:05:24,015 --> 00:05:25,741
GG: Well, no one's perfect, okay.

84
00:05:25,741 --> 00:05:27,855
Even though I like to be a perfectionist,

85
00:05:28,841 --> 00:05:32,134
there are still struggles in life
which Darren has seen many of times.

86
00:05:32,134 --> 00:05:33,174
DJ: Oh yeah.

87
00:05:33,174 --> 00:05:34,981
GG: He's seen the angry side of me;

88
00:05:34,981 --> 00:05:37,956
he's seen the happy side;
he's seen a lot of sides of me,

89
00:05:38,991 --> 00:05:43,687
but he knows deep down inside,
I'm a very, very genuine and good person.

90
00:05:43,884 --> 00:05:45,939
DJ: As a result of Godfrey's profession,

91
00:05:46,771 --> 00:05:49,921
so many people automatically
assume and associate him

92
00:05:49,921 --> 00:05:55,486
with this luxurious, glamorous lifestyle
and all the perks that come with it,

93
00:05:55,693 --> 00:05:57,829
and trust me, they do exist.

94
00:05:57,985 --> 00:05:59,688
(Laughter)

95
00:06:00,195 --> 00:06:02,811
He's led a very privileged lifestyle.

96
00:06:03,845 --> 00:06:09,485
And media or social media is really good
at amplifying that misconception

97
00:06:09,935 --> 00:06:13,857
and leaving us with the impression
of his picture-perfect life.

98
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:19,206
However, as many of us know,

99
00:06:19,405 --> 00:06:21,025
no one is perfect.

100
00:06:22,151 --> 00:06:25,601
In reality, for people like Godfrey,

101
00:06:25,868 --> 00:06:30,428
being in the eyes of the public
has become such a huge part of his job,

102
00:06:30,747 --> 00:06:34,127
and it will continue
to be a huge part of his life.

103
00:06:35,903 --> 00:06:38,323
His brand has been turned
into a commodity,

104
00:06:38,323 --> 00:06:40,296
sold for a price by the industry.

105
00:06:40,762 --> 00:06:45,398
However, for many of us,
whether or not it's generating income,

106
00:06:46,161 --> 00:06:50,011
it has become something
so much bigger than it actually is,

107
00:06:50,502 --> 00:06:53,662
something that dictates our identity,

108
00:06:54,015 --> 00:06:59,854
or worse yet, something
that affects other people's identity.

109
00:07:00,388 --> 00:07:01,454
GG: Exactly.

110
00:07:01,454 --> 00:07:08,443
Young people nowadays, teenagers
are following these KOLs on a daily basis.

111
00:07:09,561 --> 00:07:14,548
And not all KOLs are good:

112
00:07:14,548 --> 00:07:17,991
some are bad, some are good,
some share positive images,

113
00:07:18,485 --> 00:07:22,188
some share - I don't know
what they share online nowadays.

114
00:07:22,188 --> 00:07:23,738
DJ: I don't even want to look.

115
00:07:23,738 --> 00:07:27,745
GG: But yes, you've got to follow
the right kind of KOLs,

116
00:07:27,745 --> 00:07:31,646
who makes a positive impact
in the world and does good causes.

117
00:07:32,076 --> 00:07:35,807
DJ: Our millennials have become
so overly obsessed

118
00:07:36,205 --> 00:07:40,219
about the latest trend
of clean eating, healthy dieting,

119
00:07:40,399 --> 00:07:43,397
and don't get us wrong,
it all comes from a good place.

120
00:07:43,505 --> 00:07:47,656
It comes from the harmless approach
of wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle.

121
00:07:47,756 --> 00:07:49,358
There's nothing wrong with that.

122
00:07:49,682 --> 00:07:53,674
But what gets dangerous, though,
is when they let these beliefs

123
00:07:53,674 --> 00:07:57,501
alter their own perception
of what being healthy really is.

124
00:07:58,459 --> 00:08:01,349
Case in point: this is a teenager

125
00:08:01,349 --> 00:08:06,613
who is trying to look
like her KOL, Angelina Jolie.

126
00:08:06,753 --> 00:08:08,389
She did, ironically.

127
00:08:08,389 --> 00:08:10,681
She did become a social media sensation

128
00:08:12,355 --> 00:08:17,124
because she's been mocked as being
the zombie version of Angelina Jolie.

129
00:08:17,274 --> 00:08:19,058
So this is a very extreme case.

130
00:08:19,246 --> 00:08:21,813
Other case studies have also shown

131
00:08:21,913 --> 00:08:26,674
that teenagers are mindlessly following
their KOLs' lifestyle and appearances,

132
00:08:27,402 --> 00:08:30,040
even if it means for them
to go to extreme measures.

133
00:08:30,885 --> 00:08:33,856
This was well documented
by 60 Minutes Australia.

134
00:08:34,477 --> 00:08:39,631
In this clip, a teenage girl
was mindlessly following her KOL's looks.

135
00:08:40,307 --> 00:08:45,551
As showcased here on a social media page,
everything looks picture-perfect,

136
00:08:46,818 --> 00:08:48,158
but the result:

137
00:08:48,755 --> 00:08:53,811
she ended up suffering
a mental disease called orthorexia,

138
00:08:54,586 --> 00:08:59,373
which is the eating disorder
combined with an anxiety disorder.

139
00:09:00,070 --> 00:09:02,777
Now she has some serious anger issues
towards everything.

140
00:09:02,902 --> 00:09:05,281
She can hardly intake any food or drinks.

141
00:09:06,064 --> 00:09:08,028
It's seriously hurting her health.

142
00:09:08,032 --> 00:09:10,704
GG: I know that feeling, being hangry.

143
00:09:11,148 --> 00:09:14,105
DJ: So all these cases have shown us

144
00:09:14,339 --> 00:09:17,455
that teenagers are actually
on the receiving end

145
00:09:18,964 --> 00:09:23,198
from the detrimental damage
of mindless pursuit of KOLs' lifestyles.

146
00:09:25,053 --> 00:09:28,574
So what can we do to fix it?

147
00:09:29,041 --> 00:09:30,296
GG: Well, one way

148
00:09:30,296 --> 00:09:33,950
is we must redefine
our relationships with KOLs,

149
00:09:34,253 --> 00:09:38,996
instead of mindlessly pursuing
these KOLs and copying them.

150
00:09:40,867 --> 00:09:42,793
In addition, we need to find

151
00:09:42,793 --> 00:09:47,214
positive influencers in the world
that makes an impact in society -

152
00:09:47,793 --> 00:09:49,273
well, besides myself.

153
00:09:49,332 --> 00:09:50,922
(Laughter)

154
00:09:51,699 --> 00:09:54,568
Darren has a great example
that he's going to tell you about.

155
00:09:55,868 --> 00:09:59,224
DJ: So, another case study

156
00:09:59,224 --> 00:10:05,351
on the positive side is LeBron James,
the superstar athlete from the NBA.

157
00:10:05,689 --> 00:10:08,982
In 2018, in working
with his family foundation,

158
00:10:09,143 --> 00:10:12,874
opened up the I Promise School
in Akron Ohio, his hometown,

159
00:10:13,312 --> 00:10:16,237
which is aimed
at helping at-risk students,

160
00:10:16,391 --> 00:10:18,888
providing free education, free lunch

161
00:10:19,461 --> 00:10:22,693
and a whole bunch of benefits,
basically paving a way

162
00:10:23,133 --> 00:10:25,418
for the younger generation
to succeed in life.

163
00:10:26,109 --> 00:10:27,270
DJ: Or,

164
00:10:27,470 --> 00:10:29,618
GG: like the real Angelina Jolie,

165
00:10:29,618 --> 00:10:31,925
DJ: the real one GG: the real version.

166
00:10:32,747 --> 00:10:35,370
She's ambassador for UNICEF,
she's an activist

167
00:10:35,370 --> 00:10:38,233
and she has helped out
a lot of the refugee camps,

168
00:10:38,233 --> 00:10:40,276
and the list goes on.

169
00:10:40,778 --> 00:10:43,710
And she's the perfect example
for a female role model.

170
00:10:44,632 --> 00:10:47,280
DJ: So based on these case studies,
what we've learned

171
00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:50,870
is that we're not asking you guys
not to follow KOLs.

172
00:10:51,524 --> 00:10:54,374
You can definitely use them
for goal setting or benchmarking

173
00:10:54,374 --> 00:10:55,971
GG: and following the right KOLs.

174
00:10:55,971 --> 00:10:57,184
DJ: Absolutely.

175
00:10:57,584 --> 00:11:00,833
So in 2012, since then,

176
00:11:01,168 --> 00:11:04,437
Godfrey and I have been brainstorming
about starting up a project

177
00:11:04,437 --> 00:11:07,879
that truly drives positive change
in youth movement.

178
00:11:08,132 --> 00:11:10,572
At the time, I had been working

179
00:11:10,572 --> 00:11:13,592
for one of the world's
leading sports brands companies,

180
00:11:14,439 --> 00:11:17,203
while Godfrey, being
one of the brand's KOLs,

181
00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:19,005
witnessed firsthand with me

182
00:11:19,005 --> 00:11:20,415
how big of an impact

183
00:11:20,415 --> 00:11:22,825
our signature athletes made on the youth.

184
00:11:23,205 --> 00:11:26,611
However, we realized
that it'll be equally important

185
00:11:26,611 --> 00:11:29,710
for us to truly inspire the youth

186
00:11:30,521 --> 00:11:34,040
while paving a way for them
to become a better version of themselves.

187
00:11:34,185 --> 00:11:37,407
So in 2014, I resigned from my company.

188
00:11:37,773 --> 00:11:42,415
We put our heads together and created
this platform called the PB System,

189
00:11:42,671 --> 00:11:47,060
with the very purpose of driving
positive change in youth movement.

190
00:11:48,139 --> 00:11:51,675
PB stands for Personal Best.

191
00:11:52,711 --> 00:11:53,969
What we're saying is

192
00:11:53,969 --> 00:11:59,015
becoming "the best" sometimes
can be subjective and unattainable,

193
00:11:59,382 --> 00:12:04,967
especially in Asian cultures
within which a lot of us grew up in.

194
00:12:06,925 --> 00:12:10,720
Parents tend to exert so much
invisible pressure on their kids

195
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:12,768
to become the best at everything:

196
00:12:13,656 --> 00:12:18,465
in the classrooms, on the sports field,
when they take piano lessons.

197
00:12:18,959 --> 00:12:20,030
What we're saying is,

198
00:12:20,030 --> 00:12:25,296
at PB, we should focus more
on developing these kids as individuals

199
00:12:26,036 --> 00:12:29,459
and motivating them to become
the best version of themselves.

200
00:12:30,874 --> 00:12:34,291
These are just some of the activations
that we do throughout the year:

201
00:12:34,291 --> 00:12:36,976
with college campuses, cities,

202
00:12:37,883 --> 00:12:39,671
hosting basketball events.

203
00:12:39,671 --> 00:12:42,047
Through basketball, our common passion,

204
00:12:42,188 --> 00:12:46,426
enable the kids to explore
other dimensions of our KOLs,

205
00:12:46,569 --> 00:12:48,651
to set good examples for them,

206
00:12:48,651 --> 00:12:51,859
so that they can be inspired
to achieve better life path.

207
00:12:53,406 --> 00:12:55,296
A picture is worth a thousand words.

208
00:12:55,633 --> 00:12:58,856
These images were taken
from our events all over China.

209
00:13:00,235 --> 00:13:03,140
But of course, at PB Camp,

210
00:13:03,140 --> 00:13:05,510
which is something
that we run every summer,

211
00:13:05,510 --> 00:13:07,118
something magical happens too.

212
00:13:08,463 --> 00:13:11,995
GG: Well, the magical thing is ...
we have Ray Allen here.

213
00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:14,556
He was our special guest.

214
00:13:15,834 --> 00:13:20,141
The very famous NBA superstar Ray Allen
was at our first basketball camp

215
00:13:20,141 --> 00:13:22,874
in Beijing back in 2014,
when we started this.

216
00:13:23,798 --> 00:13:25,372
He was here for 12 days.

217
00:13:26,044 --> 00:13:27,141
Now think about it:

218
00:13:27,141 --> 00:13:30,534
a superstar athlete is hands-on,

219
00:13:31,010 --> 00:13:33,465
on and off the court, for 12 days.

220
00:13:34,177 --> 00:13:38,290
On the court, he was helping kids
to be better at themselves

221
00:13:38,290 --> 00:13:40,703
on shooting, dribbling,
all those skill sets;

222
00:13:40,756 --> 00:13:42,053
but off the court,

223
00:13:42,239 --> 00:13:47,410
he was teaching kids and telling stories
about his experience in his lifetime

224
00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,220
for these campers, volunteers and workers.

225
00:13:51,761 --> 00:13:53,726
In this picture, obviously,

226
00:13:53,726 --> 00:14:00,021
made this girl cry
because she shared the same story

227
00:14:00,021 --> 00:14:03,713
that he was telling everybody
that was at the cafeteria.

228
00:14:04,307 --> 00:14:06,260
DJ: Obviously it looks like she's crying,

229
00:14:06,260 --> 00:14:09,896
but she was just very touched
by Ray Allen's inspirational stories

230
00:14:09,896 --> 00:14:10,900
with happy tears.

231
00:14:10,900 --> 00:14:12,357
GG: Yes, happy tears.

232
00:14:13,998 --> 00:14:16,462
DJ: Also, in addition, Godfrey,

233
00:14:16,857 --> 00:14:19,038
whenever we host events
in the summertime,

234
00:14:19,498 --> 00:14:22,221
he's actually becoming one of us,
one of the campers.

235
00:14:22,468 --> 00:14:28,143
He really gets closer with the audience,
which are our campers.

236
00:14:29,052 --> 00:14:32,162
He even goes so far, to the point
where he goes into dormitories,

237
00:14:32,162 --> 00:14:34,109
casually dressed up,

238
00:14:34,109 --> 00:14:36,379
wearing a wife-beater with a baseball cap.

239
00:14:36,379 --> 00:14:38,959
He's actually doing
team-building exercises

240
00:14:38,959 --> 00:14:41,576
with the kids, inspiring them.

241
00:14:42,264 --> 00:14:44,188
So this is where the magic happens -

242
00:14:44,450 --> 00:14:46,650
the kids not only walk away
with our camp

243
00:14:47,103 --> 00:14:49,012
with smiles on their faces,

244
00:14:49,012 --> 00:14:50,639
but they also walk away

245
00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:53,971
with a positive influence
from their idols, from their KOLs,

246
00:14:54,323 --> 00:14:56,502
and something inspirational

247
00:14:56,502 --> 00:14:59,472
which would serve them better
for the rest of their lives.

248
00:15:00,402 --> 00:15:03,565
So by creating these unprecedented access

249
00:15:03,565 --> 00:15:07,253
and opportunities for the KOLs
to get to know our campers,

250
00:15:08,330 --> 00:15:11,111
our kids have shifted the perspective

251
00:15:11,588 --> 00:15:14,800
from mindlessly following
their KOL's appearance and lifestyle

252
00:15:15,263 --> 00:15:20,018
to proactively practicing
their work ethic, their persistence

253
00:15:20,999 --> 00:15:22,947
and everything that comes along with it.

254
00:15:23,943 --> 00:15:25,207
GG: And more importantly,

255
00:15:25,207 --> 00:15:28,083
we want these kids to feel
like they can relate to us,

256
00:15:28,695 --> 00:15:32,573
that they're not afraid to talk to us
and share stories with us

257
00:15:32,573 --> 00:15:35,523
because once they do that,

258
00:15:35,523 --> 00:15:39,035
we get to hear them and hear their voices

259
00:15:39,035 --> 00:15:42,575
and we can share our opinions
or our experiences in life,

260
00:15:42,575 --> 00:15:46,857
and they love the experiences
that they had in our PB System camps.

261
00:15:48,055 --> 00:15:53,237
So to wrap things up,
everyone's going to go home,

262
00:15:53,237 --> 00:15:56,243
and we're going to go back
to our little boxes, little bubbles,

263
00:15:56,243 --> 00:16:01,840
and everyone's going to see us on TVs
or movies or on social media platforms.

264
00:16:02,367 --> 00:16:04,374
But here, at TEDx -

265
00:16:04,374 --> 00:16:09,214
DJ: Here, we're at TEDx today
and at all the future PB activations.

266
00:16:09,486 --> 00:16:11,831
We could also be youth movement leaders,

267
00:16:11,831 --> 00:16:13,101
entrepreneurs,

268
00:16:13,101 --> 00:16:15,738
but most importantly, your friends

269
00:16:15,738 --> 00:16:19,732
who are going to hold your hands
and change the world together with you.

270
00:16:20,173 --> 00:16:24,259
So with that, let's redefine
our relationship with KOLs

271
00:16:24,431 --> 00:16:27,896
GG: and strive to achieve
your personal best.

272
00:16:28,165 --> 00:16:29,641
(Applause)