WEBVTT

00:00:15.592 --> 00:00:19.023
Darren Jiang: Hello everyone,
my name is Darren Jiang.

00:00:20.517 --> 00:00:26.055
Every individual has different sides
or dimensions, given the environment.

00:00:27.478 --> 00:00:31.663
Those dimensions are not always
transparent to the external world.

00:00:32.866 --> 00:00:37.305
For each person, there are sides
or dimensions that we know,

00:00:37.813 --> 00:00:42.604
but of course, there are sides and parts
that are hidden or unknown to us.

00:00:43.666 --> 00:00:49.205
These are the images of the famous
international actor and model Godfrey Gao.

00:00:50.500 --> 00:00:54.290
He was the first-ever
Asian male model to be featured

00:00:54.290 --> 00:00:56.183
in the Louis Vuitton campaign.

00:00:56.901 --> 00:00:59.316
He's also been ranked as number seven

00:00:59.698 --> 00:01:04.502
on the world's top 100 sexiest men alive.

00:01:05.577 --> 00:01:07.852
Woo, I hear woos and wows from the crowd.

00:01:07.887 --> 00:01:08.955
(Laughter)

00:01:09.707 --> 00:01:13.833
So everything does seem very perfect
about Godfrey Gao, doesn't it?

00:01:14.415 --> 00:01:17.288
From his chiseled face
with flawless features

00:01:18.257 --> 00:01:22.233
to his tall, toned, athletic body, right?

00:01:24.353 --> 00:01:28.994
However, he may also give off the vibe
and impression of being distant,

00:01:29.268 --> 00:01:33.980
or sometimes stuck-up,
given this image portrayed by media.

00:01:35.460 --> 00:01:38.341
I've had the good fortune
of getting to know Godfrey

00:01:38.505 --> 00:01:43.279
both as a person, but more importantly,
as a very close friend for many years,

00:01:44.710 --> 00:01:46.353
and I'm here to tell you,

00:01:46.715 --> 00:01:50.325
he has different dimensions
that he doesn't reveal to the public.

00:01:52.707 --> 00:01:54.401
When the cameras stop rolling,

00:01:54.728 --> 00:01:58.857
Godfrey, or G as I would like to call him,

00:01:59.716 --> 00:02:01.611
is actually very easygoing,

00:02:02.107 --> 00:02:06.126
caring, kind, generous,

00:02:06.853 --> 00:02:09.876
but most importantly, down-to-earth.

00:02:10.914 --> 00:02:12.608
He's just a boy next door

00:02:12.608 --> 00:02:16.062
who could throw on
some shorts, a baseball cap,

00:02:17.125 --> 00:02:20.644
and have the audacity to break
into my brand-new Jordans

00:02:21.651 --> 00:02:24.916
as he was riding around town,
goofing around with me on a rickshaw.

00:02:27.149 --> 00:02:30.718
He's also that one friend
who will reach out to you first

00:02:31.540 --> 00:02:34.586
if he sees that you're going through
a down time in your life.

00:02:34.983 --> 00:02:37.642
For everything he is and all he's not,

00:02:38.549 --> 00:02:42.697
Godfrey is that one loyal friend
I've had for many years

00:02:43.494 --> 00:02:46.540
and with whom I can trust my life.

00:02:47.890 --> 00:02:50.457
I know this is starting
to sound like a little bit

00:02:50.457 --> 00:02:52.372
of a love confession I have for Godfrey.

00:02:52.372 --> 00:02:53.472
(Laughter)

00:02:53.472 --> 00:02:54.828
I get it, I get it.

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.

00:03:01.515 --> 00:03:03.627
(Cheers)

00:03:03.627 --> 00:03:05.381
(Applause)

00:03:05.575 --> 00:03:06.986
Godfrey Gao: Hey guys.

00:03:06.986 --> 00:03:09.321
(Applause)

00:03:09.321 --> 00:03:14.267
Yeah, um, I've never had another man
describe me like that so, um,

00:03:14.267 --> 00:03:15.748
DJ: I'm that man.

00:03:15.748 --> 00:03:16.988
GG: Thank you, Darren.

00:03:16.988 --> 00:03:18.767
Thank you everyone for coming today.

00:03:18.767 --> 00:03:22.221
I'm very excited to be here,
here at TEDxBangsar.

00:03:22.747 --> 00:03:27.067
DJ: So for celebrities
or KOLs like Godfrey,

00:03:27.848 --> 00:03:30.770
what you guys see in media or social media

00:03:30.770 --> 00:03:34.382
is actually a very, very small fraction,
a very small glimpse

00:03:34.692 --> 00:03:36.011
of who he actually is.

00:03:36.011 --> 00:03:37.454
GG: Exactly DJ: right?

00:03:37.603 --> 00:03:39.443
GG: As you can see this handsome face,

00:03:39.450 --> 00:03:40.732
(Laughter)

00:03:40.798 --> 00:03:43.974
um, that is only one side of me, okay.

00:03:43.974 --> 00:03:48.810
That's what you see on social media,
in TVs and movies, and talk shows.

00:03:49.075 --> 00:03:54.225
But here, standing on the stage,
talking to you is another side of me

00:03:54.225 --> 00:03:56.871
that many of you
don't get to see very often,

00:03:57.906 --> 00:04:01.657
and like millions of people
across the world,

00:04:02.144 --> 00:04:05.662
today, are always asking
the same questions:

00:04:06.510 --> 00:04:07.671
Who am I?

00:04:08.281 --> 00:04:10.372
Who are we as individuals?

00:04:10.982 --> 00:04:12.542
What do we represent?

00:04:12.732 --> 00:04:14.508
And who do we look up to?

00:04:15.382 --> 00:04:19.265
This is a big topic because 
there's a lot of confusion nowadays

00:04:19.915 --> 00:04:26.142
with the young generation
and the rise of the KOL phenomenon.

00:04:26.667 --> 00:04:29.552
Obviously, everyone knows
what KOL means:

00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:33.147
key opinion leaders,
or, you know, the mass influencers,

00:04:33.686 --> 00:04:39.177
and these influencers make an impact
in the world today through social media.

00:04:39.573 --> 00:04:44.340
They could be experts
like myself on fashion;

00:04:45.528 --> 00:04:48.139
they could be experts
like DJ in basketball;

00:04:49.811 --> 00:04:55.014
they could be, you know, experts
in diet routines or workout routines.

00:04:55.989 --> 00:05:01.412
But you don't know what these KOLs
go through behind the scenes.

00:05:02.320 --> 00:05:06.078
Like myself and like many of you,
we go through struggles in life.

00:05:06.313 --> 00:05:10.657
We have to get through obstacles
and in order to do that,

00:05:11.422 --> 00:05:13.940
we need to be very strong and confident.

00:05:14.597 --> 00:05:17.872
DJ: [What] you guys see
is the picture-perfect Godfrey in media,

00:05:18.364 --> 00:05:20.709
but let me tell you,
I'm here to spill secrets -

00:05:20.776 --> 00:05:22.215
He ain't that perfect.

00:05:22.215 --> 00:05:24.015
GG: Exactly. DJ: Right?

00:05:24.015 --> 00:05:25.741
GG: Well, no one's perfect, okay.

00:05:25.741 --> 00:05:27.855
Even though I like to be a perfectionist,

00:05:28.841 --> 00:05:32.134
there are still struggles in life
which Darren has seen many of times.

00:05:32.134 --> 00:05:33.174
DJ: Oh yeah.

00:05:33.174 --> 00:05:34.981
GG: He's seen the angry side of me;

00:05:34.981 --> 00:05:37.956
he's seen the happy side;
he's seen a lot of sides of me,

00:05:38.991 --> 00:05:43.687
but he knows deep down inside,
I'm a very, very genuine and good person.

00:05:43.884 --> 00:05:45.939
DJ: As a result of Godfrey's profession,

00:05:46.771 --> 00:05:49.921
so many people automatically
assume and associate him

00:05:49.921 --> 00:05:55.486
with this luxurious, glamorous lifestyle
and all the perks that come with it,

00:05:55.693 --> 00:05:57.829
and trust me, they do exist.

00:05:57.985 --> 00:05:59.688
(Laughter)

00:06:00.195 --> 00:06:02.811
He's led a very privileged lifestyle.

00:06:03.845 --> 00:06:09.485
And media or social media is really good
at amplifying that misconception

00:06:09.935 --> 00:06:13.857
and leaving us with the impression
of his picture-perfect life.

00:06:15.080 --> 00:06:19.206
However, as many of us know,

00:06:19.405 --> 00:06:21.025
no one is perfect.

00:06:22.151 --> 00:06:25.601
In reality, for people like Godfrey,

00:06:25.868 --> 00:06:30.428
being in the eyes of the public
has become such a huge part of his job,

00:06:30.747 --> 00:06:34.127
and it will continue
to be a huge part of his life.

00:06:35.903 --> 00:06:38.323
His brand has been turned
into a commodity,

00:06:38.323 --> 00:06:40.296
sold for a price by the industry.

00:06:40.762 --> 00:06:45.398
However, for many of us,
whether or not it's generating income,

00:06:46.161 --> 00:06:50.011
it has become something
so much bigger than it actually is,

00:06:50.502 --> 00:06:53.662
something that dictates our identity,

00:06:54.015 --> 00:06:59.854
or worse yet, something
that affects other people's identity.

00:07:00.388 --> 00:07:01.454
GG: Exactly.

00:07:01.454 --> 00:07:08.443
Young people nowadays, teenagers
are following these KOLs on a daily basis.

00:07:09.561 --> 00:07:14.548
And not all KOLs are good:

00:07:14.548 --> 00:07:17.991
some are bad, some are good,
some share positive images,

00:07:18.485 --> 00:07:22.188
some share - I don't know
what they share online nowadays.

00:07:22.188 --> 00:07:23.738
DJ: I don't even want to look.

00:07:23.738 --> 00:07:27.745
GG: But yes, you've got to follow
the right kind of KOLs,

00:07:27.745 --> 00:07:31.646
who makes a positive impact
in the world and does good causes.

00:07:32.076 --> 00:07:35.807
DJ: Our millennials have become
so overly obsessed

00:07:36.205 --> 00:07:40.219
about the latest trend
of clean eating, healthy dieting,

00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:43.397
and don't get us wrong,
it all comes from a good place.

00:07:43.505 --> 00:07:47.656
It comes from the harmless approach
of wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle.

00:07:47.756 --> 00:07:49.358
There's nothing wrong with that.

00:07:49.682 --> 00:07:53.674
But what gets dangerous, though,
is when they let these beliefs

00:07:53.674 --> 00:07:57.501
alter their own perception
of what being healthy really is.

00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:01.349
Case in point: this is a teenager

00:08:01.349 --> 00:08:06.613
who is trying to look
like her KOL, Angelina Jolie.

00:08:06.753 --> 00:08:08.389
She did, ironically.

00:08:08.389 --> 00:08:10.681
She did become a social media sensation

00:08:12.355 --> 00:08:17.124
because she's been mocked as being
the zombie version of Angelina Jolie.

00:08:17.274 --> 00:08:19.058
So this is a very extreme case.

00:08:19.246 --> 00:08:21.813
Other case studies have also shown

00:08:21.913 --> 00:08:26.674
that teenagers are mindlessly following
their KOLs' lifestyle and appearances,

00:08:27.402 --> 00:08:30.040
even if it means for them
to go to extreme measures.

00:08:30.885 --> 00:08:33.856
This was well documented
by 60 Minutes Australia.

00:08:34.477 --> 00:08:39.631
In this clip, a teenage girl
was mindlessly following her KOL's looks.

00:08:40.307 --> 00:08:45.551
As showcased here on a social media page,
everything looks picture-perfect,

00:08:46.818 --> 00:08:48.158
but the result:

00:08:48.755 --> 00:08:53.811
she ended up suffering
a mental disease called orthorexia,

00:08:54.586 --> 00:08:59.373
which is the eating disorder
combined with an anxiety disorder.

00:09:00.070 --> 00:09:02.777
Now she has some serious anger issues
towards everything.

00:09:02.902 --> 00:09:05.281
She can hardly intake any food or drinks.

00:09:06.064 --> 00:09:08.028
It's seriously hurting her health.

00:09:08.032 --> 00:09:10.704
GG: I know that feeling, being hangry.

00:09:11.148 --> 00:09:14.105
DJ: So all these cases have shown us

00:09:14.339 --> 00:09:17.455
that teenagers are actually
on the receiving end

00:09:18.964 --> 00:09:23.198
from the detrimental damage
of mindless pursuit of KOLs' lifestyles.

00:09:25.053 --> 00:09:28.574
So what can we do to fix it?

00:09:29.041 --> 00:09:30.296
GG: Well, one way

00:09:30.296 --> 00:09:33.950
is we must redefine
our relationships with KOLs,

00:09:34.253 --> 00:09:38.996
instead of mindlessly pursuing
these KOLs and copying them.

00:09:40.867 --> 00:09:42.793
In addition, we need to find

00:09:42.793 --> 00:09:47.214
positive influencers in the world
that makes an impact in society -

00:09:47.793 --> 00:09:49.273
well, besides myself.

00:09:49.332 --> 00:09:50.922
(Laughter)

00:09:51.699 --> 00:09:54.568
Darren has a great example
that he's going to tell you about.

00:09:55.868 --> 00:09:59.224
DJ: So, another case study

00:09:59.224 --> 00:10:05.351
on the positive side is LeBron James,
the superstar athlete from the NBA.

00:10:05.689 --> 00:10:08.982
In 2018, in working
with his family foundation,

00:10:09.143 --> 00:10:12.874
opened up the I Promise School
in Akron Ohio, his hometown,

00:10:13.312 --> 00:10:16.237
which is aimed
at helping at-risk students,

00:10:16.391 --> 00:10:18.888
providing free education, free lunch

00:10:19.461 --> 00:10:22.693
and a whole bunch of benefits,
basically paving a way

00:10:23.133 --> 00:10:25.418
for the younger generation
to succeed in life.

00:10:26.109 --> 00:10:27.270
DJ: Or,

00:10:27.470 --> 00:10:29.618
GG: like the real Angelina Jolie,

00:10:29.618 --> 00:10:31.925
DJ: the real one GG: the real version.

00:10:32.747 --> 00:10:35.370
She's ambassador for UNICEF,
she's an activist

00:10:35.370 --> 00:10:38.233
and she has helped out
a lot of the refugee camps,

00:10:38.233 --> 00:10:40.276
and the list goes on.

00:10:40.778 --> 00:10:43.710
And she's the perfect example
for a female role model.

00:10:44.632 --> 00:10:47.280
DJ: So based on these case studies,
what we've learned

00:10:47.280 --> 00:10:50.870
is that we're not asking you guys
not to follow KOLs.

00:10:51.524 --> 00:10:54.374
You can definitely use them
for goal setting or benchmarking

00:10:54.374 --> 00:10:55.971
GG: and following the right KOLs.

00:10:55.971 --> 00:10:57.184
DJ: Absolutely.

00:10:57.584 --> 00:11:00.833
So in 2012, since then,

00:11:01.168 --> 00:11:04.437
Godfrey and I have been brainstorming
about starting up a project

00:11:04.437 --> 00:11:07.879
that truly drives positive change
in youth movement.

00:11:08.132 --> 00:11:10.572
At the time, I had been working

00:11:10.572 --> 00:11:13.592
for one of the world's
leading sports brands companies,

00:11:14.439 --> 00:11:17.203
while Godfrey, being
one of the brand's KOLs,

00:11:17.302 --> 00:11:19.005
witnessed firsthand with me

00:11:19.005 --> 00:11:20.415
how big of an impact

00:11:20.415 --> 00:11:22.825
our signature athletes made on the youth.

00:11:23.205 --> 00:11:26.611
However, we realized
that it'll be equally important

00:11:26.611 --> 00:11:29.710
for us to truly inspire the youth

00:11:30.521 --> 00:11:34.040
while paving a way for them
to become a better version of themselves.

00:11:34.185 --> 00:11:37.407
So in 2014, I resigned from my company.

00:11:37.773 --> 00:11:42.415
We put our heads together and created
this platform called the PB System,

00:11:42.671 --> 00:11:47.060
with the very purpose of driving
positive change in youth movement.

00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:51.675
PB stands for Personal Best.

00:11:52.711 --> 00:11:53.969
What we're saying is

00:11:53.969 --> 00:11:59.015
becoming "the best" sometimes
can be subjective and unattainable,

00:11:59.382 --> 00:12:04.967
especially in Asian cultures
within which a lot of us grew up in.

00:12:06.925 --> 00:12:10.720
Parents tend to exert so much
invisible pressure on their kids

00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:12.768
to become the best at everything:

00:12:13.656 --> 00:12:18.465
in the classrooms, on the sports field,
when they take piano lessons.

00:12:18.959 --> 00:12:20.030
What we're saying is,

00:12:20.030 --> 00:12:25.296
at PB, we should focus more
on developing these kids as individuals

00:12:26.036 --> 00:12:29.459
and motivating them to become
the best version of themselves.

00:12:30.874 --> 00:12:34.291
These are just some of the activations
that we do throughout the year:

00:12:34.291 --> 00:12:36.976
with college campuses, cities,

00:12:37.883 --> 00:12:39.671
hosting basketball events.

00:12:39.671 --> 00:12:42.047
Through basketball, our common passion,

00:12:42.188 --> 00:12:46.426
enable the kids to explore
other dimensions of our KOLs,

00:12:46.569 --> 00:12:48.651
to set good examples for them,

00:12:48.651 --> 00:12:51.859
so that they can be inspired
to achieve better life path.

00:12:53.406 --> 00:12:55.296
A picture is worth a thousand words.

00:12:55.633 --> 00:12:58.856
These images were taken
from our events all over China.

00:13:00.235 --> 00:13:03.140
But of course, at PB Camp,

00:13:03.140 --> 00:13:05.510
which is something
that we run every summer,

00:13:05.510 --> 00:13:07.118
something magical happens too.

00:13:08.463 --> 00:13:11.995
GG: Well, the magical thing is ...
we have Ray Allen here.

00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:14.556
He was our special guest.

00:13:15.834 --> 00:13:20.141
The very famous NBA superstar Ray Allen
was at our first basketball camp

00:13:20.141 --> 00:13:22.874
in Beijing back in 2014,
when we started this.

00:13:23.798 --> 00:13:25.372
He was here for 12 days.

00:13:26.044 --> 00:13:27.141
Now think about it:

00:13:27.141 --> 00:13:30.534
a superstar athlete is hands-on,

00:13:31.010 --> 00:13:33.465
on and off the court, for 12 days.

00:13:34.177 --> 00:13:38.290
On the court, he was helping kids
to be better at themselves

00:13:38.290 --> 00:13:40.703
on shooting, dribbling,
all those skill sets;

00:13:40.756 --> 00:13:42.053
but off the court,

00:13:42.239 --> 00:13:47.410
he was teaching kids and telling stories
about his experience in his lifetime

00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:51.220
for these campers, volunteers and workers.

00:13:51.761 --> 00:13:53.726
In this picture, obviously,

00:13:53.726 --> 00:14:00.021
made this girl cry
because she shared the same story

00:14:00.021 --> 00:14:03.713
that he was telling everybody
that was at the cafeteria.

00:14:04.307 --> 00:14:06.260
DJ: Obviously it looks like she's crying,

00:14:06.260 --> 00:14:09.896
but she was just very touched
by Ray Allen's inspirational stories

00:14:09.896 --> 00:14:10.900
with happy tears.

00:14:10.900 --> 00:14:12.357
GG: Yes, happy tears.

00:14:13.998 --> 00:14:16.462
DJ: Also, in addition, Godfrey,

00:14:16.857 --> 00:14:19.038
whenever we host events
in the summertime,

00:14:19.498 --> 00:14:22.221
he's actually becoming one of us,
one of the campers.

00:14:22.468 --> 00:14:28.143
He really gets closer with the audience,
which are our campers.

00:14:29.052 --> 00:14:32.162
He even goes so far, to the point
where he goes into dormitories,

00:14:32.162 --> 00:14:34.109
casually dressed up,

00:14:34.109 --> 00:14:36.379
wearing a wife-beater with a baseball cap.

00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.959
He's actually doing
team-building exercises

00:14:38.959 --> 00:14:41.576
with the kids, inspiring them.

00:14:42.264 --> 00:14:44.188
So this is where the magic happens -

00:14:44.450 --> 00:14:46.650
the kids not only walk away
with our camp

00:14:47.103 --> 00:14:49.012
with smiles on their faces,

00:14:49.012 --> 00:14:50.639
but they also walk away

00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:53.971
with a positive influence
from their idols, from their KOLs,

00:14:54.323 --> 00:14:56.502
and something inspirational

00:14:56.502 --> 00:14:59.472
which would serve them better
for the rest of their lives.

00:15:00.402 --> 00:15:03.565
So by creating these unprecedented access

00:15:03.565 --> 00:15:07.253
and opportunities for the KOLs
to get to know our campers,

00:15:08.330 --> 00:15:11.111
our kids have shifted the perspective

00:15:11.588 --> 00:15:14.800
from mindlessly following
their KOL's appearance and lifestyle

00:15:15.263 --> 00:15:20.018
to proactively practicing
their work ethic, their persistence

00:15:20.999 --> 00:15:22.947
and everything that comes along with it.

00:15:23.943 --> 00:15:25.207
GG: And more importantly,

00:15:25.207 --> 00:15:28.083
we want these kids to feel
like they can relate to us,

00:15:28.695 --> 00:15:32.573
that they're not afraid to talk to us
and share stories with us

00:15:32.573 --> 00:15:35.523
because once they do that,

00:15:35.523 --> 00:15:39.035
we get to hear them and hear their voices

00:15:39.035 --> 00:15:42.575
and we can share our opinions
or our experiences in life,

00:15:42.575 --> 00:15:46.857
and they love the experiences
that they had in our PB System camps.

00:15:48.055 --> 00:15:53.237
So to wrap things up,
everyone's going to go home,

00:15:53.237 --> 00:15:56.243
and we're going to go back
to our little boxes, little bubbles,

00:15:56.243 --> 00:16:01.840
and everyone's going to see us on TVs
or movies or on social media platforms.

00:16:02.367 --> 00:16:04.374
But here, at TEDx -

00:16:04.374 --> 00:16:09.214
DJ: Here, we're at TEDx today
and at all the future PB activations.

00:16:09.486 --> 00:16:11.831
We could also be youth movement leaders,

00:16:11.831 --> 00:16:13.101
entrepreneurs,

00:16:13.101 --> 00:16:15.738
but most importantly, your friends

00:16:15.738 --> 00:16:19.732
who are going to hold your hands
and change the world together with you.

00:16:20.173 --> 00:16:24.259
So with that, let's redefine
our relationship with KOLs

00:16:24.431 --> 00:16:27.896
GG: and strive to achieve
your personal best.

00:16:28.165 --> 00:16:29.641
(Applause)