Hello people. So, did you know that sitting is the new smoking? Can you do me a favor? Can you stand up? Thanks a lot. And let's go like this. Yes. Okay, you can sit down. We needed this now. Right? You see I don't eat me alive. I know I'm the last one here. I want to also tell you it was my birthday yesterday and I and I and I party hard. So, my brain is a little bit washed out and because when I explain something I always make these huge detours and I go around. Please forgive me. Also, forgive me for my broken English. I came to you to talk to you about signs, symbols, labels, and brands. In our life, we memorize, identify, and learn meaning of thousands of symbols, thousands of signs. We give them certain value. We bond emotionally with it. Sometimes we even fight for it if we if we believe it's it's strong it's strong enough for us. When we go for grocery shopping, when we buy new car, when we decide for operator on our phone, when we want to travel to new country, when we want to visit new city that we have never visited before, those signs and symbols are very important to us. When I was in the States working for Kanye West, we did the Yeezus tour. And he created a new line of merchandising, shirts, jackets, and he decided to use as a symbol for the merchandising line a Confederate flag. Uh I remember getting a jacket, going to my hotel, going by the elevator. I'm in a room, and two grannies entered the the elevator. Uh two husband and wife, white people in their 60s, and they came to the elevator look at me like, "You must be from the South." And I was like, "Oh, no. I'm from Prague. I'm from Czech Republic." Later on, I found out that on on social media, there was this huge discussion about this Confederate flag, that it is so you know, that it was there was so much hateful comments, that how how it's possible that Kanye West used this symbol, that it's so hateful. It is disrespectful towards African-American community, and it and it's connected to slavery, and it's connected to disrespect towards this community. So, because I am I'm never like satisfied until I know the meanings, I went to him and I asked him why. And he told me something that stays with me until today. He said, "Yemi, energy is always good. You might create conflict. You might create discussion, but it normally means big amount of energy, and it's only up to you how you going to use it." And it stayed with me because that's what us artists do. We sometimes bring controversy, but it creates a discussion in society, and that discussion, I think it's something like synchronizing us people with each other. Now, what is the most important brand for you? Do you have any important brand in your life? Uh I'm actually asking you new You don't want talk to me? My own. Uh-huh. The most important brand in our life is our name. It is the most complex set of values. It is the biggest promise we give to the people around you around us. And it is also a thing that has the biggest impact on people around us and to our own life. But unless and unless like other commercial brands, this is different. But what does it consist of? Is it you? Or is it what you think you are? Is it what you want to be? Or is it what you think you should be? Is it what others think you are? Or is it what you think others want you to be? I want you to memorize this circle. Remember it. And see how big how huge amount of space is between you and the outside circles. To create a personal brand is the most difficult thing. Why? Because it requires you to be true to yourself. And that is very difficult. In some parts of our life, it's almost impossible. Uh our family gives us certain expectation and tell us what we should we be. Then at school, they tell us what should we be. Then our friends, at our job. And the pressure is very big. And the pressure cause us to create these layers. I call it onion. More and more layers. And our own us becomes smaller and smaller and smaller. And very very often in our life we disconnect from it. We create masks and design our personal brand away from who we really are. Now, do you remember in your life labels? Has anybody here been labeled through your life? Try to reme- Try to remember. Maybe even when you were very young, you came to the school. What was What were your labels? Tell me. Do you Did you have any label? African girl. Okay. What What are the labels? Huh? Poor Asians? Did you say Asians? Okay. What else? Huh? Albanians? Oh, those are the Albanians, huh? What else? Poor. Oh, this is the poor little girl. Yeah. I I know that label, too. Ah, you can go whatever You can go. Okay. So, there is many labels in our lives. And those labels, they create emotions. But the difference between label and personal brand is that label is temporary. But personal brand is for your life. Um you know, I was born in 1981. Uh I like uh like uh Victoria, uh I'm also mixed. My father, who is sitting here, is from Nigeria. Uh my mother is uh from the north. Uh I'm from Liberia. She was born in Chezkalipa. And uh when uh when I was when I was uh real like uh young in my in my city, it was uh it was difficult because uh I was the only black guy in the in the town. So, imagine if I went to the cinema, everybody knew I was there even though they didn't know my name. And also my name is complex. It's like Yemi Aken Yemi Delai. So, they didn't you know, they didn't learn my name. They just say the black guy. So, this was this was the first label. After some time, oh yes, I forgot. Today, you didn't know there was a contest of the best childhood picture during this TEDx. So, they No, because it was funny because all the previous presentations, every time there was some child some some childhood pictures. I have one, too. So, So, that was that was a little a little Yemi in Liberec. So, first, my label was the the only black guy. Later on, it was the black gay guy. And I don't like it. And I didn't like it so much that I decided to leave the country. I moved to Amsterdam. I moved to Amsterdam to for first time in my life don't feel abnormal. To see other black people on the street, to see that you can be whoever you are and it's fine. And it's really important to be to be in peace with yourself because you can't build anything anything you definitely can't build personal brand if you're not in peace with yourself. When I came back and I went to Amsterdam to do what I love and that is dance. Study dance, learn new techniques, experience different teachers. So, when I got back and I had this power, I used it and I continue working on myself. And then something amazing happened. One moment in my life, somebody was introducing me to someone else and they said, "This is Yemi. He's the best dancer in Czech Republic." And all the other labels were gone. And that was the moment when I understood that labels are manageable. And they There can be labels in your life, but you have to be in control in control of those labels. And many of these labels together with something much bigger and much more valuable that is inside of you creates your personal brand. Okay, one more. Um So, uh 6 years ago I went to um United States uh to do my first audition. Like, imagine when I was 18, I went there to to be auditioning, but I was a dancer. But 6 years ago I became the choreographer of Kanye West, so I went there to hold an audition. It was the first time. I didn't know how it worked, so there was 50 people coming to the room. I didn't know if it's a lot of people or little people like a small amount of people. I was fine. It happened. We were in the gym. They sit on the floor. And I came I said, "Hey girls. So, today I have to select a cast for uh one show. I don't know if you know it. It's it's it's a show here on the local television. It's called Saturday Night Saturday Night Live." And I hear like giggling And I say, "Yeah, and it's for one rapper. You might know him. It's Kanye West." And they were like silent. And the back then I didn't know much about American show business or or their TV. I I didn't know much almost like nothing about it. So, so I I did what I normally do, what I brought from from Prague. I had the audition for 6 hours. I shake hand with each of the dancers. I ask them about their background. Everybody had chance to dance, to show me what what they what they are good at, to show me their talent. And towards the end of the audition, the people came to me, and one girl was crying. And I was like, "What the What happened? Like like did did I do something wrong?" And she was like, "No, but I never experienced this before. Here in the States, they treat us like livestock. They line up in lines, stick numbers on us, look at us, whisper, and then they cut us. 23, 25, everybody else, thank you. This was the first time in my life when I have enjoyed the audition, she told me. And that is because you invested in us. And even though if you don't select me for this cast, I know I will never forget this experience again. Few weeks later, I had another audition and 300 people showed up. Since that time, I auditioned maybe 20, 30 times in different places in the States. In New York, in Los Angeles, in Milwaukee, in Austin, in New Jersey, uh New Orleans, almost everywhere. And we have hundreds of people coming. It spread so fast, the attitude and the approach that we had, not just me, but also my team, to the people, that it spread not just between the dancers, but also between the agencies. So, agencies are proud to send dancers to our auditions. And I believe, and this is what I want to leave with you, that your personal brand have this major impact because it also gives an inspiration. And inspiration is one of the key elements to it. So, you're not just changing your own life, but you're changing the lives of people around you. For example, in the showbiz industry, I believe that when these young dancers are going to hold auditions in the future, maybe they will rethink their approach. Maybe they will not continue in the tradition that there was, but maybe this will inspire them and they will treat the people differently. So, one thing that rece- recently I I I heard and I was um actually cheeky to rephrase it because those are words of the Dalai Lama. Uh that you should take care of your thoughts because they become your words. And you should take care of your words because they become your actions. And you should take care of your actions because they will become your habits. And you should take care of your habits because they will become your personal brand. And your personal brand will form your destiny, which is your life. Thank you.