Jason Silva
Jason Silva (born February 6, 1982 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan-American television personality, filmmaker, gonzo journalist and founding producer/host for Current TV, the Emmy winning youth-oriented lifestyle cable network started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now the fastest growing network in TV history. He resides in Los Angeles, California.
Silva earned a degree in film and philosophy from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He, along with Max Lugavere, produced and starred in a video documentary/performance piece entitled "Textures of Selfhood"—an experimental film about hedonism and spirituality. "The Party-Philosophers" and "Intellectual Hedonists", aptly named by Angeleno Magazine, borrowed the name for the film from the Hedonistic Imperative, a website promoting the end to suffering by philosopher David Pearce.
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[edit] Current TV
"Max and Jason" have become a prolific hosting and producing duo on Current TV, with widely ranging stories- from illegal immigration and counterfeit IDs, to profiling a brave new singer songwriter right before signing a publishing deal, to a taped philosophical sit-down with director Darren Aronofsky. Their story on counterfeit IDs earned them a featured appearance and interview on Anderson Cooper 360. Their franchise, "Max and Jason Style" has become one of the hallmarks of their work on Current TV, denoting coverage of an issue in a voice that is distinctly unique- often juxtaposing telegenic images and a heightened filmmaking aesthetic with bold and intelligent content. The results are a compelling product, which as The Internet Examiner put it, is proof that "Current is getting it just right."
[edit] The Immortalists and Turning into Gods
Silva produced and directed a short documentary film titled The Immortalists [1], profiling scientists and philosophers, including Ray Kurzweil, about the philosophical implications of tinkering with our biology, merging with our technologies and overcoming our biological limitations. Inspired by the Stewart Brand quote: "We are as gods and might as well get good at it," the film is a love letter to science and technology. The film generated buzz among transhumanist circles for its impassioned exploration of the subject matter, and Silva has further explored Singularity studies by interviewing American filmmaker Barry Ptolemy on his recent film Transcendent Man [2].
Silva is expanding The Immortalists into a feature length documentary titled Turning into Gods, which he has described as "an unfolding of mystical and metaphysical sensations" [3], even though it’s a film that’s ultimately about scientists talking about science [4], and plans to publish piece-wise online until a complete release in 2012 [5] [6].
[edit] Pangea Day
Jason Silva (along with best friend and Current TV co-host Max Lugavere, Lisa Ling, and June Arunga) hosted the first annual Pangea Day on May 10, 2008, a live 4-hour program of film, music, and speakers broadcast worldwide to over 150 countries and with a projected audience of 500 million people. The goal of the event, created by filmmaker Jehane Noujaim and TED curator Chris Anderson, was to unite the people of the world through the power of film.
[edit] Other
They have been invited to guest host hit shows on E! and WE: Women's Entertainment[citation needed], were featured in a full-page LA Times article about Current, and have co-hosted a panel on short-form film making at the 2006 South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.
The press has dubbed Max and Jason "Gore's Boys" (944 Magazine, November 2007) and "the stars of Current TV" (Nylon Guys, Fall 2007).
They were invited to lead panel discussions on Citizen Journalism at The Paley Center for Media in both New York and Los Angeles.
The duo were featured in the Fall 2008 Gap campaign worldwide.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ "At just 28, Jason Silva is thinking about DEATH - a lot". Fast Company. http://www.fastcompany.com/1651840/at-just-28-jason-silva-is-thinking-about-death-a-lot/.
- ^ Silva, Jason (9 March 2011). "The 'Transcendent' Singularity is Near". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-silva/the-transcendent-singular_b_831889.html.
- ^ "The Most Exhilarating Ode to the Future You'll See All Day (Batteries Not Included)". Motherboard. http://www.motherboard.tv/2010/5/26/the-most-exhilarating-ode-to-the-future-you-ll-see-all-day-batteries-not-included--2.
- ^ "Why We Could All Use a Heavy Dose of Techno-optimism". Vanity Fair. http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/05/why-we-could-all-use-a-heavy-does-of-techno-optimism.html.
- ^ Saenz, Aaron (June 2, 2010). "‘Turning Into Gods’ – Jason Silva’s Documentary on the Singularity". Singularity Hub. http://singularityhub.com/2010/06/02/turning-into-gods-jason-silvas-documentary-on-the-singularity-trailer/. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
- ^ Knapp, Alex. "Jason Silva Muses on Humans Turning Into Gods". Forbes. http://blogs.forbes.com/alexknapp/2011/08/05/jason-silva-muses-on-humans-turning-into-gods/.
