Rob Price

Concerned citizen, Entrepreneur, Marketer, Musician, Parent, Writer/Editor

I'm the dad of a ridiculously talented daughter/photographer in NYC. I'm the husband of a woman who's as tough and independent as the tiny Texas town she came from. I was a cofounder of Eleven Inc., a creative-led marketing comms agency that had a damn good 23-year run in San Francisco. I'm a copywriter whose influences include David Ogilvy, Steve Hayden, Steve Jobs, and (weirdly) Warren Buffett. My favorite client from the past 40 years was the quadriplegic CEO of a riverboat casino empire. I'm a big fan and creative supporter of the TED Fellows program. I have a messy desk and a cluttered mind. I'm a drummer (in my garage, in my head, and on my steering wheel). I'm one of those annoying people who can never get enough of, or stop talking about, the Beatles — and, now that I think of it, The West Wing. Apparently, I also fill out bios like this with mostly irrelevant stuff that goes on too long. Oh well.

The Beatles. You can say "okay boomer" all you want, I don't care. I grew up with them, still listen incessantly, feel joy and heartache at the same time whenever I listen to Side B of Abbey Road, and will forever be grateful to Peter Jackson for what he created. Backgammon. It's so easy to learn, and so hard to master. I've been playing constantly (friends or apps) for over a decade, and have no idea how good I am at it. 1960s/70s-era advertising. Specifically, print advertising. The industry is pretty soulless now, but DAMN it was good then. Music, and not just the Beatles. Louis Armstrong, Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony, anything Gershwin, Elvis Costello. My daughter has made a Taylor fan of me, as well. My family. I guess I should have listed them first. Oops.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. (Dr. Carl Sagan)

Advertising, Beatles, Copywriting, Design

My friend and business partner, Michael Borosky, has been a TEDster since the Monterey days. Every time he returned from TED and talked about the experience, I felt waves of envy. Fortunately, Michael brought me in on some pro bono work for the TED Fellows program four years ago, and my own TED story began. TED2025 will be my fourth TED. (I'm proud to say that Michael and I are still collaborating and creating with the incredible team running the Fellows program.)

Backgammon