Amanda Smith, the creative writer behind one very interesting TedX Talk

The world is full of Cyrano de Bergeracs. Perhaps not in the way that Edmond Rostand presented in his nineteenth century play, but in regards to giving others the words to speak eloquently.

Actors, politicians, and others are empowered by professional writers who become the conduit for information transmitted and received successfully. There are a wide range of opportunities for the present day writer to utilize their talent.

Australia’s Amanda Smith can be described as a Novelist, a travel writer, a foreign correspondent for new outlets, and a host of other labels. She a creative and adventurous woman who has received accolades around the world for her work.

In her pursuit of stretching the writing muscle and testing herself, she served as a ghostwriter for Toby Bensimon’s TEDx Talk. Hybrid (one of South Australia’s leading advertising agencies) had worked with Smith before and recognized her natural insight, pairing her with Bensimon for his presentation on “Why We Find Carbon Beautiful.”

TEDx boasts more than fifteen million subscribers, meaning that Smith’s words and Bensimon’s delivery reached an audience that rivals many of the world’s largest sporting events.

Amanda is a lauded writer, known for her intimate and personal delivery. Reading about her travel experiences and inner monologue often feels as if she is confiding in a close friend. It’s a drastic departure for her to take on the affect of someone else.

Toby Bensimon is a somewhat uncomfortable public speaker with a quirky endearing quality about him. He comes across as that mate whom you love to hang around with because he is honest about his lack of perfection and yet is probably the smartest one in your bunch.

In regards to personality, that’s quite disparate from the clear spoken, emotive, adventurer Smith’s followers know her to be. This aspect actually made it more attractive to the writer when she was asked to aid Toby with his TEDx Talk. Interviews, emails, and a thorough investigation of the TEDx platform ensued, culminating in a unique and popular presentation.

Smith admits that a large reason for her working on this project was the interesting topic. The title may not be sensationalist but when you discover that it focused on how people are having their remains turned into diamonds, the science fiction meets romance dynamic brings out the curiosity in us all.

Describing the content and tone, Amanda tells, “This speech was hard to write given we were talking about death but there was a romanticism behind it, a silver lining of sorts. I wanted the talk to be as emotive as possible. We can all connect with having lost someone or knowing someone who has. I was given an outline to follow but ample creative license.”

“The important part was getting all the information in there. This was Toby’s part. Once I had that, I could base the story around all the details I needed to include. I felt it needed to be raw, honest, open, yet aspirational. I felt the need to exercise my storytelling skills more than ever for this project. A lot of the TEDx Talks I watched spoke about a struggle and how it was overcome. The talk which Toby and I created together carved out its own unique space among these.”

Toby Bensimon may declare jeweler as his profession but his company’s process of transforming a loved one’s remains into sparkling diamonds is science appearing as magic. Their process links the basis we all have in carbon and establishes the recognizable beauty we share in this.

The awareness of this is not dissimilar to what Smith does as a writer, seeking out and presenting the most admirable qualities of her subjects. Her talent allows the true greatness of these to be something at which to marvel.

Written by Kelly King