Tag Archives: Brilliant Lecture Series

Betty White and Jay Leno TONIGHT!

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It is rumored Betty White will be on the tonight show with Jay Leno on Friday July 27. What will she speaking about? Will she mention the Brilliant Lecture Series? Tweet @JayLeno and @BettyMWhite and tell them Houston’s excitement for the Conversation with Betty White. Tune in tonight at 11:30 on NBC and watch her interview.

With a career spanning seven decades and a tireless advocate for animals, seven time Emmy Award winner Betty White is a golden example of perseverance, humor, grace, humility and philanthropy. Purchase your tickets at BrilliantLectures.org.

Who’s Sitting In The Chair Next?

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Who is sitting in the chair next?The Brilliant Lecture Series’ programs have established a unique place in our community– to educate, inspire, and increase public awareness within our community by providing a forum for interaction with national and international leaders, role models, philanthropists, artists, humanitarians, and other prominent members of our society. Our mission is accomplished through our three on-going programs: Conversations With Brilliance, Brill Talks in-school programs, and Brill Exchange international youth exchange program. In our last Conversation With Brilliance, we hosted George Clooney at Wortham Center’s Brown Theater. The staging was beautifully set with support from Ethan Allen Furniture, Houston Grand Opera and Tall Plants. Within 24 hours of the conversation, media coverage concerning the George Clooney lecture reached, conservatively, 20 million viewers, readers, and listeners.

Since “A Conversation with George Clooney”, we have been inundated with the question, “Who’s sitting in the chair next?” We are finalizing our pre-event logistics and will announce the next brilliant speaker next week. Guess who will be the next speaker. The next announcement will be “golden!” Sign up on our email list, so you are the first to know.

A Conversation with George Clooney Stage

Brill Talks – Eddie Robinson Inspires Houston’s Youth

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Eddie Robinson, former Houston Dynamo player speaks to youth at Brilliant Lecture Series Brill Talks programOn April 18, 2012, the Brill Talks program presented retired soccer star, Mr. Eddie Robinson, of the Houston Dynamos, to over six hundred students and members of the faculty of Landrum Middle School of Spring Branch Independent School District. Mr. Robinson provided an uplifting, compelling, and interactive discussion focusing on:

  • His life’s journey and challenges
  • Importance of receiving an education and doing well in school
  • Incorporating personal attributes of teamwork, confidence, and humility in all that  one does
  • Future success starts with believing in oneself and having the confidence to triumph

Eddie Robinson Speaks to YouthThe engaged students from Landrum Middle School learned some soccer history, but more importantly they learned how to build their character. He related the information to the students in a way that made them think of how teamwork, confidence and humility are important characteristics of one’s life, not just a part of a soccer player’s career.

Eddie Robinson Speaks to Middle School StudentsThe faculty told Eddie Robinson of the student’s exemplary behavior and how they exceeded academic expectations. Mr. Robinson made sure to tell the students that he and the faculty were proud of their accomplishments. The students were inspired with Mr. Robinson’s powerful message and amazed that a sports star cared about their grades, conduct and future. The timing was perfect as the Brill Talks was just a few days before the new and rigorous STAAR test. Landrum Middle School had 600+ motivated students with an awe of confidence.  This event was videotaped and will be distributed to various schools in the Houston Area. If you are a school or charitable organization serving middle school or high school students, please contact us so we can distribute a DVD to your location.

Eddie handing an autographed soccer ball to a student.The programs of The Brilliant Lecture Series provide a creative and accessible educational opportunity to inspire our next generation of world leaders. Primarily serving the greater Houston area, our goal is to provide a life changing experience to the youth of our community with our rare and exciting lectures. Thus far, the Brilliant Lecture Series has made a direct and positive impact on more than 48,000 young people and their families in our community.

Brill Talks engages middle and high school students in direct and interactive learning by inviting local, national, and international members of our society to visit schools and speak about their own journeys through life, as well as what drove them to their own heights of success. This open dialogue is designed to inspire and improve interpersonal relationships, build cross-cultural understanding, and motivate students to stay with their dreams and goals while making a difference in both their communities and the world. Through Brill Talks, we are committed to developing individuals who will one day join the workforce in industries such as oil and gas, finance, information technology, fine arts, business, media, and engineering.

Students participate in Brill Talks discussion

Reflecting on A Conversation With George Clooney

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George Clooney entering the event

On May 3, 2012 the Brilliant Lecture Series hosted “A Conversation with George Clooney” which presented the international artist, philanthropist, humanitarian and role model to a sold out audience at Houston’s Brown Theater in the Wortham Theater Center. Mr. Clooney’s dialogue provided a rare and interactive glimpse into his life’s journey, fears, passions, inspiration, and motivations that have led to his extraordinary level of achievement.

Our mission is to motivate and inspire Houston’s youth and their families and we work very hard to make our programs accessible and affordable for everyone. Through the generous support of our sponsors, forty percent of total tickets sold were provided at no charge or between $25 to $55 each to ensure the lecture reached the largest and most diverse audience possible.

Our programs have highlighted Houston and the Brilliant Lecture Series as the destination to hear from the most extraordinary people in the world – directly. For example, we have the honor and distinction of presenting former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan for his first public appearance after his retirement, the first lecture program ever given by Diana Ross, and the first extended public appearance by opera singing sensation, Jackie Evancho. The George Clooney lecture was Mr. Clooney’s first public lecture to a North American audience and was internationally recognized as an enormously successful program.

George Clooney speaks to sold uut audience

Although, primarily serving Houstonians, the Brilliant Lecture Series continues to attract guests from outside of Houston City limits, Harris County, Texas and the U.S.A. For our most recent program, 41 percent of the audience traveled from beyond Houston City limits, 14 percent from beyond Harris County lines, and 2 percent traveled from beyond Texas to participate in this historic and exciting event. Brilliant Lecture Series attracted almost 1,400 people from outside the City of Houston to attend the lecture with a direct and conservatively estimated economic impact of over $337,000 attributed to this one event.

Also included in the audience were some of Houston’s resettled Darfurian refugees who demonstrated their gratitude to Mr. Clooney for bringing light to their plight and suffering, Houston for its willingness to accept them into the fabric of our society, and gratitude to the Brilliant Lecture Series for sponsoring their attendance.Dafurians ask George Clooney a question

Your Feedback
Thank you to everyone who participated in our post-event survey. Based on your direct feedback, we will improve our future programs by ensuring:
• Media Does Not Distract The View Of The Audience
• Be More Cautious Of Speaker Placement
• Utilize Professional Interviewer
• Expand Our Program Notification To Include Greater Use Of Electronic & News Media
• Opportunity to Purchase Memorabilia/Souvenirs Of The Program

Did you Know?

The Brilliant Lecture Series continues to increase its outreach and partnership with schools. Below is a list of some of our school and outreach partners. Please contact your school or non-profit organization if it is not listed below and encourage them to join our team. You can also contact our office and we will reach out to the school or organization on your behalf.

• Fifth Ward Enrichment Program
• Houston YMCA
• Change Happens!
• Darfur Association of Greater Houston
• Houston Holocaust Museum
• Interfaith Ministries
• Houston Area Urban League
• Houston, Aldine, Alief, Channelview, and Spring Branch Independent School Districts
• Kipp Academy-Houston
• Houston Community College System
• Lone Star Colleges
• University of St. Thomas
• University of Houston
• Houston Baptist University
• University of Texas Medical School-Houston
• Baylor College of Medicine
• Texas Southern University

The mission of The Brilliant Lecture Series is to educate, inspire, and increase public awareness within our community by providing a forum for interaction with national and international leaders, role models, philanthropist, artists, humanitarians, and other prominent members of our society.

T: 713-974-1335 | Brilliantlectures.org

Brilliant Lectures Announces George Clooney as Next Speaker

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Brilliant Lecture Series Announces George Clooney As Next Speaker

We are honored to present Academy Award winning actor and humanitarian GEORGE CLOONEY as the next speaker in our Conversation with Brilliance series to be held Thursday, May 3rd 7:00 PM Brown Theater, Wortham Center.

We are honored Mr. Clooney has selected the Brilliant Lecture Series as his first public lecture in North America. Join us for this very rare evening with George Clooney discussing his life, career and Hollywood Humanitarianism: To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Expected. Purchase your tickets today for this exciting event only available at brilliantlectures.org.