Award-Winning Artist, Educator, and Imagination-Driven Creative Director

Philadelphia, PA, USA
Live Event: $5,000 - $10,000 Virtual Event: $5,000 - $10,000 More Fee Info

Edward Bakst Biography

Edward Bakst is an award-winning artist, designer, director, and educator whose work spans animation, photography, film, and experiential design. His imaginative concepts and short animated films have been created for organizations including MTV, Nickelodeon, Smithsonian, HBO, PBS, ABC, NBC, Showtime, FX, Sesame Workshop, UNICEF, and National Geographic, among many others, earning numerous international awards. His films have been screened at the SIGGRAPH Theatre, and he is a recipient of both a Guggenheim Fellowship and Jerome Foundation grants.

Bakst’s artwork and photography have been exhibited globally, with recent highlights including MADS Gallery exhibitions in Milan, Barcelona (La Pedrera, Gaudí Room), and the Canary Islands; international invitational exhibitions in Seoul, Sicily, Italy, and Qatar; projections on a digital Times Square billboard in New York City; and inclusion in the U.S. State Department’s Impact of Exchange traveling exhibition. His work has been widely featured in publications such as Global Art Times, Artventurous Magazine, Contemporary Art Curator, and Museum Mile Contemporary, and he was a Creative Quarterly CQ71 Award winner. Recent photography exhibitions include Center for Photography Woodstock, Arts Society Kingston, CICA Museum for Contemporary Art (Seoul), and ArtExpo New York. 2026 brings works exhibited at Hudson Valley MOCA and ArtExpo NY ‘26, followed by the solo show at ASK, NY in July.

In academia, Bakst has designed, directed, and launched pioneering programs at institutions including Pratt Institute, Columbia University, RMCAD (where he founded International Animation and ASIFA-CO), College for Creative Studies (as Full Professor), and Nanyang Technological University, where he helped shape the School of Art, Design & Media and the School of Technology for the Arts. He has held invited and endowed professorships at universities in Turkey, Japan, and China, and served as a Fulbright Specialist through 2024, conducting Imagination Workshops internationally, including at a women’s university in Pakistan. Across his creative and academic work, Bakst centers imagination as the catalyst for self-discovery, innovation, empowerment, and expressive possibility.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 01/27/2026.

Edward Bakst Speaking Topics

  • Imagination Workshops

    I see imagination as the Origin of all: arts, science, technology, innovation, invention, progress and civilization itself. Hence I conduct my Imagination Workshops for diverse groups: interdisciplinary students and teachers as well as professionals with no artistic skills. Motivated, they all find ways to express their ideas, emotions, dreams and aspirations. I deem them critical to all in whom imagination has fallen into hibernation. "

  • Power of Imagination

    As children we live in our own heads. There we are free to conform reality to fit our own wishes and dreams. Growing up we lose this magical ability. ""Gravity Free & Reality Independent"" perspective on everything frees us from the thinking which has been instilled in us as we grow up and are impacted by our parents, education, needs to fit in and to conform, social and professional pressures. "

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Edward Bakst Videos

Visit to UHE Lahore Pakistan

Visit to UHE Lahore Pakistan

  • How do I book Edward Bakst to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Edward Bakst for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Edward Bakst, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Edward Bakst or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Edward Bakst

    Speaking fees for Edward Bakst, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Edward Bakst are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Edward Bakst, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Edward Bakst speak about?

    Edward Bakst is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Art & Design, Creativity, Entrepreneurship, Photography, Professors, Storytelling, Television & Film
  • Where does Edward Bakst travel from?

    Edward Bakst generally travels from Philadelphia, PA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Edward Bakst’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Edward Bakst for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Edward Bakst for your next private or corporate function.
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    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Edward Bakst or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
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Edward Bakst is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Imagination Workshops, Power of Imagination, Gravity Free & Reality Independent ideation and Metamorphic Storytelling. The estimated speaking fee range to book Edward Bakst for your event is available upon request. Edward Bakst generally travels from Philadelphia, PA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Cesar Kuriyama, Paul Topolos, Michal Makarewicz, Danielle Feinberg and Glen Keane. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Edward Bakst for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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