Read the full transcript of filmmaker Casey Neistat’s talk titled “High School Stories” at TEDxParkerSchool 2025 conference.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
What’s up, guys? That movie has absolutely nothing to do with my presentation, but when I saw the list of speakers and I knew I was going last, I was like, “God, there’s some really good people going before me,” and I thought that would, like, maybe do an adequate job of getting your attention.
When I was invited to come, I was thinking about what I should talk about today. I considered, like, sort of getting into the nuance of design when it comes to movies and what I think of that, and all these sort of, these little ideas. Then I took a step back and I was like, if I were a student here, this fantastic school, and I was the age of most of the people out there that are not parents, what could I hear that would affect me? What would I want to hear?
I don’t know that I ever, like, really grew up past the age of 15, so it’s not hard for me to empathize with, like, teenagers. I just, like, got to 15 and just stopped. So, what I want to talk to you guys about today is opportunity and obligation.
Recognizing Opportunities
When I look back at sort of the trajectory of my career and on a larger scale, my life, I see sort of every time there was a pivot point. Now, in retrospect, it’s easy to look back and see where the opportunity was. When I, like, scratch the surface a little bit further, look a little bit deeper at what that opportunity manifested as, in the moment, the opportunity was never really clear. And I think that, in itself, is what opportunity is. Okay, so let’s play with that a little bit.
Early Opportunities
The first time in my life, when I really saw something, and this is going to sound, this might be a little weird, so bear with me. Like, the first, when I look back, the first thing that I saw was, like, a big opportunity. This is, like, a really, I’m, like, playing with fire, telling this to teenagers, but please. Was when I was 15 years old, and I got my girlfriend pregnant.
I remember, like, having that talk with my parents. That’s a really hard talk to have, and I hope you guys never, I’m talking to the parents, and kids, you guys never have to have that talk. And I remember being so excited about that, because I was, like, a really, kind of, I was just bad, and I, like, I never really, I didn’t do well in school, I never did well in sports, I never felt like I sort of found myself. And when I found out that I was going to be a parent at the ripe age of 16, I, like, saw this, like, tremendous opportunity, like, finally, here’s a way for my life to have purpose. That was a big opportunity for me, which, by the way, like, my kid’s here somewhere. He, like, turned out pretty much okay. He’s pretty, there he is. No, Owen? He’s pretty respectful. He’s fine.
Finding Opportunities in Unexpected Places
Another opportunity. So, I moved to New York City when I was, like, 20 years old, and I had no, you know what, I’ll even go a little bit further back than that. So, right after we, right after Owen was born, I was, like, really, really poor.
I remember getting a job in a restaurant. I was, like, a dishwasher in, like, a really nasty, touristy seafood restaurant. And that might be, like, one of the worst jobs ever. Like, you have to scrub out chowder pots, which is, like, chowder, which is disgusting when it’s, like, hot and delicious. So, like, cold, nasty chowder. You have to dig so deep that I remember the edge of the chowder pot would, like, touch my, like, body. That’s, like, disgusting.
I remember, like, vividly being a dishwasher and being, like, this is great. I’m, like, the greatest dishwasher that ever lived. And that, to me, was, like, this huge opportunity. And to this day, I think I’m, like, a fantastic dishwasher. And before I, like, left that job to move to New York City, I, like, moved up all the way to, like, a fry cook. I was such a good fry cook. And, like, I really, I saw that job that was not, that was my job.
Seizing Opportunities in New York City
So, okay, so I moved to New York City, and New York City is a really rough, terrible place when you’re starting out. Like, it’s a gnarly place to live. And I had no money, and I was, like, I had really, I was, like, a bike messenger, which is, like, sounds really glamorous and cool. It’s neither of those two things. It’s, like, it’s, like, this much better than panhandling.
And I, like, heard about this, like, really famous artist who’s a super cool guy. And he made all this, like, cool sculpture out of those, like, wooden police lines do not cross barricades. And I heard a rumor that he was, like, offering a $10 bounty per barricade. And I was, like, great. And so, like, that night, like, 20-year-old Casey, like, borrowed a hand truck, and, like, went around the streets of New York City with, like, a little vest on, and would just, like, disassemble police lines and put them in my hand truck, and then, like, keep going.
And, like, at one point in time, like, the police stopped me, and they’re, like, “What are you doing?” And I was, like, “I’m bringing these to a guy in Chinatown.” Totally honest answer. Exactly what I was doing. And they’re, like, “By yourself?” And I was, like, “Yeah, but I got it.” And they’re, like, “Well, good luck.” And I was, like, “Thank you, officer.”
But many of them, like, I showed up at that artist’s studio the next day, and they’re, like, like, go smashing in with all this.
And he’s, like, “What are you doing?” And I was, like, “I heard that you give me $10 each for these.” And he looked at them, and he was, like, “You got all these here yourself?” And I was, like, “Yeah.” And he was, like, “You want a job?” I was, like, “Yeah, I do.” And looking back, like, that was a big opportunity.
Climbing the Ladder
And then, you know, a few months later, working for him, I was, like, I got paid $8 an hour to do manual labor for him. And a few months later, his, like, studio manager quit, which was, like, the boss of his whole operation quit. And he was, like, preaching to me at lunch about how stressed out he was about having to replace him. And I was, like, “Let me help you with the interviews.” I have no idea what possessed me. I’m not qualified to help him with the interviews. But it just seemed like an appropriate thing to say at that moment.
And I remember these interviews, like, I’m, like, the lowest man in the totem pole. Like, my responsibilities included cleaning up the litter box, wiping the toilet seat, because you get really upset about dirty toilet seats. It’s no big deal. I got this. And, like, mopping the floors, taking out the trash, things like that. But I really saw opportunity in that kitty litter box.
And I would, like, sit across from these, like, really qualified applicants, like, with a pencil. I’d be, like, “What makes you right for this job?” And I did enough of that until he was finally, like, “Casey, do you want this job?” And I remember, like, my brother was in the studio when he said that. And my brother yelled out, “No!” And I looked at him, and I was, like, “Yes, I do. I want this job.” And that was something that was a gigantic opportunity that I grabbed.
Taking Risks for Growth
A few years after that, you know, I, like, really did well with him. And I learned a lot and did everything I could. And I had, like, a real paycheck a few years later. Like, my dad was, like, psyched. Maybe even had benefits, which was, like, remarkable. And this little opportunity came up. And this wasn’t much of an opportunity. It was an opportunity to direct a TV commercial for Atkins low-carb candy bars.
Just parenthetically, they sent over two cases of the candy bars just so we’d have product for the shoot. And I was, like, you know, I ate, like, a dozen of them because I had so many of them. And after eating them, I saw that it said on the wrapper, like, “Do not consume more than two a day or will cause severe loose stools.” This is terrible. That was awful.
But I remember, like, to do that job. I remember, like, telling my boss that I, like, I’m going to do this candy bar thing. And he was, like, “Casey, that’s, like, a week off of work. Like, you know, you’ve got a job here that’s moonlighting. You can’t do that.” And I said, “Okay.”
And I, like, went home and I thought about it and I went back in the next day and I was, like, “Look, you know, I quit. Like, this isn’t going to work out. I want to do this candy bar thing.” And he was, like, “How much are you getting paid?” And I was, like, it was a couple thousand dollars. So it was, like, enough money for, like, three weeks, which is, like, a completely irresponsible decision to make. It wasn’t a smart move. But looking back now, the opportunity that was leaving a day job for something that was much closer to where I wanted to be, that was a gigantic step that was for me.
And at the time, I was 24. I may not have understood all the nuances of that decision, of what that opportunity could have presented, but I grabbed it and I ran with it.
Embracing Bigger Opportunities
And, you know, like, this trajectory kind of continued. And I’m skipping around, but a good friend of mine, a dear friend of mine, a guy named Tom Scott came to me a few years later. He came to my brother and he said, “Can you make some movies for my, what was pretty much a cable access channel?” I was, like, “Totally.” And there was such a small budget that I think we lost money on making these stupid little movies for his channel. We poured everything we had into them.
But there was an opportunity in that, because he was somebody who believed in us. And for the first time in my life, somebody who, like, was willing to let me do my thing and support it. And that was a huge opportunity. And it was because of that that he came to us a few months later and said, “Let’s do something big.” And we said, “Okay.” And we didn’t know what that meant.
And we, like, agreed to do this project that would last a year. That project ended up being the HBO show, a project that we wrote. My brother and me, we wrote it, directed it, edited it. We made it the same way that I make my YouTube videos now. We made it the same way that you guys make your YouTube videos, just like two guys in a room with iMovie and a camera trying to figure it out. And we sold that show to HBO for a couple million dollars.
And, you know, a big success. Like, that was it. That was making it. And I remember, like, at the crescendo of that success, you know, right after the HBO show aired, I produced two feature films that were big hits.
Achieving Success in the Film Industry
They premiered at, like, Cannes Film Festival and Sundance. And I, like, got an award that Natalie Portman gave me on TV that my dad watched. And it was, like, a big, big deal. And I just, like, I remember having this moment where I realized that, like, I was so deep into this thing that it didn’t feel right to me.
And it’s different trying to find opportunities when you are in a place of success, when you’re in a place of comfort. Like, I was no longer starving. I wasn’t hungry anymore. I had some recognition. But something didn’t feel right. And that was when I took this big pivot.
Pursuing Passion Over Recognition
And that pivot was to, like, you know what? It’s not the politics. It’s not the Natalie Portman giving me the award. It’s not the schmoozing that I love. I love telling stories. Telling stories is my passion.
And that was when I decided to sort of walk away from TV and walk away from movies. And I just wanted to make YouTube videos. And I remember, like, my big Hollywood agent, when I sort of told that to him, he was like, “Oh, God, Casey, no.” You know, this was four years ago. YouTube, five years ago now. YouTube was nothing. It was something that was silly. It was, like, a really great place to go and watch cats play the piano.
And I wanted to, like, parlay my career as a very successful filmmaker into that. And I can’t tell you the opportunities that were birthed from that. It’s given me what I have today. That’s opportunity. Those are opportunities. Those are opportunities that, in the moment, I couldn’t have told you were opportunities. I didn’t know what they were. They were something that just felt right.
Embracing Opportunities Fearlessly
They were something that looked right. I did my best calculations. I took my best guess. It wasn’t reckless. I never operate recklessly. And this is an important differentiation between recklessness and fearlessness. I always do my best to operate without fear. Don’t not do something. Don’t skip something because I’m afraid to do it. But make sure it’s a smart decision.
And then part two of that is obligation. I feel obliged to embrace opportunities like that. I felt obliged to quit my job. I felt obliged to walk away from HBO. And the obligation was because there was something in me. There was a truth that I wanted. And the obligation was to embrace that.
The Lottery of Life
Now, I’m going to get, like, a little bit kind of unanimous here. So bear with me. I’m trying not to speak in platitudes. But these are big ideas that I believe in. And these are big ideas that you can probably, like, read in, like, a motivational calendar where there’s, like, a kitten hanging from a tree.
And that is that we, definitely everybody in this room, and most of the people that we encounter on a daily basis, we have won the lottery on life. And with very few exceptions, I don’t know, maybe if you’re in the military, maybe, you know, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, nothing to earn this. Like, I did nothing to earn this. I just happened to be born into, like, a middle-class family in the United States of America in the 80s. I never understood what that meant. I never thought about that.
Perspective from Uganda
Until things like, you know, I worked with a non-profit called Treat the Pain. And one of the projects I did with Treat the Pain was I spent some time in Uganda. And in Uganda, we delivered morphine to people dying of AIDS in the rural Uganda, in the middle of Africa. It took us, like, ten hours to get there in a Jeep. And we just give them painkillers so they can die with dignity.
Now, those people, they didn’t win the lottery on life. I met, like, a 20-year-old girl who’s dying of AIDS in a lot of pain. She did nothing. Just like us, she was just born into this world. But instead of being born into a warm home, whether that warm home was, like, a crappy trailer park, like my kid was born into, or a nice split-level house, like I was born into, or maybe where you were born into, she was born in a shack.
And instead of getting to go to, like, a mediocre-at-best public school like me or this amazing institution that you guys get to go to, you know, she was raped as a teenager. That was the world she was born into. She got, like, a really terrible lotto ticket.
So when it comes back to obligation, I believe because we have this just incredible, incredible life, that we have obligations to embrace all this opportunity that’s all around us. And it’s a contentious thing to say, and my wife doesn’t agree with that perspective that I just said because she thinks it’s all relative. She says, “Yeah, but it’s relative.” She says, “When you’re as upset, you’re as upset as that girl in Uganda. It’s relative. We’re not all on the same sort of plane.”
I disagree with that. I wholly believe that an absolute failure, that if when I quit my job to direct a terrible, terrible diarrhea-inducing candy bar commercial, that in absolute failure, the worst-case scenario would have meant something like having to leave New York City, having to move back to Connecticut, having to go on welfare, and having to live in a trailer park. And that’s where I came from. And you know what? It wasn’t that bad. We had, like, TV. I had PlayStation 1. Like, it was okay. It wasn’t rural Uganda.
And I think that is the obligation we have, that because we won the lotto on life, that at every time we see an opportunity, it’s ours to embrace it.
A Movie That Embodies These Ideas
Okay, so I wanted to, like, end with a movie that embodies some of those ideas. And this embodies a lot of those ideas on a smaller level. And what this movie is, I made this movie a couple years, a year ago? A year ago. I made this movie exactly a year ago. Maybe it was exactly a year. Okay, this is irrelevant.
I made this, like, big hit movie for Nike. I’m not showing you that movie. This big hit movie for Nike. And because of that, I get a lot of calls. And people are like, “Hey, make us a movie about what it means to, like, live your dreams and run around.” And that was what this assignment was. Make a movie about your dreams. And I said no, because I’ve done that. I’m not interested in it.
But, like, I went to bed that night, and I was just sort of laying in bed thinking, here’s this great opportunity. Like, what? To make a movie. I’m saying no to it because it sounds dumb. It’s for a product that I don’t know that I believe in. I don’t know if I want to endorse this. And the budget was not enough to do something of substance.
Using Opportunities to Help Others
And then I started reflecting back, and I started thinking, where is the opportunity here? And this video was the first time, and I’m very proud to say I’ve been able to continue doing this in other ways. This video is the first time that I was able to use my work and use this position that I found myself in to embrace an opportunity that goes way beyond me.
And I was able to leverage these tools, like my YouTube channel, like my reach, like this audience that I have. I was able to use those tools to help people that go way beyond me. I was able to use all of this access that I have. The opportunity there was to help people that didn’t win the lotto on life like me. With that…
The Project: Live Your Dreams
Let’s replay it. Remember the cue? Thank you. Okay, so this is the actual correspondence.
“Dear Casey, 20th Century Fox is releasing a new movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. We want to run a campaign under the concept Live Your Dreams. The collective theme of this initiative will be to motivate, inspire, and give people a catalyst to do something they’ve never done. We’d like to know if you’d be interested in creating a video about living your dreams.”
And this is the actual response I sent to them. “Here’s my concept. Give me the budget, I’ll go to the Philippines and spend every penny helping people in need.” Okay, so…
On the Ground in the Philippines
What I’d really like to do is… Bye, thank you for your help. So, we’re gonna try to clean this place out. How many of these do you have? Five. This is what The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’s promotional video budget looks like.
THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY
So we just arrived. We’re unloading the buses with the help of all these people. No idea who these people are. I guess this is the house we’re going to be staying in tonight. There’s no electricity or anything here, but they do have generators. That’s 500 bags, so we have 500 more to go.
