Since Greg “Sparrow” Graham joined Mediaweek last month he hasn’t stopped. In addition to his fortnightly Sparrow’s Nest column, he’s also launched a food column, Birdman in the Bistro.
Late last week Sparrow flew to the US to head to the return of an in-person South by Southwest (SXSW) conference.
Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and also festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. The event dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals.
Sparrow at SXSW: Day 1
SXSW in Austin Texas is back bigger (well maybe slightly scaled back) and better. Better because it’s more accessible and diverse with the same incredible buzz and energy. Crowds may be less but that’s not a bad thing as queues are more manageable and the wait times between sessions are reduced.
The content is better than ever with a renewed focus from Hugh Forrest and his programming team that are so excited and delighted to have real people back at the SXSW face-to-face, you can’t beat that!
The schedule covers all the hot topics such as web 3.0, cryptocurrency, NFTs plus an incredible range of diverse issues sprinkled with celebrities from all pursuits including film and music.
Day 1 for me started at a session with Priya Parker on Gatherings. A masterclass on audience participation and facilitation, a brilliant way to kick off the program.
Bob Odenkirk with son Nate
Audible hosted a fun creative session with Bob Odenkirk (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Nobody) and his son Nate. They reinforced the power of audio and the theatre of the mind.
Brene Brown (above) introduced her new HBO series Atlas of the Heart with a sold-out session and a compelling Q&A after the screening of the first episode. A research professor and New York Times bestselling author, HBO is promising Brown will take viewers on an interactive journey to share the language, tools and framework for the meaningful connections that define what it means to be human.
However, my highlight from Day 1 was an old favourite Scott Galloway. He never disappoints with his provocative predictions and tell-it-as-it-is approach. Galloway is a professor of Marketing at NYU Stern. He’s the founder of L2 Inc, Red Envelope, plus an author and podcaster.
Scott Galloway
My top 3 takeaways:
1. Business word of 2022 – Super App
2. As expected, the Zuckerverse Fails & Apple is winning the Metaverse
3. In a crisis people remember how you act and the profound opportunity is the value of relationships-parents, siblings, and friends.
I’m exhausted and it’s only the first day…I’ll have daily updates in Mediaweek of the major insights from the Interactive part of the SXSW Festival.