Late last week Mediaweek’s Greg “Sparrow” Graham 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 5
Before I get into day 5 … how about last night, Austin has an incredible food and live music scene and then during SXSW it ramps up a thousand percent. An Aussie contingent travelled to Driftwood, about 25 minutes out of the city, for a Texas BBQ feast at Salt Lick. The beef brisket is to die for and the pork ribs are bloody delicious (I had the meat sweats later that night, but that could have also been the local beers!)
Chefs prepare a feed for Aussie SXSW delegates
Then we hit Rainey Street for the Australia House party, hovering above lighting up the night sky were these amazing drones displaying a giant QR code. Apparently, it was 400 drones, the height was 300 feet by 600 feet wide roughly the size of two football fields. A teaser for the new Paramount+ Halo series. This spectacle was created by the hot NYC experiential agency Giant Spoon. I saw one of the founders on the main stage at SXSW several years ago sharing the awesome work they did at the time for HBO. The Westworld experience was outstanding and then they followed this up the following year at SXSW with a brilliant Game of Thones activation.
Halo activation
Before my main session I checked out the Expo area, it always strikes me as a real contrast, the most amazing new tech (e.g., Zozo measurement tech, at-home 3D body measuring,3D body shape progress tracking, product personalisation, and size matching.) Then next door a merch stall flogging cheap T-shirts and a person in an animal suit promoting something?
The keynote session with Kevin Mayer (CEO/Founder Candle Media ex-Disney), Michael Kassan (Founder/CEO Medialink) in conversation with the editor of Variety magazine Cynthia Littleton discussing the creator economy was not to be missed. Both these guys are real powerbrokers in Hollywood and their little black books are priceless. Kevin talked about his role in private equity Blackstone Group Inc’s acquisition of Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s company, for reportedly $900 million. “I saw the ability for content and influencers to create audience dynamics that are capable of making commerce.” Michael summarised that innovative companies need just five words, and they all start with T – trust, transparency, tech, transformation, and talent.
Andrew Watt at SXSW
I was fortunate today to sit down with the Australian representative of SXSW Andrew Watt and have a chat about the festival:
It’s awesome to be back live at SXSW, what’s new & what’s changed at the festival, particularly as a result of the pandemic?
From a programming perspective, I loved the introduction of the summits that were programmed alongside the tracks. I felt like it gave some really important issues some additional room to breathe and be explored in detail.
How many Aussies make the journey normally?
The early sales to Australian delegates were a little slower than normal as would be expected due to Covid uncertainty, but I was really pleased to see a rush of badge sales in the last weeks and days leading up to the event. I guess FOMO kicked in!
What’s been your highlight so far?
There were so many highlights this year, but for me, it was seeing the arrival of the next generation of creatives from Australia and New Zealand making their presence felt at SXSW. We have an emerging start-up eco-system led by some very dynamic and fearless new leaders and I think it is a great pointer to where the ANZ participation is going.
I’m back next year why should Aussies join me?
After the uncertainty of the last two years it is clear that SXSW is well and truly back in full force. The relationship between SXSW and ANZ will deepen greatly next year and I would strongly suggest that 2023 will be the most important year ever for folks from ANZ to have an SXSW experience that will set them up well for the future.
See also:
• Sparrow at SXSW: Day 1 with Scott Galloway, Bob Odenkirk, Priya Parker & more
Brene Brown introduced her new HBO series Atlas of the Heart
• Sparrow at SXSW: Day 2 Austin showcase ‘houses’ from Twitter, CNN+ to Amazon Prime
Sparrow gets a free hot dog, visits Fluf World and Lizzo’s ultimate fan experience
• Sparrow at SXSW: Day 3 Emerging tech trends and Jules Lund on TikTok addiction
Plus Lizzo Live: ‘She owned the stage and captivated the full house with her realness, talent, empathy’
• Sparrow at SXSW: Day 4 Pfizer CEO, author Rohit Bhargava + visit to Australia House
Sparrow interviews Jason Dundas about brand funded content and what’s next