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.
Rohit Bhargava in Austin
Sparrow at SXSW: Day 4
The Day 4 morning at SXSW was spent at two different sessions, however both ended up having a similar theme.
The first was with the global chairman/CEO of Pfizer, Albert Bourla DVM PhD. Bourla was discussing his book Pfizer Moonshots: The story of the Race for the COVID Vaccine. His very human/people/customer-first approach to leadership shone through, and the relentless push to develop and deliver a vaccine at warp speed was incredible.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla discusses his book
The other session by entrepreneur and author Rohit Bhargava around non-obvious megatrends shaping 2022 and beyond simply boiled down to the people who understand people always win!
The afternoon was spent at Australia House where G’Day USA is hosting some of Australia’s leading figures in tech, innovation, and business. Combine that with unique Aussie food, wine, Sounds Australia musical performances, great Bluestone Lane coffee and you have a huge hit on your hands!
Three compelling topics Future of Entertainment, Future of Travel, and the Intersection of Tech & Creativity engaged a packed house. After the travel panel presented by Tourism Australia and The Los Angeles Times that included Chris Allison from Tourism Australia, Christine Maguire from TripAdvisor, and Vasu Raja from American Airlines.
Jason Dundas moderating at Australia House
Sparrow with Jason Dundas at SXSW
I had an opportunity to sit down with the most travelled moderator ever, LA-based presenter and producer Jason Dundas.
How many times have you been to SXSW and what excites you about the festival?
Three times hosting Australia House at SXSW and when I get here, I’m reminded you can discover insights on every corner. It’s unbelievable and every year it amazes me. I’m so proud of what Australia produces in terms of conversation, talent, and innovators, for me to be involved is also very humbling.
What’s a major takeout from today’s future of travel panel?
The need and longing for human connection, at the end of it, take away all the bells and whistles. We are just people who have been confined to our homes, and all we want is to connect. That reminds me of the essence of working on a travel show such as Getaway and producing travel content is about.
Tell me about your new Foxtel project Live Outlandish.
My business Dundas Media started about five years ago when I was hosting The X-Factor and I wanted to make my own shows. The big thing I wanted to do was connect brands with storytelling and be the bridge between TV, brand, and the story. I felt I could do that in an agile, cutting-edge new way. This was an example of a brand-funded TV show. It was the first that Foxtel had done of its kind and I was there from day one. I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity and I went all-in, the treatment, the sizzle I went full throttle and I connect with this project and I get Mitsubishi’s campaign.
Jason Dundas
I knew I could tell the story and I was lucky enough to be successful and work with both of them. On a personal level, I wrote the show, directed the show, and cut the show. We had a team of 20 people involved, but I wanted to ensure what we made was the vision from day one and what we pitched was delivered.
The only way to do that was if I was at every touchpoint. The show has been a huge success on Lifestyle and I think audiences want something where they can escape and that’s what it represents.
Any new projects you can share?
I’ve got a new doco with Brown Bros Winery which is being filmed in real-time over the next six months and it’s going to be on Foxtel at the end of the year.
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’