Every year, an oasis of new media thinkers, music lovers and film fans migrate to Austin, Texas for an amazing week of learning, entertainment and more – this is known as South By Southwest. The SXSW 2014 festival hosts over a week of entertaining keynotes, sessions, film premiers and concerts and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
Just what am I looking forward to at SXSW 2014?
Interactive
There are tons of sessions for entrepreneurs, techies and social media savants to choose from. Just a few of the Interactive sessions I’m excited to learn from highlight Black Social TV talks and even tackle the subject of the Black Twitterverse jumping into the Startup life and being a real woman in a new media world. I’m beyond excited to catch up with friends and make new connections during my SXSW Interactive experience in Austin.
Film
One of the most entertaining moments of SXSW take place during many of the first look film screenings. This year, I’m looking forward to attending the screening of the Jimi Hendrix biopic, “JIMI: All Is By My Side” starring Andre (3000) Benjamin as the iconic Jimi Hendrix. With celebrity lead talks from the likes of Mike Myers, Tilda Swinton, Jason Bateman and more – the film sessions and screenings will be another huge highlight of the entire SXSW experience.
Music
While I’m not exactly certain what new music and musicians I’ll discover this year, I will say that the likes of Prince, Jay Z and others have graced Austin during the SXSW festival and this year is sure to be no different. I mean, last year I literally bumped into Macklemore while in the city streets of Austin and a year later he’s one of music biggest stars to date! With performances by NAS, SchoolBoy Q, Bridgette Kelley and Slaughterhouse already scheduled the surprise performances will only heighten the musical expectations for the year. The SXSW music festival of shows will definitely be the grand closing of my Austin experience and I can’t wait to see what musical experience it holds.
“Austin Uncovered”
Can’t make it to Austin for SXSW this year? Don’t Worry! Catch all the SXSW fun and get a unique Austin experience with “Austin Uncovered”. The “Austin: Uncovered” web series highlights all best that SXSW has to uncover, plus the best in food, sights and entertainment that you can find in Austin all year long — and it’s hosted by me! [Sponsorships Available]
About SXSW: The 21st annual SXSW Interactive Festival returns to Austin from Friday, March 7 through Tuesday, March 11. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the 2014 event features five days of compelling presentations and panels from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable lineup of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to preview the technology of tomorrow today. The SXSW® Film Conference & Festival champions the vitality, innovation and opportunity that drive entertainment and media, and boldly tackles the evolution of all aspects of “film” today, down to its very definition. South by Southwest (SXSW) Music and Media Conference, the world’s leading music industry event, offers attendees the opportunity to explore the future of the music industry during the day at panels, talks, the Trade Show, Music Gear Expo and other conference activities at the Austin Convention Center. At night, the absolute best mix of musical performances from over 2,200 regional, national and international acts take place at the SXSW Music Festival. Altogether, SXSW presents unmatched networking opportunities, career-building conference programming and over 100 stages of music for showcasing bands and conference attendees. SXSW Music is now in its 28th year.
