Building on an already impressive 2019 programming lineup, SXSW announces three additional Keynotes – Endeavor Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John; director, actress, producer, and activist Olivia Wilde; and Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger – along with more Featured Speakers representing industry trailblazers and creative visionaries from the world’s of tech, film, music, and culture.
Among the Featured Speakers revealed today are musician and creative A$AP Rocky; journalist and author Jill Abramson; actress, writer, producer, and director Pamela Adlon; chairman and CEO of Vox Media Jim Bankoff; co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Priscilla Chan; Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; singer-songwriter David Crosby; director, producer, and writer Cameron Crowe; author and popular podcaster Tim Ferriss; best-selling author Neil Gaiman; Nike Vice President of Creative Concepts Tinker Hatfield; United States Senator Mazie Hirono; WndrCo co-founder and Quibi founder and chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg; award-winning journalist, speaker, and author Soledad O’Brien; founder and CEO of Buzzfeed Jonah Peretti; Quibi CEO Meg Whitman; Bird Founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden; actor Henry Winkler, and more.
Keynotes Bozoma Saint John (Convergence) — Bozoma Saint John is Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor, a global leader in entertainment, sports, and fashion operating in more than 30 countries with a portfolio of companies including WME, IMG, and UFC. In her role, Saint John focuses on driving marketing efforts across Endeavor’s growing portfolio, including on behalf of Endeavor Global Marketing clients and premium brands. Collectively, the Endeavor network specializes in talent representation and management; brand marketing, sponsorship and licensing; media development, sales and distribution; event operation and management; and sports training and league development.
Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom with Josh Constine (Interactive) — Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom are the Co-Founders of Instagram, a social networking platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram has grown into a global community of over one billion and a family of apps including Instagram, IGTV, Direct, Boomerang, Layout, and more. The company’s mission is to bring you closer to the people and things you love. Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom will be in conversation with Josh Constine, Editor-At-Large for TechCrunch, whose scope of coverage includes social networks, streaming music, and early-stage companies.
Olivia Wilde (Film) — Olivia Wilde is a modern-day renaissance woman with a resume ranging from director, to actress, producer, and activist. Her directorial film debut Booksmart will release wide on May 24th of this year. Wilde has starred in a range of award-winning and critically acclaimed films including Meadowland, Her, Rush, and Drinking Buddies and has worked with some of the biggest directors in Hollywood including Martin Scorsese, Spike Jonze, and Reed Morano. Additionally, she has directed music videos for The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Earlier this year, she was named one of the “Ten Directors To Watch” by Variety.
Jill Abramson and Jonah Peretti (Media & Journalism) – Jill Abramson is a journalist who spent the last 17 years in the most senior editorial positions at The New York Times, where she was the first woman to serve as the Washington Bureau Chief, Managing Editor, and Executive Editor. Abramson is also an author of Merchants of Truth: The Business of News and the Fight for Facts, and co-author of Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas, a National Book Award finalist. Jonah Peretti is Founder and CEO of Buzzfeed, the leading tech-powered digital media company that provides a pioneering mix of breaking news, entertainment, and shareable content. Under Peretti’s leadership, BuzzFeed has grown worldwide and generates more than 9 billion monthly content views, with writers and producers creating shareable and entertaining content, and reporters covering everything from politics to technology to in-depth investigations.
Pamela Adlon (Entertainment Influencers) – Pamela Adlon is an Emmy®-winning, critically-acclaimed actress, writer, producer, and director. Currently, she is the writer, director, executive producer and star of the award-winning FX comedy series Better Things. This semi-autobiographical series won a 2016 Peabody Award and was named one of the “Best Television Shows of 2017” by The New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Slate, Vox, IndieWire, and NPR as well as “TV Show of the Year” by TIME. For her role, Adlon received a 2017 and 2018 Emmy Award nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series” and a 2018 Golden Globes® nomination for “Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy” as audiences celebrated her raw, insightful voice and unapologetic, elevated commentary on motherhood, feminism, and the complexity of modern life. The series returns to FX for its third highly-anticipated season February 28.
A$AP Rocky and Gorden Wagener (Design) – A$AP Rocky is a cultural beacon that continues to move past the status quo and lead the pack by continuing to evolve, innovate, and disrupt the industry. With several accolades under his belt including being the first black male to ever be named the face of Dior, having his sophomore studio album AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP go platinum, a top 5 spot on opening weekend for his starring role in the critically-acclaimed and indie darling film Dope, and becoming a Creative Director for MTV and Viacom Velocity, he continues to prove that he’s not just a rapper that follows the status quo, but a creative force to be reckoned with. Gorden Wagener is the Chief Design Officer for Daimler AG. He joined Mercedes-Benz in 1997, and he was appointed as first Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Vans & Daimler Trucks at Daimler AG in 2016.
Jim Bankoff and Soledad O’Brien (Media & Journalism) – Jim Bankoff is the Chairman and CEO of Vox Media, the pioneering media company known for building modern media properties and the platforms that enable them. Vox Media’s editorial networks and businesses include SB Nation, Eater, The Verge, Vox, Curbed, Recode & Code Conferences, Polygon, Vox Creative, Concert, Chorus, Vox Entertainment, and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Soledad O’Brien, an award-winning journalist, speaker, author, and philanthropist, is founder and CEO of the Starfish Media Group. She anchors and produces Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien2, reports for HBO’s Real Sports and has authored two books. She has won numerous awards, including three Emmys, the George Peabody award, an Alfred I DuPont prize and the Gracie.
Adam Bierman (Cannabusiness) – Adam Bierman is chief executive officer and co-founder of MedMen Enterprises. Bierman is an outspoken advocate of institutional practices, professional standards, and clear and reasonable regulations that will take the cannabis industry to its next phase. In 2010, Bierman and business partner Andrew Modlin started MedMen. The two visionary entrepreneurs saw not just a tremendous business opportunity in the growing legalization of marijuana, but a chance to re-define society’s relationship with cannabis. MedMen is one of the nation’s largest financial supporters of progressive marijuana legalization efforts at local, state, and federal levels.
Priscilla Chan (Social & Global Impact) – Priscilla Chan is co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), a philanthropic organization she started with her husband, Mark Zuckerberg. CZI is a new kind of philanthropy that’s leveraging technology to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges – from eradicating disease, to improving education, to reforming the criminal justice system. As a pediatrician and former teacher, Chan’s work with patients and students in communities across the Bay Area has informed her desire to make learning more personalized, find new paths to manage and cure disease, and expand opportunity for more people. She is also the founder of The Primary School, which integrates health and education and serves children and families in East Palo Alto and the Belle Haven neighborhood in Menlo Park, California.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with Briahna Gray (Cities, Government & Politics) — Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx to two working-class parents. She attended Boston University, where she earned degrees in Economics and International Relations. While there, she worked for the late Sen. Kennedy handling foreign affairs and immigration casework for constituent families. Briahna Gray is a columnist and senior politics editor at The Intercept. She is also an opinion columnist with a focus on progressive political messaging, as well as issues relating to identity and culture.
Pat Corcoran (Music Industry & Culture) — Pat Corcoran is the manager for Chance the Rapper and founder of Haight Brand. Manager by profession and friend by nature, Corcoran has made his name by employing his personality professionally. Caring, driven, and fiercely intelligent, Corcoran has decisively slammed his flag into the entertainment industry with connections spanning across every major space and brand. He continues to set himself apart in every industry he revolutionizes with his authentic, caring, and passionate approach.
Dennis Crowley (Tech Industry & Enterprise) — Dennis Crowley is the co-founder of Foursquare, overseeing the strategic vision and product roadmap that has grown the Foursquare community to more than 50 million people around the world. Crowley previously founded Dodgeball, one of the first mobile social services which was acquired by Google in 2005. He is also a winner of the “Fast Money” bonus round on the TV game show Family Feud, and the Founder and Chairman of Kingston Stockade FC, a semi-professional soccer team in the Hudson Valley.
David Crosby and Cameron Crowe (Music Industry & Culture) – In the last four years alone, David Crosby has released three acclaimed solo albums that prove his musical passion to be as powerful as ever. With Here If You Listen, the 77-year-old singer/songwriter continues that singular creative streak, delivering one of his most joyfully adventurous albums yet in a career that spans six auspicious decades. Cameron Crowe is an award-winning writer and director whose credits include such films as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Say Anything…, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, and more. His documentary work includes The Union, a making of the Elton John-Leon Russell record of the same name and Pearl Jam Twenty. His latest documentary project, which he produced, is a revealing and deeply personal documentary exploring the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby.
David Feinberg and Clay Johnston (Health & MedTech) – David Feinberg currently heads up Google’s health efforts. Previously, Feinberg was president and CEO of Geisinger, one of the nation’s most innovative health services organizations. While at Geisinger, Feinberg oversaw 13 hospital campuses, a 600,000-member health plan, research centers, and various initiatives aimed at better engaging patients around their health. Clay Johnston is the inaugural dean of Dell Medical School and vice president for medical affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. His vision is to create a new model for academic medicine that accelerates innovation to improve health and reduce inefficiencies in health care.
Designing for Films at Pixar Animation Studios Featured Session (Making Film & Episodics) – Join Deanna Marsigliese, Character Art Director; Josh Holtsclaw, Graphics Art Director; and Paul Abadilla, Sets Art Director, as they share their artwork and approach to designing for animated films at Pixar Animation Studios. Through their own respective disciplines, they’ll share insight about how to solve creative challenges and highlight some examples of how an idea gets translated from a design sketch, and onto the screen. They will also discuss about how they support and advocate for diversity and inclusion in their films.
Tim Ferriss (Health & MedTech) – Tim Ferriss has been listed as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and one of Fortune’s “40 under 40.” He is an early-stage technology investor/advisor (Uber, Facebook, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ others) and the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, including The 4-Hour Workweek and Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. The Observer and other media have called Ferriss “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast, which is the first business/interview podcast to exceed 100 million downloads. Ferriss will join the previously announced conversation with Michael Pollan.
Neil Gaiman (Entertainment Influencers) – Neil Gaiman is the best-selling author and creator of books, graphic novels, short stories, film, and television for all ages, including Neverwhere, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The View from the Cheap Seats and the Sandman comic series. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner Awards. American Gods, based on the 2001 novel, is now a critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated TV series, and he has written and is the showrunner for the forthcoming mini-series adaptation of Good Omens, based on the book he co-authored with Terry Pratchett. In 2017, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Originally from England, he lives in the United States, where he is a professor at Bard College.
Tinker Hatfield and Scott Dadich (Design) — Tinker Hatfield is the Vice President of Creative Concepts at Nike where he oversees Nike shoe designs and Nike’s Innovation Kitchen. In addition to working with Michael Jordan each year, Hatfield currently creates specialized Nike athletic products for champion athletes including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Laird Hamilton, Gabrielle Reece, Renaud Lavillenie, and numerous track and field athletes and entertainers including Justin Timberlake. Scott Dadich is founder and Co-CEO of Godfrey and Dadich Partners, a design and strategy firm that creates narratives — from documentary films and long-form journalism to corporate strategies and campaigns. In 2018, Dadich co-founded Majordomo Media, a new kind of entertainment and media company with renowned chef David Chang. He is also the creator and executive producer of the Netflix series Abstract: The Art of Design.
Senator Mazie Hirono and Guy Kawasaki (Cities, Government & Politics) – Mazie K. Hirono was elected to the Senate in 2012 and sworn in as Hawaii’s first female senator and the country’s first Asian-American woman senator. Hirono serves on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, an online graphic design tool. He is a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz and an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley). He is also author of The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and nine other books.
George Hotz (Intelligent Future) – George Hotz, also known as geohot, is an American hacker and creative consumer known for unlocking the iPhone, allowing the phone to be used with other wireless carriers. Afterward, he developed many of the early jailbreak tools for iOS, such as limera1n and bootrom exploit. He is an alumnus of the John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program and briefly attended both Rochester Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University. In September 2015, Hotz began working on his own AI startup called comma.ai. Hotz has received much attention in mainstream media, including appearances on the Today Show, Fox, CNN, NBC, and more.
Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman with Dylan Byers (Media & Journalism) – Jeffrey Katzenberg is a co-founder and managing partner of WndrCo, a holding company that invests in, acquires, develops, and operates consumer technology businesses for the long term. He is also the founder and chairman and Meg Whitman is CEO of Quibi, which brings together the best of Silicon Valley and Hollywood to create the first entertainment platform built for easy, on-the-go mobile viewing. Quibi will allow today’s leading studios and creative talent to tell original stories in an entirely new way. Dylan Byers is the senior media reporter for NBC News & MSNBC and the author of Byers Market, a daily newsletter on the business, politics, and culture of media.
Daniel Kahan and Valerie Szczepanik (Blockchain & Cryptocurrency) – Daniel Kahan is an attorney in Morrison & Foerster’s Corporate Department. His practice focuses on venture capital and private equity investments, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and spin-offs, securities offerings, and governance matters. He represents entrepreneurs, investors, and acquirers across a range of sectors, including fintech and blockchain. Valerie Szczepanik is Head of the Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). She is also the Senior Advisor for Digital Assets and Innovation and an Associate Director for the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance. Before that, she served as Assistant Director in the Division of Enforcement’s Cyber Unit.
Trevor Paglen and Kate Crawford (Intelligent Future) – Are Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning really the right metaphors to address training sets that feed into automated processes? Join researcher, academic, and author Kate Crawford and artist Trevor Paglen as they look into the production of training data and uncover the historical origins, labor practices, infrastructures, and epistemological assumptions, with biases and skews built into them from the outset.
Lola Plaku (Music Industry & Culture) – With more than ten years of experience working behind the scenes in the music industry, Lola Plaku’s resume is both extensive and multifaceted. Formerly a music journalist for Canada’s hip-hop music scene, the Toronto native made a name for herself after launching her blog, iLuvLola. This led her to a role in promotions at Maxamus Entertainment followed by an online marketing position at CP Records. Plaku was passionate about breaking U.S. talent in the Toronto market and eventually branched out into concert production, working with The Weeknd, French Montana, Travis Scott, Kehlani, Big Sean, and A$AP Rocky, among others. She then transitioned into working with French Montana in a full time role.
Tara Razavi (Making & Marketing Music) – For over a decade, Tara Razavi’s adventurous aesthetic and clever imaginings have made a lasting impact on the music video, commercial, film, and event worlds. Razavi’s content has reached audiences worldwide with over 2 billion cumulative views on YouTube alone. The California native and award-winning producer has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Tyler the Creator, Travis Scott, John Legend, and more. Razavi founded Happy Place, Inc in 2008 to help make her portion of the entertainment industry a happy-as-hell place to be. Happy Place, is a creative production agency based in Los Angeles with satellite offices in New York, Atlanta, and Miami.
Creator Credits: Providing the Missing Links Featured Session (Music Industry & Culture) – Björn Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, producer, a member of the Swedish musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!. He co-produced the film Mamma Mia! with fellow ABBA member and close friend Benny Andersson. Niclas Molinder is the CEO of Auddly, the global hub for authoritative pre-registration music metadata sourced from creators. Molinder founded Auddly in 2014 with Max Martin, Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and manager Ash Pournouri. Auddly is rapidly setting the standard for how music creators, their collaborators, and their representatives are identified along with accrediting their contributions in compositions and recordings.
Travis VanderZanden and Josh Rasmussen (Tech Industry & Enterprise) – Travis VanderZanden is the Founder and CEO of Bird. His lifelong admiration of his mother, who drove a public bus for over 30 years, inspired him to revolutionize last-mile transportation. VanderZanden has always been at the forefront of innovative transportation solutions, having served as Chief Operating Officer of Lyft and Vice President at Uber. He also founded Cherry, an on-demand car washing company, that was acquired by Lyft, and was Chief Revenue Officer at Yammer, which was acquired by Microsoft. Josh Rasmussen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Monday Motorbikes. His background in managing teams for technology firms and automobile companies, Dodge and Chevrolet, provide Rasmussen with unique insights into how transportation and technology revolutionize the way we travel around the world.
Henry Winkler Acting Workshop Featured Session (Entertainment Influencers) – Henry Winkler co-stars as acting teacher Gene Cousineau on the new HBO dark comedy, Barry, for which he received an Emmy Award and Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor opposite series star, Bill Hader. Winkler has enjoyed over four decades of success in Hollywood and continues to be in demand as an actor, producer, and director. Join Henry Winkler as he leads an entertaining and insightful acting workshop in front of an audience.
Guitars and More: Creating New Sounds with Tech Featured Session (Making & Marketing Music) – Join Fender Musical Instruments Corporation CEO Andy Mooney, Ableton North America Managing Director Tony McCall; artist Elise Trouw; and award-winning broadcast journalist, musician, author, deejay, and longtime NPR commentator Meredith Ochs for a session that will explore the different ways musicians are adopting new music technology in live/recorded performance, while still embracing traditional musical instruments, like guitar, creating a marriage of classic and progressive technological tools. Live performance is evolving. Technology has ushered in a one-man-band live performance format: one guitar, looper and artist on stage playing to thousands. While the access to musical technology has evolved and become more widespread, the product design behind the guitar keeps getting better, too. The result? A stronger connection between fans and bands than ever before, and great new music.
Willy Woo with Nolan Bauerle (Blockchain & Cryptocurrency) – Willy Woo is an entrepreneur, advisor, and investor in seed-level technology ventures, but best known publicly as an independent crypto-asset analyst. Creator of the NVT ratio, much of his work is available on his Twitter feed which is regularly cited as a source for publications covering crypto-asset markets. Nolan Bauerle is the Director of Research at CoinDesk. His work with bitcoin began in 2012 while he was researching money laundering. Since then, he became a student of cryptography, decentralized systems, crypto economics, and the theory of the firm.
________________________________________
January 9: More than 300 artists were announced by SXSW, including DC punk group Priests, Swedish rapper Yung Lean, and several Austin artists including Hikes, BUHU, Abhi The Nomad, and more.
To see all artists attending the fest and to stay updated, find them here and click FOLLOW!
Abhi The Nomad (Austin TX)
Alex Francis (Hitchin UK-ENGLAND)
ALI AKA MIND (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Alice Phoebe Lou (Berlin GERMANY)
åMBe (Brooklyn NY)
Anemone (Montréal CANADA)
Angie McMahon (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Another Michael (Philadelphia PA)
Another Sky (London UK-ENGLAND)
Anteros (London UK-ENGLAND)
Aquarian Blood (Memphis TN)
Arranquemos del Invierno (Concepción CHILE)
Azultrabuco (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Bad Moves (Washington DC)
Bad Sounds (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Bailen (New York NY)
Bambara (Brooklyn NY)
Barrie (Brooklyn NY)
BEA1991 (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)
Bedouine (Los Angeles CA)
Being Dead (Austin TX)
Beshken (Los Angeles CA)
Big $wift (Downey CA)
Big Bliss (Brooklyn NY)
Big Joanie (London UK-ENGLAND)
Billy Strings (Nashville TN)
The Blank Tapes (Los Angeles CA)
The Blinders (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
Blinky Bill (Nairobi KENYA)
BUHU (Austin TX)
Bush Tetras (New York NY)
The Bvtcher (Austin TX)
Carmouflage Rose (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Carrion Kids (Mexico City MEXICO)
Cassandra Jenkins (New York NY)
Cassia (Macclesfield UK-ENGLAND)
Charlotte OC (Blackburn UK-ENGLAND)
Chasing Nomads (San Juan PUERTO RICO)
Chicarica (Santiago CHILE)
Chucky Trill (Houston TX)
Cimafunk (Havana CUBA)
CLAVVS (Brooklyn NY)
CNVS (Canvas) (Queretaro MEXICO)
co34pt (Newcastle-upon-Tyne UK-ENGLAND)
Colores Santos (Guadalajara MEXICO)
Control Top (Philadelphia PA)
Cosme (Guayama PUERTO RICO)
Critical Assembly (Austin TX)
Cure For Paranoia (Dallas TX)
Cutesylvania (Flint MI)
Cypress Moreno (Los Angeles CA)
Danger Grove (Loveland CO)
Dan Marshall (Guadalajara MEXICO)
DannyBrasco (Nuevo leon MEXICO)
Death Of A Dream (Austin TX)
Deep Cuts (Houston TX)
The Desert (Bristol UK-ENGLAND)
Desorden Público (Caracas VENEZUELA )
Dhira Bongs (Bandung INDONESIA)
DJ Confucius Jones (Austin TX)
DJ Paypal (Charlotte NC)
DJ PH (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA)
The DOJO (Austin TX)
Donna Missal (Los Angeles CA)
Doomsquad (Toronto CANADA)
Dopey’s Robe (Vancouver CANADA)
Drinker (Los Angeles CA)
Dwellers (Salt Lake City UT)
E.B. The Younger (Denton TX)
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (Austin TX)
Edna and The Musicians (Cuauhtemoc MEXICO)
Efya (Accra GHANA)
Elisapie (Montreal CANADA)
Eliza Shaddad (London UK-ENGLAND)
Eme Alfonso (Havana CUBA)
Emilia Ali (Boston MA)
Emma Elisabeth (Berlin GERMANY)
Erin Rae (Nashville TN)
Esther Rose (New Orleans LA)
Fangclub (Dublin IRELAND)
Faux Ferocious (Nashville TN)
Feefa (Los Angeles CA)
Fernanda Takai (Belo Horizonte BRAZIL)
Ferris & Sylvester (London UK-ENGLAND)
Fire From The Gods (Austin TX)
Fruit & Flowers (Brooklyn NY)
FURUTORI (Shimokitazawa JAPAN)
Gabylonia (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Georgia (London UK-ENGLAND)
Geowulf (London UK-ENGLAND)
Ghostly Kisses (Québec CANADA)
GHXST (Brooklyn NY)
GIRL SKIN (Brooklyn NY)
Glass Caves (Leeds UK-ENGLAND)
Go Cactus (Mallorca SPAIN)
Golden Vessel (Brisbane AUSTRALIA)
Good Fuck (Chicago IL)
Grace Carter (London UK-ENGLAND)
Grace Turner (Newcastle AUSTRALIA)
Greenwave Beth (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Grubby Little Hands (Philadelphia PA)
Grün Wasser (Chicago IL)
Harmony Byrne (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Heartstreets (Montreal CANADA)
Henry Brun & The Latin Playerz (San Antonio TX)
HIJOS (San José COSTA RICA)
Hikes (Austin TX)
Hilary Woods (Dublin IRELAND)
Honey Harper (Atlanta GA)
Honyock (Sacramento CA)
The Howl & The Hum (York UK-ENGLAND)
Hunkpapa (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND)
Illiterate Light (Harrisonburg VA)
illuminati hotties (Los Angeles CA)
Indigo Sparke (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
Intertwine (Bergen NORWAY)
Invoke (Austin TX)
Irata (Greensboro NC)
It Was Romance (Brooklyn NY)
J.Patron (Bogota COLOMBIA)
JAG (Los Angeles CA)
James Vickery (London UK-ENGLAND)
Jazzrausch Bigband (Munich GERMANY)
Jeff Lofton (Austin TX)
Jess Williamson (Los Angeles CA)
J Fernandez (Chicago IL)
Jojo Abot (Volta Region GHANA)
Jon Dee Graham (Austin TX)
Jony Beltran (Acuña MEXICO)
Josin (Freiburg GERMANY)
J.S. Ondara (Nairobi KENYA)
J Soulja (Austin TX)
Just Loud (Atlanta GA)
Jvcki Wai (Seoul SOUTH KOREA)
Kalan.frfr (Los Angeles CA)
Kalu & The Electric Joint (Austin TX)
Kamaal Williams (London UK-ENGLAND)
Kate Teague (Oxford MS)
K Camp (Atlanta GA)
Kevin George (Stamford CT)
KOKOKO! (Kinshasa DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO)
KOMFORTRAUSCHEN (Berlin GERMANY)
Kosha Dillz (Tel Aviv ISRAEL)
KUCCI (Jilin CHINA)
Kwame (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
La Banda Acústica Rodante (San Juan PUERTO RICO)
La Chinga (Vancouver CANADA)
La Etnnia (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Lafawndah (London UK-ENGLAND)
The Lagoons (Austin TX)
La Matilda (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
La Real del Sonido (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Larkins (Manchester UK-ENGLAND)
La Sonidera (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires (Birmingham AL)
Lennon Stella (East York CANADA)
Leoniden (Kiel GERMANY)
Light Vibes (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Lily and Horn Horse (Hudson NY)
Lily & Madeleine (Brooklyn NY)
Lina Tullgren (Queens NY)
Lisa Morales (San Antonio TX)
Liza Owen (London UK-ENGLAND)
Lizbeth Roman Y Los Duendes Invisibles (Sabana Seca PUERTO RICO)
Lolita De Sola (Caracas VENEZUELA)
Los Coast (Austin TX)
Lou Rebecca (Paris FRANCE)
Lows0n (Xiamen CHINA)
Lug (Austin TX)
M3NSA (London UK-ENGLAND)
machìna (Tokyo JAPAN)
Madam X (London UK-ENGLAND)
Madeline Kenney (Oakland CA)
Mahya Veray y su Trauma (Guaynabo PUERTO RICO)
Major League Djz (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA)
Malena Zavala (Buenos Aires ARGENTINA)
Mama Duke (Austin TX)
Manniax (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Mansionair (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
The Mariachi Ghost (Winnipeg CANADA)
Mayorkun (Lagos NIGERIA)
Melenas (Pamplona SPAIN)
Memories In Broken Glass (San Antonio TX)
Merely (Gothenburg SWEDEN)
Mexico City Blondes (Santa Barbara CA)
Minke (London UK-ENGLAND)
Miss World (London UK-ENGLAND)
Molly Burch (Austin TX)
MONOPHONICOS (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Monstruos del Mañana (Mexico City MEXICO)
Moonlover (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Morabeza Tobacco (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Mourning [A] BLKstar (Cleveland OH)
Moving Panoramas (Austin TX)
Mr. Lewis & The Funeral 5 (Austin TX)
Mundaka (Lima PERU)
My Brightest Diamond (Detroit MI)
The Mystery Lights (New York NY)
N7 & Pwap (Oklahoma City OK)
NACH (Alicante SPAIN)
Nadia Nakai (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA)
Nadia Tehran (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Nanook of the North (Gdansk POLAND)
Naomi Wild (Los Angeles CA)
Neblinna (Maracaibo VENEZUELA)
Nicole Atkins (Nashville TN)
NineOne# (Xi’an CHINA)
No Party For Cao Dong (Taipei TAIWAN)
Novo Amor (Cardiff UK-WALES)
Nutopia (San Juan PUERTO RICO)
Odonis Odonis (Toronto CANADA)
Oh, Rose (Olympia WA)
Ohtis (Los Angeles CA)
Omar Apollo (Hobart IN)
Orchards (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
Pablo Dazán (Bogota COLOMBIA)
Pablo Trujillo (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Papachina (Armenia COLOMBIA)
:PAPERCUTZ (Porto PORTUGAL)
Parker Gispert (Nashville TN)
Passeport (Cincinnati OH)
Pecker (Nueno SPAIN)
Penelope Isles (Brighton UK-ENGLAND)
Perro (Murcia SPAIN)
PHI (Guadalajara MEXICO)
Phobophobes (London UK-ENGLAND)
Pink Sweat$ (Philadelphia PA)
Pip Blom (Amsterdam NETHERLANDS)
Pipo Romero (Cadiz SPAIN)
Plastic Picnic (Brooklyn NY)
Pottery (Montreal CANADA)
Priests (Washington DC)
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (Perth AUSTRALIA)
Puppy (London UK-ENGLAND)
Ratboys (Chicago IL)
Rebecca Loebe (Austin TX)
Reece (Woodbridge VA)
Rick Maguire (from Pile) (Boston MA)
Ric Wilson (Chicago IL)
Ritt Momney (Salt Lake City UT)
Rizha (Madrid SPAIN)
Robinson (Nelson NEW ZEALAND)
Robot Koch x Delhia de France (Berlin GERMANY)
Ross Golan’s The Wrong Man (Los Angeles CA)
RRUCCULLA (Bilbao SPAIN)
Rucci (Inglewood CA)
Run Golden Boys (Mexico City MEXICO)
Saint Lo (Montreal CANADA)
Samini and Band (Accra GHANA)
San Mei (Robina AUSTRALIA)
SEAZOO (Wrexham UK-WALES)
Serko Fu (Monterrey MEXICO)
Sexy Bicycle (Barcelona SPAIN)
Shepherds (Atlanta GA)
Simi (Lagos NIGERIA)
Sir Babygirl (Hanover NH)
Sofia Portanet (Berlin GERMANY)
Soriah (Portland OR)
Sorry Girls (Montreal CANADA)
Spike Vincent (Sydney AUSTRALIA)
SPINN (Liverpool UK-ENGLAND)
Ssali Moses Bebe Cool (Ntinda Kampala UGANDA)
Steady Holiday (Los Angeles CA)
Stefan Wesolowski (Gdansk POLAND)
The Stitches (Los Angeles CA)
Stuck in the Sound (Paris FRANCE)
Superfónicos (Austin TX)
Surfbort (Brooklyn NY)
TarantisT (Los Angeles CA)
Tarik Hassan (Austin TX)
Tatiana Hazel (Chicago IL)
The Teeta (Austin TX)
TEMPESST (London UK-ENGLAND)
Tetractys (Austin TX)
Thaiboy Digital (Bangkok THAILAND)
Thalea String Quartet (Austin TX)
The Cold Stares (Evansville IN)
Thumpasaurus (Los Angeles CA)
TiKA (Toronto CANADA)
Tim Atlas (Los Angeles CA)
Tribade (Barcelona SPAIN)
Tufan Derince (Diyarbakır TURKEY)
TWEN (Boston MA)
Two Medicine (Denton TX)
Two People (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Ume (Austin TX)
Ushbebe (Aladja NIGERIA)
Vector (Lagos NIGERIA)
Virgin Pool (Los Angeles CA)
ViVii (Stockholm SWEDEN)
We And The Machines (Quito ECUADOR)
Wild Moccasins (Houston TX)
William the Conqueror (Newquay UK-ENGLAND)
Will Johnson (Austin TX)
Wives (Brooklyn NY)
Wohl (Guadalajara MEXICO)
Xenia França (São Paulo BRAZIL)
Yung Lean (Stockholm SWEDEN)
Yves Jarvis (Montreal CANADA)
Zack Varner (Austin TX)
The world premiere of Jordan Peele's Us will be the Opening Night film for the 26h edition of the SXSW Film Festival. After his extremely well-received, socially-conscious directorial debut, Get Out, Peele returns with a new nightmare.
"We are crazy excited to world premiere the most anticipated film of 2019 from the creative powerhouse that brought us Get Out," said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. "We honestly couldn't imagine a more perfect film to kick off the 2019 SXSW Film Festival."
Check out the trailer and see all previous SXSW updates, below.
For prior announcements, scroll further down the page. Don't forget to bookmark this page for consistently updated news on this year's conference.
(Follow them all, right here on Do512!)
Jessica Brillhart (Film) — Jessica Brillhart is an immersive director, writer, and theorist. She’s the founder of the independent studio, Vrai Pictures. Previously, Brillhart was the Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google where she worked with engineers to develop Google Jump, a virtual reality live-action capture ecosystem. Since then, Brillhart has made a range of highly acclaimed VR experiences, working with such entities as NASA, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, Google’s Artists and Machine Intelligence program, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Weather Channel. In 2017, Brillhart was heralded by MIT Technology Review as an innovator and pioneer in the field of virtual reality filmmaking and immersive entertainment.
Amber Baldet (Blockchain & Cryptocurrency) – Amber Baldet is co-founder and CEO of Clovyr, a company reshaping how businesses connect to each other and the world’s data. Having previously led JPMorgan’s blockchain efforts and appearing on 2017’s Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list of the most influential young people in business, Baldet “handily bridges the divide between the Wall Street and crypto sets.” Baldet also serves on the Board of the Zcash Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to building Internet payment and privacy infrastructure for the public good.
Lance Bass (Music Industry & Culture) – Lance Bass is the quintessential illustration of a highly successful and driven jack-of-all-trades: singer, host, actor, producer, writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cosmonaut. Beyond his fame as a member of the phenomenally successful group *NSYNC, where the group sold an impressive 80 million plus records worldwide, Bass has made himself a household name. Producing is his true passion with several films and television shows under his belt including: Boy Band Con, Lance Loves Michael-E! special, Celebrity Home Raiders, Kidnapped for Christ, Mississippi: I Am, The Grand, Lovewrecked and On the Line.
A Better Future Through Digital Health Featured Session (Health & MedTech) — The U.S. health care system is big, complex, at times difficult to navigate, and expensive. The good news is that a fix is within our grasp: It’s digital, and consumers are willing to embrace it as long as it meets their needs and provides the level of quality they expect. Delivering this requires a full-on consumer-centric approach. Join Kevin Hart (actor and comedian), David Ko (President and COO, Rally Health, Inc.), Sarah Martin (VP, Product and Consumer Innovation at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina) and Vickie Strickland (Director, Health Strategy & Resources Delta Air Lines) to learn their strategies for advancing the promise of digital health.
Brené Brown (Social & Global Impact) – Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation – Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of the #1 New York Times best-sellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead. Brené Brown will be the SXSW 2019 Opening Speaker.
Kimberly Bryant (Entrepreneurship & Startups) – Kimberly Bryant is the Founder and CEO of Black Girls CODE, a non-profit organization dedicated to “changing the face of technology” by introducing girls of color (ages 7-17) to the field of technology and computer science with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts. Prior to starting Black Girls CODE, Bryant enjoyed a successful 20+ year professional career in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries as an Engineering Manager in a series of technical leadership roles for various Fortune 50 companies such as Genentech, Merck, and Pfizer. Since 2011, Bryant has helped Black Girls CODE grow from a local grassroots initiative serving only the Bay Area, to an international organization with fourteen chapters across the U.S. and in Johannesburg, South Africa. Black Girls CODE has currently reached over 15,000 students and continues to grow and thrive.
Cannabis and Wellness: The Body and Beyond Featured Session (Cannabusiness) – This session will explore the potential of cannabis to contribute to not only physical, but also emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. From Ricky Williams’ (Former Heisman trophy winner and NFL running back) experience, the most profound effect that cannabis has had on his life has been spiritual — helping him find his purpose. Williams joins Jess Dugan (The Oil Plant, Inc.), Dr. Michele Ross (CEO of Infused Health) and John Salley (Former NBA player) for a conversation about how the medicinal benefits of marijuana have now catapulted cannabis in the mainstream, but all holistic forms of medicine recognize that in order to maintain physical health, we must also attend to the health of our psyches.
Troy Dayton (Cannabusiness) — Dayton co-founded cannabis investment and research firm The Arcview Group in 2010, and serves as CEO. Arcview created the Arcview Investor Network where more than 1200 high net-worth investors have pumped more than $200 million into 190+ cannabis-related ventures and raised more than $3 million for the legalization effort. Arcview also publishes The State of Legal Marijuana Markets, the most-cited market data and analysis report on the industry. Arcview co-founded Cannasure Insurance Services in 2011 and launched Canopy, a business accelerator in 2015. Dayton is an elected board member of the Marijuana Policy Project and is a founding board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Fortune Magazine named him as one of the top 7 most powerful people in the cannabis industry.
Laura Jane Grace (Music Industry & Culture) – To say musician, author, and activist Laura Jane Grace has had a defiant career would be the understatement of the year. Whether being accused of leaving the DIY punk scene to pursue a major label career over a decade ago, or courageously challenging people’s conceptions of gender identity with a bombshell Rolling Stone article, Grace has remained a daring and influential cultural figure in her over 20+ years of creating dynamic art across various mediums. Sure, she’s bound to worry some fans with her decision to press pause on Against Me! to release a more intimate singer-songwriter leaning solo album under the name Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers, but her artistic motivation cast her determination in steel.
Arlan Hamilton (Entrepreneurship & Startups) – Arlan Hamilton is a remarkable entrepreneur who built a venture capital fund from the ground up while homeless. She is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBT. Started in 2015, Backstage has now invested nearly $5M into 100 startups led by underestimated founders and has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Quartz.
Jaron Lanier (Intelligent Future) — Jaron Lanier is known as godfather of Virtual Reality, since he named it, had the first startup, and built many of the first app examples including surgical simulation. He’s received a lifetime career award from the IEEE as well as the German Peace Prize for Books and many other awards. Lanier was named one of tech’s 25 icons of the last 25 years by Wired and is on lots of other fancy lists. He writes books and thinks social media is harming the world.
Chris Lee (Music Industry & Culture) — Since joining SM Entertainment’s A&R department in 2005, Chris Lee has played a visionary role in the evolution of Asia’s leading entertainment agency. He made a name for himself by developing SM’s peerless production system, which involves a global network of more than 900 hit songwriters (from legends like Teddy Riley to pop sensations like Bruno Mars). Lee’s efforts introduced the songcamp model to K-pop, setting a new precedent for the Asian music industry as a whole. Lee takes a similarly hands-on approach to nearly every facet of SM’s prodigious output, and fostering top global acts like EXO, Super Junior, Red Velvet, and NCT. As a member of SM Entertainment Group’s board of directors, Lee is actively involved in formulating fresh corporate development strategies and directions.
Amy Margolis (Cannabusiness) – Amy Margolis has been a lawyer for more than 16 years and is the founder of the Oregon Cannabis Association. She frequently advises both businesses and investors on deploying capital in the cannabis space, multi-jurisdictional growth, public offerings, and every other stage of business and corporate development. Margolis is also the founder of The Initiative, a business accelerator for female entrepreneurs, to train and fund women in the cannabis space.
Elisabeth Moss (Entertainment Influencers) – Elisabeth Moss can soon be seen in Alex Ross Perry’s HER SMELL and Jordan Peele’s Us, both of which will be opening theatrically in March of 2019. Moss is currently starring in the Emmy Award-winning Hulu drama series The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the acclaimed Margaret Atwood novel of the same name, on which she also serves as a producer. Among the many honors and accolades she has received are Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Best Drama Series. Other upcoming credits include In The Kitchen opposite Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish and with Michael Stuhlbarg in Shirley, which she produced, as well.
Trevor Noah and The Daily Show “News Team” Panel Hard with Jake Tapper Featured Session (Media & Journalism) — CNN Anchor & Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper sits down with Daily Show host Trevor Noah and correspondents Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Desi Lydic, Dulcé Sloan, Roy Wood Jr. and Jaboukie Young-White to panel harder than anyone has ever paneled before. They’ll discuss how today’s fast-paced media cycle has changed (and keeps changing!) the late-night comedy landscape. The Daily Show team will offer an inside look at how they tackle politics, race, and social issues on the show. And they’ll also dive into how both their digital team and Emmy Award-winning series “Between the Scenes” lend a fresh perspective to the larger conversation that happens with their audience.
Frank Oz (Entertainment Influencers) — Oz is a four-time Emmy winner and recipient of The Art Director’s Guild Award, The Comedy Awards’ Creative Achievement Award, Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award, George Foster Peabody award, and others. He’s performed with The Muppets and on the Star Wars films. The dozen feature films he’s directed include Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, In & Out, The Score, and Death at a Funeral.
Busy Philipps and Hillary Kerr (Entertainment Influencers) – Busy Philipps is an actress best known for roles in cult TV classics like Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, ER, and most recently HBO’s Vice Principals. She has appeared in fan-favorite films such as Made of Honor, I Don’t Know How She Does It, He’s Just Not That Into You, White Chicks, and The Gift. Philipps also was one of the writers of the hit film Blades of Glory. In fall 2018, her late-night talk show Busy Tonight premiered on E!. Hillary Kerr is the co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Clique Brands, a content, commerce, and consumer brands company that includes WhoWhatWear.com, Byrdie.com, MyDomaine.com, CollegeFashionista.com, and the Who What Wear Collection.
Sharks Everywhere! How We Multiplatform Shark Week Featured Session (Making Film & Episodics) – Every year, Discovery Channel brings Shark Week to audiences on every possible platform and device, from cable TV to Snapchat to social to connected devices to plush toys and Walmart displays. Two of the principal creators and architects of the Shark Week Experience, Fred Graver (Senior Vice President, Digital Content and Social for Discovery Digital) and Scott Lewers (Executive Vice President of Multi-Platform Programming and Digital Media for Discovery and Science Channels) bring you behind-the-scenes in the creation, distribution, and community-building around Shark Week. Includes linear programming, digital production, sponsorships, and partnerships and a lot of shark tales!
Roy Spence (Future Workplace) – Roy Spence is the chairman and co-founder of the advertising agency GSD&M and author of the books The Amazing Faith of Texas and It’s Not What You Sell, It’s What You Stand For: Why Every Extraordinary Business Is Driven By Purpose. Spence is also co-founder and CEO of The Purpose Institute, which helps organizations and leaders discover and fulfill their purpose.
Bruce Sterling (Intelligent Future) – Bruce Sterling is an author, journalist, editor, and critic. Best known for his ten science fiction novels, he also writes short stories, book reviews, design criticism, opinion columns, and introductions for books ranging from Ernst Juenger to Jules Verne. His nonfiction works include The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on The Electronic Frontier, Tomorrow Now: Envisioning The Next Fifty Years, Shaping Things, and The Epic Struggle of the Internet Of Things. His most recent book is a collection of Italian fantascienza stories, Utopia Pirata: I Racconti Di Bruno Argento.
Kerry Trainor (Music Industry & Culture) – Kerry Trainor is the Chief Executive Officer of SoundCloud, leading the strategic direction of the platform’s creator-first initiatives. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud is the world’s largest open audio platform, empowering the world’s audio creators with the best tools, services and resources to build and grow their careers. Since Trainor joined, SoundCloud has rolled out a number of new services and features, including most recently the expansion of SoundCloud Premier, its direct monetization program, integrations with major DJ applications, a partnership with Dubset, and more, benefiting its community of more than 20 million creators globally.
Damon Wayans Jr. and Kristopher B. Jones (Entrepreneurship & Startups) – In this session, actor and comedian Damon Wayans, Jr. and serial entrepreneur and investor Kristopher B. Jones will explore the convergence of Silicon Valley and Hollywood. In 2016, Wayans and Jones founded Special Guest App to drive efficiency into the process of booking non-managed and emerging talent. Backed by Silicon Valley investors, including Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners (first investor in Snapchat), Special Guest is determined to democratize the way that anyone, anywhere discovers and books live entertainment.
(Follow them all, right here on Do512!)
Via SXSW
(Interactive Keynote)
Joseph Lubin is the Founder of ConsenSys, a blockchain production studio that develops applications and utilities for the next generation decentralized web: Ethereum. Joseph graduated cum laude with a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton, where he worked as research staff in the Robotics Lab and then at Vision Applications, Inc., a private research firm, in the fields of autonomous mobile robotics, machine vision and artificial neural networks. Later, Joseph moved to Kingston, Jamaica to work on a set of projects in the music industry. Two years into the music project, Joseph co-founded the Ethereum Project, and has been working on Ethereum — and more recently ConsenSys — since January 2014.
Via SXSW
(Social & Global Impact)
Since 2016, “We the People” has taken on a renewed, urgent importance — mass protest and action have led to the rise of “the resistance” and catapulted the American Civil Liberties Union’s mission into the daily national conversation. With millions of new members, exponential growth in donations, and volunteers pouring in all across the country, the ACLU is facing a new challenge: How do you take an established organization about to turn 100 years old — the same organization that championed political freedom in 1920 — and make sure it’s nimble enough for the civil rights and civil liberties fights of today? Hear from Anthony Romero (Executive Director, ACLU) in conversation with Sasheer Zamata (comedian, actress and writer), Ike Barinholtz (comedian, actor, writer, and director) and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (actor) to learn how we can all use our platforms for social good.
(Blockchain & Cryptocurrency)
Join Christopher Ferris (CTO Open Technology, IBM), Neha Narula (Director of Digital Currency, MIT Media Lab), Jimmy Song (Bitcoin Developer, Programming Blockchain), and moderator Cesare Fracassi (Professor of Finance, University of Texas at Austin) for a conversation about permissioned (private) blockchains and permissionless (public) blockchains.
(Social & Global Impact)
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer trust in media, business, and government are at an all-time low. We have never believed less, agreed less, or trusted less. Yet, building trust, and developing the community that surrounds it, remains imperative for any art project, online influencer, startup or brand. So what are the new ways to build trust and community online in an era of mistrust? Hear from those who have done it and are doing it. What works? What doesn’t? And how do we figure out who to really believe and rally behind? Join PostSecret founder Frank Warren and New York Times bestselling author Neil Pasricha as they answer these questions.
(Intelligent Future)
The Apollo missions are arguably the most significant technological and exploration achievements the world has ever witnessed. Even though the space program was born out of the space race, what came out of Apollo was far more positive. As we come upon the 50th Anniversary of the first moon landing on Apollo 11, this session will look to the future of human space exploration. Join Gen. Charlie Duke (Apollo 16 astronaut and moon walker), Gerry Griffin (Former NASA Flight Director on Apollo missions), Vanessa E. Wyche (Deputy Director of the NASA Johnson Space Center), and Bobak Ferdowsi (Fault Protection Lead for the joint NASA-ISRO mission at NASA JPL) as they discuss the obstacles that had to be overcome in order to reach the moon, the future return to the moon and the new horizon of Mars, and how exploring space can help make life better on Earth.
(Food)
Join Matt Barnard (Co-founder and CEO of Plenty), Dominique Crenn (award-winning chef and author), and Mark Bittman (bestselling author) as they discuss the growing health impacts of homogenized foods and the democratization of access to the pure, clean food and flavors of our ancestors, bringing culture back to our tables, habits back to our cooking, and health back to humanity.
(Design)
Scott Belsky is an executive, entrepreneur, author, and investor who now serves as Adobe’s Chief Product Officer. Belsky’s passion is to make the creative world more productive, connected, and adaptive to new technologies. He founded Behance, the leading online platform for the creative industry to showcase and discover creative work, and served as CEO until Adobe acquired Behance in 2012.
(Tech Industry & Enterprise)
Sandy Carter is VP at Amazon Web Services (AWS), focused on helping companies to innovate using technology. Carter is the Chairman of the Board of Girls in Tech and was honored twice with the AIT United Nations Member of the Year award for helping developing countries with technology. Kathy Klotz-Guest is the CEO and Founder of Keeping it Human.
Steve DeAngelo (Cannabusiness) — Steve DeAngelo is a pioneering lifelong cannabis entrepreneur, activist, author, and on-screen personality. He co-founded several iconic cannabis businesses and organizations: Harborside, Steep Hill Laboratory, the Arc View Group, and the National Cannabis Industry Association. DeAngelo’s creative projects include his book The Cannabis Manifesto and a Discovery Channel mini-series Weed Wars. He was a lead organizer and fundraiser for I-59, Washington DC’s medical cannabis initiative, and is famed for his successful litigation against the Department of Justice, which halted DOJ’s last-ditch 2011 campaign to shut down California’s medical cannabis dispensaries.
(Health & MedTech)
Cindy Eckert is the Founder and CEO of The Pink Ceiling. Eckert’s work today continues to break barriers by mentoring and investing in other women to get to her same outcomes. Over a distinguished 24-year career in healthcare, in only the last 10 she has started and sold two businesses for more than $1.5B. First Slate Pharmaceuticals, which redefined long-acting testosterone treatment for men; then Sprout Pharmaceuticals, home of the first ever FDA-approved drug for low sexual desire in women (dubbed “female Viagra” by the media). After selling the company for $1B in 2015, she successfully fought to get the drug back and launch it on her own terms. The profoundly positive impact those companies have made in people’s lives is what keeps her coming back for more.
(Making & Marketing Music)
Ross Golan is a multi-platinum songwriter, artist, and advocate. He studied music at the University of Southern California and has since released songs with artists including Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Lady Antebellum, Michael Bublé, Selena Gomez, Keith Urban, Ariana Grande, Flo Rida, and One Direction, amongst many others. Golan has been the leading voice in passing the Music Modernization Act alongside NSAI, Sona, and NMPA. He’s currently signed to Warner Chappell Music.
(Cities, Government & Politics)
Valerie Jarrett was the longest serving senior adviser to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Jarrett has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including Time’s “100 Most Influential People.” She is currently a senior adviser to the Obama Foundation and Attn; serves on the boards of Ariel Capital Management Holdings, 2U, and Lyft; is President of the Board of When We All Vote; a senior distinguished fellow at the University of Chicago Law School; and author of the upcoming book Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward.
(Music Industry & Culture)
Wyclef Jean has written, performed, and produced — both as a solo superstar and as founder and guiding member of the Fugees — for over two decades. In 1996, the Fugees released their monumental album The Score. As a solo artist, Wyclef has released seven albums that have sold nearly nine million copies worldwide. Wyclef is currently working on a new project, Wyclef Goes Back to School, which is a collaboration with students he met while touring the United States and visiting colleges across the country.
(Design)
Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist; Newspaper Blackout; and Show Your Work! His forthcoming book, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad is set to release this spring. His work has been translated into over twenty languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS Newshour, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
(Cities, Government & Politics)
Eric Klinenberg is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. A prolific author and editor of Cultural Production in a Digital Age and the journal Public Culture, his scholarly work has been published in journals including the American Sociological Review; Theory & Society; and Ethnography, and he has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and more.
(Entertainment Influencers)
Actress and entrepreneur Zoe Saldana will join actress and writer Shira Lazar in a conversation on the importance of positive messaging and role models on social platforms for millennial and Gen Z audiences, and how her new media company, BESE, is addressing this issue and the imbalance that exists today in mainstream media.
(Social & Global Impact)
Recognized for his entrepreneurship and servant leadership, Howard Schultz built Starbucks Coffee Company into one of the world’s most recognized and respected businesses, a company committed to strengthening communities through human connection and social innovation. After four decades with Starbucks, Schultz stepped down on June 26, 2018 and became chairman emeritus. Along with his wife, Shari, he is co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation. Schultz is also the bestselling author of four books including his most recent title For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism, and Sacrifice.
(Blockchain & Cryptocurrency)
Known as “JoelKatz,” David Schwartz is the Chief Technology Officer at Ripple and a respected voice in the digital currency community. Schwartz developed encrypted cloud storage and enterprise messaging systems for organizations like CNN and the National Security Agency (NSA). Schwartz will be in conversation with Sara Silverstein, Editor-At-Large and Executive Producer for Business Insider. Silverstein is the host of Business Insider shows Business Insider Today and Crypto Insider.
(Health & MedTech)
Maria Shriver is the mother of four, a Peabody Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer, the author of seven New York Times bestselling books and a bestselling coloring book, an NBC News Special Anchor, and founder of the nonprofit The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement. A trailblazer for empowering women and one of the nation’s leading advocates for women and Alzheimer’s sufferers, Shriver uses her journalism and her activism to inspire others to make a difference and move humanity forward. In 2018, she released the No. 1 New York Times-bestselling book, I’ve Been Thinking…Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life.
(Cities, Government & Politics)
Margrethe Vestager is European Union Commissioner for Competition. She previously served as Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior (2011–14) and Minister for Education (1998–2001) of Denmark, and as President of the ECOFIN Council (2012). She was Political Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party (2007-14), and has worked for the Danish Ministry of Finance (1993–95). Vestager holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Copenhagen.
(Blockchain & Cryptocurrency)
Brian Wong is the co-founder and CEO of Kiip, a mobile consumer engagement platform that advertises in “moments” in 10,000 apps. Wong has been recognized with many awards for his accomplishments and leadership, including Forbes’ 30 under 30 for three years in a row and Business Insider’s Top 25 Under 25 in Silicon Valley. Wong recently launched his first book The Cheat Code, published by Crown Business / Penguin Random House. The Cheat Code contains 71 bite-sized and virtually effortless shortcuts to get a leg up on the competition, garner attention for creative thinkers and their ideas, and to accelerate success.
(Media & Journalism)
Jeff Zucker has been the President of CNN Worldwide since 2013. He oversees all of CNN’s businesses, including the CNN US television network, CNN International, HLN, all of CNN’s digital properties, and Great Big Story. Prior to coming to CNN, Zucker spent more than two decades at NBC Universal, where he rose through the ranks to become the company’s President and CEO. Zucker’s ascent at NBC began during his nearly eight-year tenure as executive producer of NBC News’ Today show.
Via SXSW
(Interactive Keynote)
"Kevin Systrom is the CEO and co-founder of Instagram, a social networking platform that was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Instagram has grown into a global community of over one billion and a family of apps including Instagram, IGTV, Direct, Boomerang, Layout, and more. The company’s mission is to bring you closer to the people and things you love. Systrom is responsible for Instagram’s overall vision and strategy as well as day-to-day operations. Systrom will be in conversation with Josh Constine, Editor-At-Large for TechCrunch, whose scope of coverage includes social networks, streaming music, and early-stage companies."
(Music Keynote)
"Join vocalist Shirley Manson and singer-songwriter Lauren Mayberry for a Keynote Conversation in association with PRS Foundation’s Keychange program. Shirley Manson is best known as the lead vocalist of the critically-acclaimed alternative rock band Garbage, and has been an active recording artist for more than 30 years. They are currently in the studio working on their seventh record, and expect to be hitting the road later in 2018 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Grammy-nominated album, Version 2.0. Lauren Mayberry is a singer-songwriter and front-woman of the Scottish electronic pop band Chvrches. The band have released three critically-acclaimed and commercially successful albums, and have toured the world numerous times. As an artist, Mayberry has continuously challenged stereotypes and been unafraid to speak out on the role and treatment of female artists in the music industry."
(Film Keynote)
"With hundreds of hours of television under her belt, Marti Noxon is one of the most prolific writer-producers in television today. Noxon’s most recent projects include the high-profile prestige series Dietland for AMC and Sharp Objects for HBO, both of which she serves as creator and showrunner for. Also among her recent television offerings are Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, Code Black for CBS, and the Peabody Award winning UnREAL at Lifetime. Over the course of her impressive career Noxon has worked on some of the most beloved and critically acclaimed series of the past two decades, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mad Men, Grey’s Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, and Glee. Additionally, Noxon made her feature directorial debut in 2017 with the powerful film To The Bone, which she also penned the screenplay for. Loosely based on her own personal experience with eating disorders, the film premiered in competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews and quickly sold to Netflix for $8 million, making it one of the highest sales to come out of this year’s festival. Noxon’s previous screenwriting credits include, I Am Number Four and Fright Night."
Via SXSW
(Entertainment Influencers)
"In 1993, John Pierson — a big shot who helped launch a number of first time American independent filmmakers including Spike Lee, Michael Moore, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Rose Troche and Guin Turner — met Jason Blum, a kid fresh out of college, when they worked on a forgotten feature called My Life’s In Turnaround together. 25 years later, Jason and his company Blumhouse Productions have conquered the universe. Blum is a two-time Academy Award-nominated and two-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer. His multi-media company is known for pioneering a new model of studio filmmaking: producing high-quality micro-budget films. How the hell did he get from there to here and how do these two view that evolution?"
(Tech Industry & Enterprise)
"Susan Fowler is the Technology Editor of the New York Times Opinion section as well as a central figure in the #MeToo movement. Named Time magazine’s Person of the Year 2017 as one of the silence breakers, Fowler is the former Uber engineer whose viral blog post ignited an ongoing, worldwide conversation. The Financial Times named her Person of the Year as well — her actions, the paper writes, hold “the potential to improve the way women are treated at work permanently.” That’s Fowler’s public narrative so far. But her personal story — a homeschooled science nerd, a successful woman in STEM against incredible odds — is equally fascinating. She tackles a variety of topics in uplifting talks, including how regular people can effect positive change on a global and personal scale."
(Design)
"Bjarke Ingels is the founder of BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group). Ingels defines architecture as the art and science of making sure our cities and buildings fit with the way we want to live our lives. Through careful analysis of various parameters from local culture and climate, ever changing patterns of contemporary life, to the ebbs and flows of the global economy, Ingels believes in the idea of information-driven design as the driving force for his design process. Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine in 2016, Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings around the world."
(Making & Marketing Music)
"Amanda Palmer is a singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, and blogger who embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art. She emerged as half of the Boston-based punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, earning global applause for their wide-ranging theatricality and inventive song craft. Her solo career has proven equally boundless, including such groundbreaking works as the fan-funded Theatre Is Evil. Palmer is again joining forces with producer John Congleton to release her first solo album in seven years in Spring 2019."
(Social & Global Impact)
"Eli Pariser has dedicated his career — as an author, an online organizer, and a co-founder of Upworthy — to figuring out how technology can elevate important topics in the world. Currently, Pariser is an Omidyar Fellow at the New America Foundation, studying how platforms can effectively promote civic good."
(Health & MedTech)
"Michael Pollan is the author of eight books, including most recently How to Change Your Mind, a number one New York Times Bestseller. Previous books include The Omnivore’s Dilemma; The Botany of Desire; and In Defense of Food. Pollan teaches journalism at Berkeley and Harvard. In 2010, Time magazine named him to its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World."
(Intelligent Future)
"Douglas Rushkoff is a media theorist, author, documentarian, and world-renowned public intellectual. Rushkoff has spent his prolific career thinking about how new media and technology are impacting culture, business, and the economy. Named one of the world’s 10 most influential thinkers by MIT, Rushkoff has written 15 bestselling books and coined such concepts as “viral media,” “social currency,” and “digital natives.”
(Intelligent Future)
"Joanna Shields is a digital entrepreneur, experienced executive, and prominent leader in the global technology industry with a track record in helping to grow some of the world’s best-known transformational companies. She is currently CEO of BenevolentAI, the global leader in the development and application of AI for scientific innovation. Most recently, Joanna served as the UK Minister for Internet Security & Safety, a Special Advisor to the UK Government on the Digital Economy, and Chair & CEO of TechCityUK."
(Blockchain & Cryptocurrency)
"Join Kyle Samani (Managing Partner, Multicoin Capital), Linda Xie (Managing Director, Scalar Capital), Ari Paul (CIO, Blocktower), and moderator Robert Hackett (Editor, Fortune) for a conversation with managers from Scalar Capital, BlockTower, and Multicoin Capital as they elucidate their investment approaches and predict the future of blockchain for users around the world."
(Tech Industry & Enterprise)
"Amy Webb is a quantitative futurist. She is a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business and the Founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading foresight and strategy firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures. Webb will deliver her Emerging Tech Trends Report, where she’ll provide a data-driven analysis for the emerging tech trends that need to be on your radar in 2019 – and she’ll draw on those trends to show you scenarios for the future of business, governing, and society."