2024 SXSW Recap

As the dust settles on yet another edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2024, the techies, groupies, and film nerds have left – if nothing else –knowing what AI is. From March 8 to March 16, Austin, Texas, served as the vibrant link where innovators, creatives, and industry leaders converged to explore the cutting edge of technology in music, film, and culture. In this recap, we dive into the highlights and insights that emerged, offering a glimpse into the innovation of a rapidly evolving world.

My Favorite Keynotes & Special Sessions

Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen.

Panel: Katie Couric, Brooke Shields, Meghan Markle, & Nancy Wang Yuen.

On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024 I thought the person that stood above all the rest was Katie Couric. She came out swinging at CBS co-anchor Dan Rather who wouldn’t let her have any important roles on air that would give her any credibility. When Couric pioneered her way onto the television screen as one of the first female journalists she mentions that, “I was in business in 1979 when harass was two words,” grinned Couric.

Katie took the job even though there were tough days because she felt a sense of purpose. Publishing stories for women that would never be told if only men ran on the show. There are many juicy scoops in her memoir, Going There.

What is a Magazine in the Digital Age?

Panel: Regina Buckley of Hearst Magazines, Samuel Jacobs of TIME, Nathan Lump of National Geographic, and Pamela Russo.

Think of magazines as a brand, or a company, as something that you trust to get your news or health and fitness information. What excites most editors, Samuel Jacobs, editor of TIME, mentions how TIME can make what they publish across all the many digital platforms feel like TIME. This isn’t something that happens overnight because at magazines (brands) like TIME there have been production workflows that have been there for a century. It has taken decades to evolve and change those processes at TIME.

Nathan Lump, editor of National Geographic, has the luxury and complexity of streaming platforms across Disney+ where he has to make a decision on where the content will be initially produced.

Magazines who will thrive will need to consistently deliver value to build readers’ trust, embrace technology advancements and use it to their advantage.

Business, Life, and the Magic of Austin: A Conversation with Michael Dell

Panel: Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy

I was fascinated, but not shocked, to know that Michael Dell began his entrepreneurship at a very young age when he was growing up in Houston, Texas. It was a newspaper delivery network of friends on bicycles who would deliver the daily news. One of his next entrepreneur ventures would be when he created Dell Technologies in his dorm room while attending The University of Texas Austin.

My key takeaways from this session:

• Don’t go do 5 things and do those 5 things well. Try to do 10 things and perhaps 6 things you’ll end up doing well. It’s OK to experiment. We (at Dell Technologies) encourage it. That’s how innovative ways are found to improve the business.
• It can feel lonely at the top of a major corporation and Michael Dell acknowledges his admiration for his wife in helping him not feel lonely.
• On going from public to private. We wanted to create an environment for more creative freedom and innovation. Ended up being harder than Michael Dell thought it would be to go back to private. Now back to publicly traded because of the payment structure.
• Creating a great product is key to success, but it takes Culture to create a great product.

Icons of Impact: A Conversation with Dwyane Wade

Panel: Dwayne Wade of Wade Inc. and Tom Foster of Inc. Business Media

“Why would you create a company with your wife?” is how this panel started with an eruption of laughter from the crowd.

“We wanted to have products that worked for our melanated baby,” Dwayne Wade answered with a wide smile.

His grandma taught him to use Vaseline for everything — they didn’t know any better. Melanated skin is drier and requires a different chemistry of products to take care of the skin and hair. PROUDLY, founded by Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, is a sustainable baby care brand with specially formulated products dedicated to the unique skincare needs of children of color.

“We first thought our business was going to be in lotion diapers, but the market kind of told us where we needed to put our effort first,” Wade explained.

He praises his wife for leading the drive and knows that communication is key to a business partnership with your life partner.

“It’s been communicated to me that she leads and I follow,” laughs Wade. “One thing we want in our investments is for the brand to look like me, for people that look like me.”

One thing I learned about Dwayne Wade was how many different endeavors he’s involved in. Like his movie production company, 59th and Prairie, that produced a documentary about a barber in Little Rock, Arkansas named Arlo Washington who completely transformed his community. Arlo Washingtron helped put 1,500 barbers through school and started a nonprofit bank called People’s Trust because people in poor communities don’t have banks nearby. It ended up being that 95% of the loans were paid off on time.

I walked away with more respect for Dwayne Wade because he’s making an impact in a wide variety of ways in his community, something that I’ve only really seen with the likes of Magic Johnson.

I Miss You When You’re Next to Me: A Conversation With Jay Shetty

Speaker: Jay Shetty, author

This was the only featured session that I’ve ever been in where we ended it with a 10-minute meditation. It was quite refreshing! I will also have to anoint Jay Shetty with the most engagement award as he continuously asked for responses from the audience throughout the session. So why is it that we feel lonely when sitting next to someone?

I spend a lot of time on my phone because it’s not just a phone anymore. It’s a mini computer that creates content for my business. I never thought this was possible, but someone in the audience has a whopping 10 hours per day average usage per day. Shetty explored questions we could ask of ourselves and our partners.

When was the last time you did something for the first time with your partner? And when did we stop doing things that bring us joy?

If you searched the term “will I ever…” on Google, the number one result is “will I ever…” find love. The second most asked question is “will I ever…” be enough. And the third is “will. I. Am. net worth.”

Instead of being alone in our thoughts for 15 minutes, this study found that: 13% female chose electric shock and 60% male chose electric shock instead of being alone with their thoughts for 15 minutes.

Some of the most common arguments among couples are: what to watch on TV, what to cook, what temperature to keep the thermostat at.

Shetty’s 5 E’s of Connection:

1. Entertainment – Use your entertainment time to be present with each other when your watching your favorite show. Don’t have the computer on, while you’re both looking at your phone, and the TV is on.
2. Experiences & Experiments – when was the last time you did a “first” with your partner?
3. Education – Never stop learning about yourself and the world.
4. Emotional Exchange – If you’re growing at a certain pace or at a certain time, you can bring your partner along with you.
5. Engagement – Ask your partner, is there anything you’re anxious about this week? How can I help?

Celebrating 25 Years of ‘Office Space,’ with Mike Judge, Cast, and The Hollywood Reporter

Panel: Mike Judge, Ron Livingston, Ajay Naidu, Stephen Root, David Herman, and Stacey Wilson Hunt of The Hollywood Reporter

This movie may have been a flop at the theaters, but it’s become a cult classic since. It was also the first to popularize “quiet quitting.” Local Austinite, Mike Judge, and some of the cast – minus Jennifer Aniston – reminisced on the making of Office Space 25 years later.

Mike Judge hurdled over many challenges to make the movie, from movie executives to a focus group leader. Movie executives never wanted rap music in the movie even though everyone thought it was hilarious. The execs tried so hard to remove it they even had the focus group leader really nail home that fact, “but what did you think about the rap music.” “We loved it!” the group said, “Yea, but do you think it’s tasteful?” Lots of “Yea, but…” from the focus group leader. Eventually the rap music stayed and is probably one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

A funny tid-bit was that there were no red-colored staplers in production anywhere. They were all gray or back. Mike Judge wanted it to stand out so they made a custom red stapler. When the movie became popular, people on eBay started to make their own red staplers and were “making a killing on them” so much so that the stapler-making company started making red ones.

David Herman’s Michael Bolton character was told that he was Madonna’s favorite character because he had anger inside. Dave Grohl said Office Space changed his life. Chris Rock said he loved the movie and encouraged Mike Judge to keep making movies.

Mike Judge “fought so hard to make the movie great. but it didn’t go well.” Beavis and Butt-head Do America slated to be top 6, but ended up breaking records. So Judge really felt bad that he let Jennifer Aniston and the crew down when Office Space didn’t top records as expected.

Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but what’s important is to keep creating and maybe one day they’ll all come around.

Keynote: Lisa Su in Conversation with Ryan Patel

Panel: Dr. Lisa Su, Chair and CEO of AMD, and Ryan Patel

First of all, Ryan Patel is the most hyped panel host of SXSW 2024. I really loved his energy to get the audience engaged.

AMD does so much more than making chips for computers, they’re also used in car companies like Tesla and Subaru, and in gaming, and In movies like Avatar: The Way of Water, and of course AI-computing and video editing.

Dr. Lisa Su went to MIT for her undergraduate and her first job was described as a “grunt job at a superconductor lab to make chips the size of a dime.” Doesn’t sound like my first job at all when I went to college!

AMD’s technology has cut down render times from days to hours. It fundamentally changes the way movies are made. Pixar elemental was built on an AMD platform, so is Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. A special guest joined the stage, an Oscar winning visual effects executive, David Connely.

“We would have been rendering Avatar: The Way of Water if it wasn’t for the worldwide network of AMD supercomputers to render it.” Connely said.

We actually made it pretty far into the conversation until AI was mentioned. Lisa said that AMD love’s to work with Adobe and thinks that Generative AI is the most important thing.

“In 10 years, you’ll see AI chips in normal PCs,” predicts Su.

“AiPCs” will be more private with your data and more efficient because it doesn’t have to search data centers around the world. They then presented a live rendering on an AiPC of a bat eating tacos near south Congress bridge. It took seconds! I thought that was a really funny touch to the keynote.

Lisa ends with the thought that companies that learn how to leverage AI in productive ways, not to replace people, will win. Gaining higher value by time freed up for people to work on more important things.

Featured Session: Conan O’Brien Must Go

Panel: Conan O’Brien and Nick Kroll

Following Conan O’Brien’s 11-year run with “CONAN” on TBS, he’s returning to television with his new travel series CONAN O’BRIEN MUST GO.

O’Brien mentions that he did the traditional format late night TV for 28 years and has since really enjoyed his podcast, but now he’s prioritized more of what he loves to do and it so happens to be traveling to parts of the world where people may not know him. He loves being able to go to places where the people aren’t afraid to be “real” with and joke with or at him.

“Ireland is full of comedians, but Norwegians are determined not to be amused,” Conan reminisces. But he thrives on the improv of the show as he’s going into people’s homes not knowing what may turn up.

I can’t think if there were more laughs or F-bombs dropped in this session. Which is totally OK with me! The banter between the two was what made this the funniest panel of SXSW 2024. Conan made fun of Nick Kroll’s shirt, “It looks like a cowboy on acid dropped in a Willy wonka vat,” jeered Conan. Kroll rolled with it and quipped “it’s basically what Austin is!”

My Favorite Activations & VIP Parties

AG1 Workouts at Studio Three

This was a nice reset after a few days of SXSW. AG1 set up a series of morning workouts and running groups hosted by Studio Three to help us reset with a good sweat and green smoothie. I opted for the Interval workout by elite instructor Kennedy Kurtz.

Hook ‘Em House at Antone’s

As a Texas Longhorn alum, I was so proud to see The University of Texas at Austin take over Antone’s on 5th St. They had panels with the likes of Kendra Scott, they gave away $240,000 worth in scholarships, had private networking sessions upstairs along with hat embroidery, yummy hors d’oeuvres, and a late night music performances by Ghostland Observatory, Dayglow, and the Longhorn Marching Band.

Amazon Prime’s “Fallout” at Hotel San Jose

I have to give this activation an award for the best I’ve seen in all my years. The reason why is because they created what was like a Hollywood movie set of Fallout in the parking lot of Hotel San Jose right behind Jo’s Coffee. You walk in and are immediately greeted by actors playing in character. I was delightfully taken back by all this and eventually enjoyed bantering with the actors as I lassoed a beaver, shot empty cans at targets with an air gatling gun, and got my “tooth pulled” by the village dentist. All of that combined with a free and open bar made for a memorable experience.

Verizon Rooftop Party at Inn Cahoots IYKYK

This had to be the best view and coolest giveaways of SXSW 2024. An invite-only to media and platinum badge holders, you certainly felt on top of the world sipping cocktails and eating hors d’oeuvres on the rooftop of IYKYK at Inn Cahoots on East 6th St. While you got your tarot card reading, you also could enter to win about 5 different prizes which included VR headsets, RayBan smart glasses, and the like.

Aimi Future of Music Dinner

I’ve never heard of aimi.fm before this, but boy was I impressed with the production of this banquet dinner. They definitely had the best food and presentation of all the activations. We sat down in an event space where we learned and heard the AI-generative music, while AI-generative artwork displayed on the walls.

The Lodge: A Paramount+ Experience

Media was invited to explore three stories of Clive Bar where each room was outfitted with whatever pertained to that Paramount+ show. As I walked through, I sipped on themed cocktails at the Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ speakeasy, or grab an Azalea, the signature drink of The Masters. I tried to harness the potential power of the artifact relic from Halo, got my picture taken on the iconic bridge of the U.S.S. Discovery ahead of the Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, and explored my inner Mean Girls.

Longbranch Wild Turkey Tasting at Whisler’s

This was the first activation I did because they were smart and held this a day before SXSW officially began! One thing I love the most about SXSW is getting to explore and learn from people in different industries like at Longbranch Wild Turkey. I was so happy to meet JoAnn Street, part of the Russell family – icons in the bourbon world, as she enlightened us to the finer nuances of bourbon.

Marshall Fun House

I came, I played carnival games, searched through vinyl records, listened to bands and DJs at outdoor and indoor stages, and filled up with food and booze to boot! This house also won my award for serving up my favorite cocktail of SXSW 2024. It was called “gov’nor” and it tasted like a peanut butter-filled pretzel!

Cool Finds at Creative Industry Expo

MOD BIKES

I love a good Austin business story and had to come say hi to MOD BIKES. They were established in Austin in 2018, and their electric bicycles blend a stylish design with practicality. CEO and Founder Dor Korngold’s mission is to create a collection of e-bikes equipped with premium parts and functionality, complemented by top-notch service rooted in southern hospitality. Can you think of a better electric bike that fits so well with the Austin lifestyle?

I was so impressed with MOD’s collection of e-bikes that I went to their Austin HQ near the St. Elmo District and gave their MOD Easy SideCar a ride with my dog Teddy as well as tested out their newest bike of 2024, MOD Black. The things I loved about MOD was that they have a showroom where you can ride the bikes safely in their parking lot. When you buy the bike, you become part of their family and if there’s ever any maintenance that needs to be done, they have a mechanic shop right there. I loved the bike’s integration of the turn signal and brake lights into the helmets. If I had a choice in bike, I’d go with MOD Black because of the full suspension and travel modes: Eco, Fit, Sport, and Turbo when I really am in a hurry. I like that I could take this anywhere in Austin!

Infomania! Game with Ricoh

It was set up exactly like the show and even Ken Jennings presented the answers on the video board. I’ve always wanted to be on Jeopardy! even though I’m not great at trivia. However, I did get the answer right to this game and won a card game. They also had a station of creative designers who helped you create your own AI-generated background.

National Geographic Art Wall

The National Park Foundation works to protect wildlife and park lands, preserve history and culture, educate, and engage youth, and connect people everywhere to the wonder of parks. In collaboration with National Geographic, they allowed participants to paint the art wall which unveiled a beautiful scene from one of Texas’ national parks, the Santa Elena Canyon of Big Bend National Park.