From its humble beginnings in 1987, Austin's South By Southwest has evolved from a small music festival into a two-week multimedia bacchanalia that brings together artists and trendsetters of every kind. And for the last three decades, SXSW director Hugh Forrest has been one of the driving forces behind the SXSW experience, working with the artistic community to create immersive programming that celebrates and predicts the best of art and technology. Join long-time pals Nick and Hugh as they explore the philosophy behind SXSW's themed events, the challenges of going virtual during a global pandemic, and their friendly American League East baseball rivalry.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[01:59] Hugh revisits the nightmare of reorganizing the 2020 SXSW as Covid lockdowns kicked in
[04:48] SXSW coordinates with many local and federal authorities to insure the safety of the festival
[06:27] Hugh explains the differences between the 2020 and 2021 virtual SXSW experiences
[08:27] Even after 30 years of producing SXSW, staging virtual events presents a host of new challenges
[11:07] Hugh explains the concept behind SXSW's "tracks", and how they differ in a virtual setting
[12:15] For 2021, the SXSW organizers identified various themes to explore through their programming
[17:17] Hugh believes in listening to both positive and negative feedback in order to improve future SXSW events
[21:31] Hugh deals with the fact that more success brings more critics, especially with social media
[24:00] Hugh examines some of the missteps SXSW management made in handling certain content
[25:54] A sample of the incredible highlights of the upcoming 2021 SXSW Online festival
[30:34] The SXSW education programming is more important this year than ever before
[32:36] How Hugh keeps his creativity going when he has so much going on
[34:41] Going virtual has changed the SXSW attendance demographics in significant ways
[38:02] Hugh and Nick cover the 2021 SXSW Online schedule
[40:47] Nick has low expectations for the Boston Red Sox's chances in the upcoming season
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Find out more about today’s guest, Hugh Forrest
Find out more about your host, Nick Terzo
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