TV Panels and Premieres at SXSW 2016: Parizman's Picks
The below post is written by Chad Parizman, a Found Remote Council member and a wearer of many hats at Scripps Networks Interactive working across its portfolio of lifestyle brands including HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel. Follow his SXSW adventures at @cparizman on Twitter and Instagram.
We’re a week away from thirty-thousand digital entrepreneurs, executives, engineers and everything in between descending on Austin for SXSW 2016.
Having attended since 2008, I’ve seen the event change and evolve from a launchpad for Twitter and Foursquare to the mainstream powerhouse of all things interactive. Don’t let the haters tell you that SX has jumped the shark!
The schedule this year is packed with plenty of content for any TV or media junkie to get their fill.
Friday, March 11 is a light day as everyone is still arriving in Austin. Find out how to keep native sponsored content engaging with Abigail Jacobs from West Welm, Shani Silver from Domino Magazine, and Camille Styles at 3:30p with Go Native or Go Home. Then head up on to 6th street and grab a margarita and fajitas at Iron Cactus before getting in line at the Alamo Ritz for the 8:45 premiere of HBO’s latest from Eastbound & Down’s Danny McBride and Jody Hill - Vice Principals.
Saturday, March 12 is jam packed with TV content throughout the day. Start the morning off with coffee in the lobby of the Four Seasons then get the latest in the OTT landscape from Bob Bowman, CEO of MLBAM, and George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer WWE, in The Future of Sports TV with Robyn Peterson, CTO Mashable Inc, and Tara Maitra SVP & GM of Content & Media Sales TiVo. Head back over to the Austin Convention Center for 12:30 when executives from LEGO Group and Cartoon Network present Building Future Fans to share how they have partnered to create multiplatform experience combining great storytelling with toys. Stick around the ACC to hear from the production world at 3:30 when Dani Faith Leonard & Alex Cirillo, Founders of Big Vision Empty Wallet, moderate the panel Breaking into TV in the Digital Age. Did you watch last year’s breakout hit Mr Robot? Then end the day with Jason Loomis & Kim Garcia from VaynerMedia and Alexandra Shapiro, EVP Marketing & Digital USA NETWORK, showcasing how they launched my favorite new show of 2015 with Social Media: The New TV Show Launchpad.
Sunday, March 13 you can sleep in a little as things don’t get going until later in the day. Meerkat was all the rage at SXSW 2015, but since then, Twitter launched Periscope and Facebook enabled Live for everyone. Join NBC's on-air tech contributor Mario Armstrong to find the hidden money in live streaming at 11am for Can Periscope Equal Profit? Then revisit the world of Mr Robot at 12:30pm with Christian Slater, Rami Malek and show creator Sam Esmail discussing the lengths they took to make season one the most authentic representation of tech and hacker lifestyles ever seen on TV in Coding on Camera: MR. ROBOT and Authenticity on TV. TBS presents the premiere of Search Party, a new dark comedy starring Alia Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early and Meredith Hagner at 1:30pm. Finish the day at 5pm taking a look at the future of entertainment with Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater, and three of his children - Brent, Alissa and Tyler Bushnell - in Smartertainment: Bushnells on the Future of Fun.
Monday, March 14 the Future of Entertainment track kicks into overdrive. Start the day when Paula Kerger, President & CEO of PBS, sits down with Geena Davis for Gender in Media: Why It Matters. At 11am see how much money is being pumped into the latest video platforms, and where it’s all going, with That Snapchatter Makes More Than You. The indie film world is crossing over into TV and episodic content with New Indie Frontier: TV (and More) on the DIY at 12:30pm. Then at 2pm there’s a powerhouse panel looking at how TV discovery will go beyond just recommendations when Jim Denney (Tivo), Josh Constine (Techcrunch), Kendra Johnson (Maker Studios) and Rich Cusick (Gracenote) discuss Future of Entertainment and “The Channel of You." If you’re in the mood for more of a lean-back experience, head up to the Paramount Theater for AMC’s world premiere of Preacher; A long-time fan of the comic series, I’ll be getting in line early for this one - it's easily my most anticipated new show of the year and. End the day in the world of virtual reality with Live 360° Video and VR: The Immersive Revolution.
Tuesday, March 15 is when things start winding down and you can feel the mood change in Austin as SX Music attendees roll into town. After a long Monday, and that late night showing of a newly remastered edition of Phantsam, kick the day off a little late with Instagram and Snapchat Content: The New Hustle. If you need a little more time to get going, head over to the Vimeo Theater for the premiere of DirecTV’s You Me Her, TV’s first "polyromantic comedy". At 2pm explore the creation of El Rey Network’s hit show Lucha Underground. Then stick around the Four Seasons for an in-depth discussion around creator’s rights and copyright infringement with Fuck You, Sue Me: Artist Rights, Corporate Theft.
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