SXSW: A Storyteller’s Treasure Chest for Music, Film and Interactive Media

Learn more about SXSW and the exciting possibilities for entertainment industry professionals in today's world.

Many people hear about this huge festival called South by Southwest (SXSW) where tens of thousands converge every March in the city of Austin, Texas. But most think that it is merely a fun music festival and days-long party. While that is certainly part of the appeal, SXSW has grown to so much more.

The festival/organization was started in 1987, and did, in fact start out as a music festival. The eclectic music scene brought in 700 or so registrants. 

Since then, SXSW is has eloquently, masterfully evolved to incorporate a film aspect (added in 1994), closely followed by a high-tech aspect (use of technology in film and music, as well as the distribution of both). These three elements have combined to attract nearly 32,000 registrants a year from all over the world.

SXSW now has offices in Ireland, Germany, Australia, and even Japan. The seamless integration of these three aspects of the entertainment industry has had a massive effect on how people make and distribute movies and music.

How has SXSW effected the entertainment industry? Hollywood had better take note. The SXSW festival levels the playing field by bringing together talent, ideas, and technology from all over the world to enable high quality productions on a limited budget, and from any place in the world.  Let that concept sink in for a moment….

This video below of the recent SXSW with Austin-based director Robert Rodriguez clearly demonstrates the spirit of the festival, and the possibilities that open for new creative ideas. He even goes on to talk about how he is able to direct, produce music, and tell stories better than ever before, just like the big production studios do, right from beside his bed! 

It’s a whole new world of possibility out there for the creative person who loves to tell stories across multiple media, to distribute it, and to be discovered. Find a way to attend the SXSW festival every year, and get continually connected in to a perfect demonstration of the wonderful, exciting evolution of the entertainment industry.