Welcome to SXSW

Juliana Maia Pinto 00:04 Okay. Thanks, Jenny, welcome, welcome. That's all great advice. So hi everyone. I am Greg Rosenbaum, for those that I haven't met yet, my South by Southwest journey started 16 years ago when I helped launch South by Southwest, Edu. Last spring, I stepped into this new role overseeing programming across the entire Southwest, Southwest ecosystem, music, film, TV, innovation, comedy and education. It's an honor to bring my deep appreciation for everything this team does to this area. Before I begin, I speak to all my colleagues here, South by Southwest, when I say, our hearts remain with the victims and families of the traffic events on March. 1, the outpouring support is what makes this city so special. Now, what we are all here for, let's dive into the what and the where, but I'm also going to start with the offer. I like to take a moment to start from a place of gratitude. We are popping up a greater village and a heart of the living, breathing city, and that doesn't happen without a massive collective effort, and South by Southwest, sustainably, not a sit and get experience. So I'm actually going to ask all of you to help me share some love with the people I'm about to call it. So first to our contributors, to the speakers, the filmmakers, the artists and comedians and the finalists. If you're wearing a contributor badge in the room right behind you, raise your hand. Got a few we'll have many more coming throughout the day. Let's give them a big round of applause. To our partners, to rivian and all of our major sponsors, the folks that make this really happen and support this effort. Big, big. Thanks to all our partners. So Jenny called out the staff, and you haven't seen them from six stories above. Now you can see them. I have the privilege of being up here, but you have to know there's really a dedicated team that's behind this experience. We've given a lot of computer. And then finally, volunteers. We have over 3000 volunteers this year. They'll be everywhere. They'll be wearing those beautiful T shirts. They'll be helping your experience really thrive because they hide our volunteers. Yes, for bringing your passion, your energy, your curiosity, and making the most of the next seven days. So as Jenny called it out, 2026 is a massive milestone. It's our 40th year in 1987 South by Southwest, started as an independent music event for about 700 registers. It's about discovery. It was about global clubs, and it was really a collision of talent and industry. In 1994 we added film, TV and innovation in 22,008 comedy joined the party in 2011 you rounded down South by Southwest. But 2026, is the first. It is actually the first time that we're doing all South by Southwest, all together, all backwards, music, film and TV, innovation and comedy and today on crossover today, the South by Southwest world flies in South by Southwest in a truly beautiful the spirit of South by Southwest has never been tied to a single building or Jenny called out the construction across the street, but it is really tied to the creative village, and That's been the spirit of how we return to our groups this year. It's been an incredible opportunity for us to reimagine footprint. We've reclaimed the streets, the theaters and the attractive spaces in Austin. We're really, truly gaining the whole city this year, and we're putting the community first by anchoring each of these audiences as a dedicated one house. So at our core, we are both a community fuel event and an amazing team here at South Carolina, Southwest with some of the brightest minds in programming you'll experience over this weekend, with 10s of 1000s of submissions and hundreds of 1000s of public votes, advisor and screener reviews, dedicated programming team. We're around the world of what's next in here, and while they're going to be some big themes and some big trends and takeaways that stand out too personally, I want to share a little bit about what the emerging themes are that we've seen as a programming team for this year's event across music from TV innovation. Many so as you navigate the program, these are the five things that I think might stand humanity in the age of AI, we are clearly continuing to see AI as impact across the board. But a big theme this year is how we are evolving alongside and importantly preserving the uncomputable parts of being a human, the creator better stops. Creativity is an essential and irreplaceable part of our experience. We're exploring how creative human expression doesn't just survive individually, but it actually leads fandom and following from audience to architect. Fandom is really evolving into a powerful force that shapes culture and identity. We're navigating the world where online college, we build movements, Spark trends, lead and shape into higher industries over time, the evolution of consumer behavior technology shaping our shop. Choose what we engage with, brands, artists, creatives. This year we're recording back, occurring on some of those unseen digital nudges that are influencing our decisions, and then, most importantly, human connection. In an era of digital isolation, you're seeing a real, focused return to the importance of human connection, or exploring how you build genuine community in a fractured world. Okay, I'm the programming guy, and I give you a few tips for how to approach the next seven days. These are the three things I encourage everyone to keep in mind. So one, I encourage you to make a plan and then don't use the record. Use our apps, partner, favorites and reservations, but the session is a long line that excites you to keep your music coming out of the venue. If you're curious about film screening, serendipity is really the secret sauce South by Southwest, and I encourage you to embrace that. Discovery is also another hallmark of the experience here. So as I think about it, live in that space where the Venn diagrams overlap, break out of your lane or focus on a new area of explore the outcome. Moments happen when the industries are alive, and then finally, the power of the person next to you. Look to the person to your left and to your right, South by Southwest, the person in the seat next to you is often as impactful as a person on stage. In fact, I'm going to take 30 seconds now to actually ask you To introduce yourself to the person Unknown Speaker 07:33 Sitting next Speaker 1 07:43 Maia, You Unknown Speaker 08:03 Maia, Maia, you Juliana Maia Pinto 08:43 here, from the directorial debut Daniels to career launching performances by Juliana Eilish and Kendrick lavar, we're really stage star launches, Airbnb, Twitter, Siri and more. South by Southwest has always been a staging ground for the episode. So with that in mind, take stock of what is happening around you this year, and for all the first to come, there's always a special blend about the emerging and the established. People come to South by Southwest to share the many facets of who they are, not just what they do, but what they are truly passionate about. And I have to say, the opportunity to be together in the world right now is a special, special thing. Yeah, we are global community of creatives, innovators and artists, of makers, of doers, connectors. We see the power and the convergence and the religion and love to live. I want to say a huge final thank you to those that have dedicated years and more to making this festival where it is today about our founders vision that's still shining bright. You. The commitment of our longtime directors of the festival and the staff has been working tirelessly now to bring this experience to life. We would not have reached this 40 year milestone. So in honor of our roots, I'm going to leave you with a look back at some fun moments from over the years. Thank you so much. Maia, was to promote using. Transcribed by https://otter.ai