ADwire » Not just music…South By Southwest Media fest

Not just music…South By Southwest Media fest

March 13th, 2008 at 12:01pm Katharyn Havens

So what does South By Southwest (SXSW) have to do with North in Illinois? Perhaps more than you think. This conglomerate show of music, new media, film, web and art design has grown into one of the best showcases of new talent and a preview of coming trends. Known by many as the Live Music Capitol of the World, Austin, Texas is a town of idea generation and the festival is growing exponentially. Having attended 2 years ago myself, I can attest to the sometimes baffling and no less than amazing amount of music (happening on 80 stages across the city), but have now become more attuned to what’s new in New Media and by viewing this year’s winners and it is clear to see that the rest of the country will be taking notes from the Texas capitol.

One of the most notable aspects of SXSW is the seamless integration of each division of the festival through websites saturated with video, links and interactive teasers sure to grab attention. We are talking about interactive podcasts, video of where to go in the convention center, and live chat with participants and presenters. It truly does seem like you can feel the pulse of what happened… http://pulse.sxsw.com/

Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh presents “Top Ten Lessons Learned in E-Commerce” at SXSW Interactive 2008. Photo by David Fox.

Check out top creative minds in music, art, interactive, blog, web design, business and film making, and learn how to stay fresh and inventive from the best in our field. http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/web_awards/winners/

“The SXSW INTERA CTIVE FESTIVAL celebrates the creativity and passion behind the coolest new media technologies. In addition to panel sessions that cover everything from web design to bootstrapping to social networks, attendees make new business connections at the three-day Trade Show & Exhibition.” http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/

Explore these sites and there is no doubt you will be energized to get creative!