Marvel Entertainment is going to be making its inaugural appearance at SXSW! Apparently on March 11, they intend to announce some ground breaking news on the Arcade Stage. The panel is going to include Axel Alonso (Marvel Comics Editor in Chief), Jeph Loeb (Head of Marvel Television) and Peter Phillips (SVP & GM, Marvel Digital Media Group).
Marvel has been making a big push to move into digital comics. They launched Marvel Digital Comics in 2007, which was really the first major digital comics program around. And yes… there is an app for that, on both iOS and Android.
While I am excited to be there as I am all for comics, my ComicCon friends they seemed to be a little prickly that Marvel is going to a non comic event to do a big announcement. Let me tell you it started a very heated discussion over digital comics versus traditional that made me regret even mentioning it. Personally I think it could be a great platform to make an interactive innovation announcement.
To borrow a roller derby term I am fresh meat for SXSW (this year will be my first to finally attend!) so I find myself wondering how the traditionalists see a comic incursion to the Festival. Is this blurring the line between the festival and the plethora of comic cons a little too much? Or is it just another example of how many different aspects of our lives are touched by interactive media?
SXSW and Engage Digital have announced the first ever Tech Career Expo @ SXSW, taking place March 9-10, 2012 during South by Southwest Interactive at the Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces St). The event is open to both SXSW Interactive registrants and non-registrants and the organizers are expecting more than 20,000.
Among the 21 companies that have already been announced are Bazaarvoice, Whale Shark Media, All Web Leads, Cosential, Rackspace Hosting,Teksystems, and SpaceTimeStudios. The event is billed as a place for “talented professionals can easily connect with the best tech jobs and career opportunities – all in one centralized location at SXSW.”
The event runs on Friday, March 9, from 11am to 5pm and on Saturday, March 10th from 12pm to 5pm, with a Happy Hour sponsored by WhaleShark Media on Saturday from 5pm to 8:30pm. Registration is not required, but they ask that you register so they know how many to expect.
Check out the their site for more info. And spread the word!
Yes there are lots of new shiny events, fancy clubs, and start-ups with money to burn, but SXSW has many traditional events the regulars all know about. Fray is one of them, and its spiritual sibling 20×2 is another.
A simple premise: you have twenty speakers… they each get two minutes… and they all answer the same question. Now in its 16th year, 20×2 could be a fabulous way to start your Southby. And yes, you did read that right old-timers, start your Southby.
20×2 is moving from its Monday night slot to 8pm on the opening Friday. The new venue is Skinny’s Ballroom, the fun starts at 8pm, we don’t know the question yet, and The Baby! will see you there!
PS: Facebook event page, if you want to be all new and modern and RSVP and stuff.
It might sound more like a game show, but I like the look of Hatch, where start-up companies have a chance to pitch their idea to a panel for investment (or at east a handshake to have a look at the paperwork to start doing a preliminary discovery process with a view to some Angel funding to see if it works out…):
HATCH is a pitch competition at the SXSW 2012 Startup Village for startups with revolutionary ideas. Fifteen finalists will be selected to present their business plans to a panel of corporate, angel, and venture investor judges in front of a well-connected SXSW audience on March 11th, 2012 in Austin, TX. The event, presented by Houston Technology Center, is geared toward tech startups with an interesting or disruptive product and strong growth potential.
If that sounds like something you want to do, then www.hatchpitch.com is your next stop – but do note this is a pay to pitch opportunity, and this is far too short a blog post to go into the ethics of paying, pitching, presenting, and powerpoints. If you’re just grabbing the popcorn from Whole Foods, then head to the Startup Village at SXSW on March 11th.
For all you SWAG fiends out there, SXSW has once again set up there environmentally friendly SXswag site as part of SXsocial, the online networking site for SXSW Registrants.
Here is the skinny:
SXswag is now live for SXSW registrants via SXsocial. If you’ve registered for SXSW 2012, now’s your chance to start digitally redeeming the oodles of swag. From magazine subscriptions to discounted software and more, SXswag has it all, so check it out today.
It was a very nice touch last year, we’re hoping for it to really catch on this year, as it is a great resource to direct registrants directly to your site.
Hello SXSW Babies! This is Kevin from over at Operation Every Band and I’m joining the SXSW Baby! team with my weekly SXSW Music recommendations. My site has been reviewing every band that is playing SXSW (yep, that’s over 2000 artists over three months) and I’ll be highlighting the cream of the crop here at The Baby.
For some, SXSW is about networking and promotion, but for me it is all about the music. SXSW gives music fanatics a chance to build their own personal festival in any and all genres, making it the greatest yearly music experience on the globe. To get a continuous stream of our reviews for the next few months, make sure to follow Operation Every Band on Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook. Your new favorite band is lining up showcases and day parties as you’re reading this, so get in the know now.
For SXSW Baby!, I’ll be highlighting the acts alphabetically. Here are the top picks for A-C:
Alabama Shakes – “You Ain’t Alone” (live)
In terms of band discovery, it doesn’t get more exciting than this. Halfway through “Hold On”, the first track on Alabama Shakes’ debut LP released a few months back, I had the band pegged as a solid southern rock outfit with a good grasp on funky grooves. The song draws as much from garage rock as Delta blues with just enough pop sensibility to pull it all together. Then came the second track, “I Found You”, where the listener is truly invited into the home of frontwoman Brittany Howard, one of the most soulful voices to enter the music scene in recent years. She’s that good. There is so much emotion that bleeds off her mic during the 60’s pop inspired track that it sets the “like” meter all the way to 10. The band is certainly at their best when they dig into Otis Redding style R&B grooves highlighting Howard’s vocal brilliance, but it’s the duality between rock and soul the band creates that really makes me excited for Alabama Shakes. They’ve rippled into the music scene in recent months and have set themselves up for a booming introduction to the indie music world in 2012. Best of all, the videos out on the web show a band putting their all out on the stage while playing live. I’m convinced this band is something special and will be sure to be among many SXSW’ers highlights come March.
See more from Bliss N Eso, Cosmo Jarvis, Breton and Chappo after the break…
Every year since 2000, attendees of SXSWi have gathered to tell stories. Before Twitter, before Facebook, before Blogs. Fray Cafe has been there before them all. This year, the legendary evening of true personal storytelling returns to Austin. The only ground rules: your story must be true, it must be about you, and it can’t be a plug for anything.
Here’s how it works: Anyone can attend. No badge required. You show up and listen. If you wish to tell a story, add your name to the sign up sheet. We get to as many as we can before 11. Past tales have included: Marriage Proposals, crimes committed, faces fallen flat upon and great triumphs of will. You know, that whole all of the human experience thing.
Does this sound like an evening well spent? Audiences for 12 years at SXSW have thought so. Join us. You’ll be glad you did.
We’ll be there – and I’ll be asking very nicely if I can tell another story. I’ve been behind that microphone every year since 2006 (BTW Kevin’s the only storyteller that’s managed every single Fray- word).
It goes something like this (long time Baby! fans, it’s okay to get something in your eye).
Visit the SXSW Baby! Podcast Page (coming back soon) to find out more about our daily show from SXSW and listen to all the episodes. Brought to you in association with The Podcast Corner and Ewan Spence.
SXSW Baby! is a volunteer run site, and we're always happy to hear from SXSW fans who want to get involved. All you need to do is reach out to us and let us know you can help
And if you like what we do, why not consider making a small donation so we can keep doing it?
