Today, South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals announced its initial Keynote and Featured Speakers for the 36th edition of its annual Conference, which celebrates the convergence of technology, film, and music industries. “At the 2022 SXSW Conference, we will focus on building a future that is equitable and sustainable across society, culture, technology, and policy,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. “Our first announced Keynote speaker, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, embodies these values as our communities continue to fight for reproductive freedom and civil rights for all people.”
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The 2022 SXSW Conference is organized into 15 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats. New for 2022 is the addition of Summits, which take a deep dive into specific topics relevant to the SXSW audience. More information about SXSW programming Summits, formats, and themes can be found here.
Newly-announced SXSW 2022 Keynotes include:
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson
Newly-announced Featured Speakers include:
Check My Ads activists and co-founders Claire Atkin and Nandini Jammi in conversation
Founder and Chief Designer of industrial design and brand development studio fuseproject Yves Béhar
Corporate Vice President, Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Xbox Sarah Bond
Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning filmmaker and co-founder of The Decentralized Pictures Foundation Roman Coppola in conversation with Decentralized Pictures co-founder Leo Matchett moderated by freelance journalist and media attorney Barbara Bruni
SVP Chief Customer Experience Officer at Everbridge John Maeda
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon in conversation with Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini
Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov
Host of IHeartRadio’s There Are No Girls on the Internet podcast Bridget Todd.
Designer, author, and CEO of Kelly Wearstler Interior Design Kelly Wearstler
Quantitative futurist, author, and founder, and CEO of the Future Today Institute Amy Webb
Newly-announced Featured Sessions include:
50 Non-Obvious Trends Changing the Future Normal: a presentation with Non-Obvious Company founder Rohit Bhargava.
Breaking the Rules to Make Your Experience Matter: Accenture Interactive CEO, David Droga, will talk with industry disruptors Dara Treseder, SVP, head of global marketing and communications at Peloton, and Ukonwa Kuzi-Orizu Ojo, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Amazon Prime Video & Amazon Studios, on how to break through the barriers holding brands back from creating the experiences people didn’t even know they needed.
Creative Catalysts: Pioneering the Future: A conversation with VP of Immersive Content Innovation ILMxLAB at Lucasfilm Vicki Dobbs Beck, and LiveArea Director of Strategy Val Vacante about what it takes to innovate, the impact of the ever-evolving emerging technology landscape, and how next-generation connected experiences will be powered through choice and participation.
Elevating Communities that Created Pop Music: A discussion with Apple Music Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B Ebro Darden and Save The Music Foundation CEO Henry Donahue on the necessity of ensuring that today’s youth have direct access in their classrooms to the rich musical and cultural legacies in their communities.
Machine or Human? The Ethics Behind Smarter AI: A conversation with Smart Eye deputy CEO Rana el Kaliouby and MIT Technology Review CEO and Publisher Elizabeth Bramson-Boudreau on what a human-centric AI world can look like, how we can build emotional intelligence into our machines, and the massive potential this has to improve our lives — as well as the possible risks
Next-Gen Tech & The Live Entertainment Revolution: Unity SVP of Sports & Live Entertainment Peter Moore will provide a sneak peek into the new fusion of the physical and virtual worlds in live entertainment, offering consumers an elevated, personalized, and gamified experience.
The Second Renaissance of Creativity: A presentation from Patreon CEO & co-founder Jack Conte on the rapidly fading “starving artist” stigma and what the next five to ten years hold for the creator economy.
Get ready for the 2022 SXSW Conference!
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music and comedy showcases, film screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.
