A First Timer's Take on South By Southwest
Click 3X's Peter Corbett reports from the new nexus of film, media and interactivity - Austin, Texas, home of SXSW.
A First Timer Reports from SXSW
Click 3X's Peter Corbett checks in from the new nexus of film,
media and interactivity-Austin, Texas, home of SXSW.
By Peter Corbett
As new media formats, social media networks and the intermingling of content and brands continue to expand, cultural events like SXSW have taken on a new importance for agencies and producers. Here's what first-timer Peter Corbett of New York's Click 3X had to share with SourceEcreative about his whirlwind tour of Austin.
This is my first time attending SXSW; I read a New York Times article about the conference and how it's become the new "Burning Man" for all things interactive. I'm not so sure about the comparison (I've never attended Burning Man!), but the volume of people and energy was pretty astounding.
Click 3X brought a small team of four people to the event, so we could really explore what the conference has to offer. For me, the takeaway was more than just anecdotal insights; it made me realize that companies like ours are in the right space at the right time as video and interactive features continue to merge together and create unique user experiences. In fact, some of the panels for film that we attended quickly crossed the divide into interactive media.
From jam-packed sessions to networking events and a trade show, there was no shortage of great events to take in. The sessions and panels ranged from elementary, basic knowledge to more advanced concepts. It was eclectic to say the least, as we saw Mike Tyson, then Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman), then media mogul Barry Diller! Diller in particular was great, given his career in both web properties with IAC and his entertainment background as a studio head. He was really insightful with his thoughts on the issues of net neutrality, the role of cable companies, etc.
Quite often, it was the offbeat panels that didn't seem like an obvious fit which really resonated. A simple 15-minute piece by Tim Washer (www.timwasher.com), resident Cisco comedian and marketing executive, demonstrated how the use of humorous videos in a B-to-B context can really work for clients. As he describes it, the parameters for success these days are different.
The real success of SXSW was the opportunity to not only meet people you never normally bump into (although it seemed that half of New York was there), but to really engage in meaningful conversations. It seems the Texan food, coupled with the relaxed atmosphere, really allowed people to drop their guard. Of course, the long, long lines to get into anything - especially the parties – were proved to be great places to meet and greet.
Now that I've got my first SXSW under my belt, I'm setting some clearly-established goals for 2012:
-- Start working on putting together panel concepts to pitch to the event organizers. Despite the excitement and electricity of SXSW, many of the panels were somewhat lame and very stodgy in format.
-- Book hotel rooms early! Being stuck in a motel miles away from everything sucked.
-- SXSW runs on social media like no other event. I found myself really using Foursquare, Facebook Places and Twitter. Location-based social tools really came into their own here.
I'm still collecting my thoughts on the event, looking at the bundle of business cards and, in the cold light of day, racking my brain as to exactly who these people were. But one thing's for sure. The process of meeting them and talking to them proved inspiring. For all of us here, it's going to pan out into lots of new ideas for ways we can work with agencies and brands.
Peter Corbett is Founder and President of the visual effects, design and production studio Click 3X. To see more about what's happening at SXSW, visit its YouTube channel here.
Published 16 March, 2011
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