J.J. Abrams to speak at SXSW
Director/producer J.J. Abrams speaks onstage at the 27th Annual Producers Guild Of America Awards at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Jan. 23 in Century City, California. Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
South by Southwest on Monday morning added about two dozen more Featured Speaker presenters for the March festival including the family behind Atari and Chuck-E-Cheese, the wildly popular director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” an Oscar-winning actress and one of the leaders of the Hyperloop project movement.
Perhaps the most anticipated of the sessions will be director “Star Wars” director J.J. Abrams in a conversation with “The Jinx” director Andrew Jarecki on keeping humanity digital entertainment. This will be a Convergence session available to all SXSW badgeholders.
Geena Davis will speak on portrayals of women in media in a Future of Entertainment Convergence session in conversation with Paula Kerger, the chief executive of PBS.
Nolan, Alissa and Brent Bushnell plus Nancy Bennett will be part of another Convergence panel, “Smartertainment: Bushnells on the Future of Fun.”
Here’s the full lineup of newly announced presenters, from SXSW:
- J.J. Abrams and Andrew Jarecki. (Convergence)
- Dirk Ahlborn– The CEO of Hyperloop Transportations and JumpStartFund speaks about how crowdsourcing this massive transportation project will be the business model of the future. (Interactive)
- Jose Andres– The ThinkFoodGroup founder on what it means when indie, hip food culture goes mass. Interviewed by Erin DeJesus, reports editor at Eater. (Convergence)
- Bonin Bough– The chief media and eCommerce officer at Mondelez explores slaying unicorns, hatching dragons and what the future of mobile messaging means for consumers and marketers alike. (Interactive)
- Steve Chen– The co-founder of YouTube, talks about the future of interactive video and unveils his new product, nom.com. (Interactive)
- Frank Cooper– The chief marketing officer and chief creative officer of BuzzFeed on their global cross-platform network. (Interactive)
- Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice – The founders of SoulCycle on creating a movement and changing people's relationship with exercise.
- Geena Davis– The founder and chair of the Geena Davis Institute discusses the impact of how women and girls are portrayed on screen, as well as how the media industry can improve gender balance both on-camera and behind-the-camera. Interviewed by PBS CEO Paula Kerger (Convergence)
- Susan B. Glasser– Editor of Politico on covering Washington (and the world) in 2016: how to win the news cycle, conquer social, figure out what really matters and have a life too. Interviewed by MTV News senior political correspondent Ana Marie Cox.
- Danny Meyer– The founder of Shake Shack and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group discusses the future of the restaurant world in the age of no-tipping. Interviewed by Bon Appétit editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport. (Convergence)
- Julie Anne Quay and Elliot Tebele – The founders of VFILES, and Founder of FuckJerry, respectively, will discuss how their companies have found success using digital, multi-platform approaches. (Future of Entertainment) (Convergence)
- Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss – The co-founders of Gemini, a next generation bitcoin exchange, discuss virtual currency and the future of money. (Interactive)
- Smartertainment: Bushnells on the Future of Fun – A power panel on the smart, immersive, networked future of entertainment, anchored by Nolan Bushnell, the father of gaming, founder of Atari, Chuck-E-Cheese and Brain Rush. With Alissa Bushnell of 104 West PR; Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus; and Nancy Bennett, chief content officer and head of virtual reality at Two Bit Circus. (Convergence)
SXSW says it will discuss these announcements on a Periscope livestream at 12:30 p.m. central Monday. You can watch for that on the SXSW Twitter account, where it should appear live.
Separately, the festival also has posted the full panel lineup for the March 12 Online Harassment Summit, taking place at the Hyatt Regency.
