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Celebrity-spotting at SXSW Interactive

From President Obama to TV star Kerry Washington, SXSW Interactive has plenty of star power.
President Barack Obama gives a speech at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin touting his administration's accomplishments and the lack of support from the Republicans in Congress during a fundraising stop Thursday afternoon July 10, 2014. RALPH BARRERA / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Credit: Austin American-Statesman

Credit: Austin American-Statesman

President Barack Obama gives a speech at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Austin touting his administration's accomplishments and the lack of support from the Republicans in Congress during a fundraising stop Thursday afternoon July 10, 2014. RALPH BARRERA / AMERICAN-STATESMAN
By Omar L. Gallaga
Updated March 6, 2016

SXSW Keynote presentations for 2016 include U.S President Barack Obama (a late addition announced Wednedsay), MBAs Across America's Casey Gerald, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, Headspace meditation app guru Andy Puddicombe and "Elephant in the Valley" report co-authors Trae Vassallo and Michele Madansky on a talk about gender diversity in tech.

Beyond that, the Featured and Convergence Speakers lineup includes household names from CNN host Anthony Bourdain to Oscar winner Geena Davis to "Scandal" star Kerry Washington and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams. And geeks will rejoice at a panel and Coney Island installation themed to USA's TV show "Mr. Robot."

If your celebrity spotting leads more toward famous CEOs and tech pioneers, there’s Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, SoulCycle founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice, and Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff as well as Nolan Bushnell and family, the founder of Atari, Chuck-E-Cheese and a new venture called Two Bit Circus.

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Omar L. Gallaga
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