SXSW has announced the addition of a new component, SXsports, for its 2014 event. SXsports will “incorporate film screenings and panel elements, and touch on all aspects of sports through the SXSW lens of culture, media and innovation.” From the official press release:
Further evolving its mission to foster the nexus of creative industries, innovation and business, SXSW announces SXsports, a new component of the annual event for 2014. The sports-focused track is Convergent and open to all Interactive and Film registrants, and will take place Friday, March 7 – Sunday, March 9, 2014 in Austin, Texas. SXsports will incorporate film screenings and panel elements, and touch on all aspects of sports through the SXSW lens of culture, media and innovation. Featured Sessions anchoring the inaugural SXsports include Opening Featured Speaker Peter Guber, Chairman of Mandalay Sports Media, and Grantland’s Bill Simmons in conversation with Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, along with a handful of exciting panels that exemplify just a taste of the final program. For more information, visit http://sxsw.com/sxsports.
“The world of sports truly hits the sweet spot of SXSW, the vital intersection of entertainment and technology, and we intend to approach it with the same forward-thinking and culturally relevant perspective we shine on all of our events,” said Rebecca Feferman, Head of Film Media Relations & Programmer. “We can’t wait to connect the sports world with our passionate audience of early adopters, culture nuts, digital creatives, and so much more.”
SXsports will be highly curated and intimate, with a portion of sessions received through the PanelPicker submission process (http://panelpicker.sxsw.com). Additional conference programming will be announced in November, with related film screenings announced as part of the official SXSW Film program in early February 2014. Preliminary sessions announced today include:
- Media & The Personal Brand – ESPN, Grantland & 538
Bill Simmons (ESPN Columnist, Special Contributor and Editor-in-Chief of Grantland.com; ABC/ESPN NBA Analyst) & Nate Silver (Statistician, Author and Founder of FiveThirtyEight)- Hunting for Elephants: Creating Enterprise Value in Sports Media
Peter Guber (Chairman, Mandalay Sports Media)- Arena vs. Couch: The Battle of Game Day Experience
Bryan Srabian (San Francisco Giants), Jordan Maleh (University of Michigan), Bob Morgan (SportStream)- The End Game: Storytelling Through Sports
Panelists TBA- The Printed Athlete: Sports Embraces 3D Printing
Jeff Beckham (Jeff Beckham) & Mike Vasquez (Tribal Sciences)- Innovation in Big-Time College Football
Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech University) & George Schroeder (USA TODAY)For the screening component of SXsports, SXSW Film is still accepting sports-related film submissions from filmmakers hoping for the opportunity to screen their films at this renowned destination for discovery. Submissions are only accepted online via the official SXSW website at http://sxsw.com/film and in the following categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animated Short, Music Video and Title Sequence. The drop-dead submission deadline is Thursday, November 14, 2013. Complete rules and regulations can be found at http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/faq. SXSW is proud to be an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards® Short Film competition. The Best Narrative Short and Best Animated Short winners become eligible for the Academy Awards.
Register for a Film, Interactive, Gold or Platinum Badge today at www.sxsw.com/attend, and join us March 7-16, 2014 for unparalleled access to these energetic panels, exceptional films, exciting parties, the SXSW Trade Show and, of course, a creative and inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. Be sure to register soon, and gain access to conveniently located hotels. Register by 11:59pm CST on Friday, October 18 and save up to 30% off the walk-up rate.
