Calling all tech, music and virtual reality lovers! SXSW’s PanelPicker is officially open for community voting, now through August 25, 2017, in case you live under a rock and have not seen companies posting their panels to ask for your vote. SXSW 2017 came alive in Austin with new ideas and awesome speakers. It’s now the voters’ job to do their part to ensure a cutting edge conference in 2018!
Here are some of our picks for best PanelPicker standouts — panels that spotlight world issues, expertise in tech, music and VR, and our ability to glimpse the future.
Is Jingle A Dirty Word? The New Age of Ad Music
Courtesy Max Pixel
“With commercials and branded content morphing into short films and technology-driven experiences, the music propelling this new breed of advertising has been pushed to rise to meet this entertainment value. Does the traditional jingle cut it in today’s branded content space? Music and commercial industry experts will discuss the cinematic scores, spatial audio techniques and popular music tracks that have replaced the traditional jingle and are now staples of the sonic world of advertising.”
Speakers
Christina Carlo, Executive Producer, Nylon Studios
Chris Clark, Director of Music, Leo Burnett
Winslow Bright, Executive Producer, Search Party Music
Bianca Bhagat, Head of TV/Film, Glassnote Records
Singularity is Here: Future of Data Mining in VR
Courtesy Max Pixel
“Virtual reality technology has the ability to capture user data in a much more intimate and invasive manner by having up-close and personal access to the user.
VR as a viewing mechanism provides vastly more unconscious feedback than any other medium. With the future of VR likely to be driven by metrics, this panel will discuss the potential financial gains and ethical concerns of data mining as well as providing insight for users to what data and “passive feedback” they’re leaving out to dry.”
Speakers
Ian Forester, CEO/Co-Founder, VR Playhouse
Benjamin Durham, Founder, ThrillBox
Samantha Mathews, CEO & Founder, Venn Agency
Eric Jackson, CEO & Co-Founder, CapLinked
Making it Real: Tangible Worlds of Storytelling
Courtesy Max Pixel
“In an increasingly digital world, it can be difficult for storytellers to break through the noise. Through new media technology, filmmakers, artists and technologists are transporting viewers back to a tactile approach to entertainment. From immersive theater to augmented reality, physical connection to art and storytelling can dramatically transform a viewer experience. Panelists will discuss how connecting viewers physically can spark personal memories, reverberating long after the experience.”
Speakers
Ted Schilowitz, Futurist, Paramount Pictures
Delaney Martin, Co-Founder/Artistic Director, New Orleans Airlift
Vince Kadlubek, Co-Founder/CEO, Meow Wolf
Brandon Oldenburg, Chief Creative Officer, Flight School
Real War Dogs: Non-Traditional Defense Innovation
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. U.S. Army photo by Gertrud Zach/released
“The US government used to be at the cutting edge of nearly all security technologies, but today commercial industry is leading in key areas: cyber, data viz, AI, VR, and AR. Entrepreneurs have much to offer the DoD and Intelligence Community, but many have horror stories of attempts to work with the government. This session will feature some of those stories, paired with insights into recent successes and how we can generate more positive collaboration between government and ‘non-traditionals.’”
Speakers
Jackie Space, Partner, BMNT
Matt Thunell, EVP, Executive Producer, Zoic Labs
Christopher Zember, Chief Technology Officer, Alion Science and Technology
Sam Gussman, Senior Technical Analyst, BMNT Partners
Empathy and Intimacy: Are we really feeling VR?
Courtesy Flickr
“The term ‘empathy machine’ is being overused and is risking devaluation & possibly steering VR in the wrong emotional direction. For many, evolving beyond empathy means intimacy, simulating relationships with characters. VR creators from intimacy and empathy perspectives & psychological researchers discuss the accuracy of empathy-provoking VR, effects of intimate VR & how to best leverage VR’s ability to inflict emotions to create innovative content that exposes the medium & stories of others.”
Speakers
Elise Ogle , Project Manager , Stanford Virtual Human Interactions Lab
Adi Robertson, Senior Reporter, The Verge
Rose Troche, Director, Rose Troche Films
Matt Celia, Managing Partner, Creative Director, Light Sail VR
Fear is in the Hands of the Creator: Horror in VR
Courtesy Gooze on Vimeo
“Horror has found an appropriately chilling home in VR, allowing creators and Hollywood studios to capture audiences with mind-bending content. But streaming horror films to headsets isn’t enough, VR creators rely on blatant to subtle tactics, creating anxiety-inducing environments from which the brain’s convinced there’s no return. Expert panelists discuss innovative storytelling strategies for horror-based VR and explore the ethics of developing content deemed too terrifying for consumption.”
Speakers
Guy Shelmerdine , Director, CEO of Dark Corner Studio, Dark Corner Studio
Craig Phillips , Co-Owner, Sunnyboy Entertainment
Karen Idelson, Journalist , Variety
Robert Watts, Managing Partner and Executive Producer, Light Sail VR
Beyond Ads: Become Entertainment, Don’t Disrupt It
Courtesy Lo and Behold Film
“As audiences migrate to commercial-free streaming platforms, brands must produce innovative content that engages consumers, but rarely do they go beyond ad-driven models and become the entertainment. Rather, they create ‘branded content’ that interrupts entertainment. Panelists will discuss branded content challenges and the financial advantages & opportunities for brands to go beyond ads and lean into entertainment, such as feature-films and series that don’t disrupt with overt branding.”
Speakers
Rupert Maconick, Founder and Executive Producer, Saville Productions
Jody Raida, Founder, Lemonade
Jill Wilfert, Vice President, Global Licensing and Entertainment, The LEGO Group
Dan Salzman, Global Head of Media, Analytics & Insights, HP Inc.
Old School Hip Hop in VR – MCs, DJs, Graf & Breaks
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons
“VR producer, John Bucher, and Old School Hip Hop Legend, Dana Dane, will discuss their 360-degree musical experience. Partnering with LA-based trendsetters, Light Sail VR, the team has created an experience where the viewer is surrounded by a cypher of battling emcees, DJs, graffiti artists, and dancers — all performing at the same time, creating the experience of what the emerging musical art form was like in the 1980s.”
Speakers
John Bucher, Chief Storyteller, Sideshow Media Group
Dana Dane, Artist, Def Beat Entertainment