Academy Award-Winning Directors for Everything Everywhere All At Once Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Announced as Keynotes

Featured Speakers Announced include Scott Galloway, Kun Gao, Benji Geary, Lina Khan, Ada Limón, John Maeda, Olivier Rousteing, Laurie Santos, Kendra Scott, Molly Sims, Kara Swisher, and more

Austin, Texas — December 5, 2023 — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals has announced the addition of Keynotes Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and the third round of Featured Speakers for the 38th edition of its annual Conference, which celebrates the convergence of technology, film, television, and music. SXSW takes place March 8-16, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Kwan and Scheinert, collectively known as DANIELS, are a directing/writing duo who have been working together in music videos, television, and film for over a decade, many projects premiering at SXSW. Their most recent film Everything Everywhere All At Once had its world premiere opening night of SXSW 2022. The film has won 7 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

The Featured Speakers announced today include serial entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, co-Host of the podcast Pivot, and Host of podcast The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway Scott Galloway, co-founder of Crunchyroll and co-founder of GGWP Kun Gao, Mascot and Senior Art Director at Meow Wolf Benji Geary, Creative Director of Balmain Olivier Rousteing, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and Host of the podcast The Happiness Lab Laurie Santos, designer, philanthropist, and founder, Executive Chairwoman, and Chief Creative Officer of Kendra Scott, LLC Kendra Scott, entrepreneur, actress, model, producer, philanthropist, New York Times bestselling author, Host of the podcast Lipstick on the Rim, and founder of YSE Beauty Molly Sims, and author, Editor-at-Large at New York Magazine, CNN contributor, co-founder of Recode, co-Host of the podcast Pivot, and Host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher Kara Swisher.

“What makes SXSW such an incredible event is the possibility that an unknown film you watch, a little-known artist you see perform, or an under the radar company you hear about will become the next worldwide phenomenon,” said Hugh Forrest, Co-President and Chief Programming Officer. “After having the honor of hosting the world premiere of their Oscar Award-winning film Everything Everywhere All At Once at SXSW 2022 and witnessing their meteoric rise, we are thrilled to welcome Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert back to the SXSW stage, where they’ll share their reflections on the film and their thoughts on the future.”

Explore Space & Poetry With NASA & Poet Laureate Ada Limón, featuring Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division in the agency’s Science Mission Directorate Dr. Lori Glaze and author and 24th Poet Laureate of the United States Ada Limón, has been announced as the Opening Session.

The SXSW Conference is organized into 24 programming tracks presented in a variety of session formats. Tracks for 2024 include 2050, Advertising & Brand Experience, Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, Creating Film & TV, Creator Economy, Culture, Design, Energy, Fashion & Beauty, Film & TV Industry, Food, Game Industry, Government and Civic Engagement, Health & MedTech, Music & Tech, Music Careers, Psychedelics, Sports, Startups, Tech Industry, Transportation, Workplace, and XR. More information about SXSW programming tracks and formats can be found here.

Newly-announced SXSW 2024 Keynotes:

• Keynote: Daniels: How We Pulled Off Everything Everywhere All at Once: In this Keynote Session, join Academy Award-winning writers and directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert as they talk about: “The process of developing, creating, and releasing our surprise hit movie that took the world by st— okay, look, if you’re still reading this, we should tell you that we’ve run out of new things to say about Everything Everywhere All At Once, so although we’ll try our best to stay on topic, we’ll most likely go on a bunch of tangents about the state of the world, the impending climate crisis, the collapse of consensus truth, the rise of AI, the importance and impossibility of self care, and our collective responsibility as storytellers to confront the issues of our time, because that’s probably going to be what’s on our mind, but we can’t make any promises, but at times we don’t feel qualified to talk about any of that stuff, anyway we hope you enjoy our SXSW Keynote!”
• Futurist, TV news commentator, Board Director and Senior Fellow at the Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University, and Host of The Moment with Ryan Patel Ryan Patel, who will be joining previously announced SXSW 2024 Keynote Speaker, Chair and CEO of AMD Lisa Su

Newly-announced Featured Speakers include:

• Climate justice organizer, human rights lawyer, and co-founder and Vision and Initiatives Partner for Taproot Earth Colette Pichon Battle
• Founder and Executive Director of Project InnerSpace Jamie Beard
• Co-CEO of Waymo Tekedra Mawakana
• Creative Director of Balmain Olivier Rousteing
• Professor of Psychology at Yale University and Host of the podcast The Happiness Lab Laurie Santos

Newly-announced Featured Sessions include:

• AI and the Independent Artist: From AI-powered composition and artwork creation to voiceprints and curated playlists, AI is changing the way artists create and market their music and engage with their fans. With these new tools comes a new set of challenges and responsibilities for the music industry. Artists can harness the power of AI, but it is the responsibility of companies across the industry to ensure that human artistry is supported, not replaced. In this session, join CEO of TuneCore Andreea Gleeson and CEO of CreateSafe Daouda Leonard as they present principles for companies to consider as artists engage with AI opportunities, as well as results & lessons learned from early AI pilot programs.
• Bringing a Major Franchise Into XR: The Gundam Example: Mobile Suit Gundam is a franchise that has been around for over 40 years now. With over 50 series released, 35 films, and 250 video games, it ranks among the most profitable franchises in history. Therefore, it was obvious for Atlas V to approach Bandai Namco with the intention of adapting this franchise into an XR experience. But such an adaptation also implies a number of challenges. In this session, Publisher at Astrea Zoé Lemaire, Head Producer at Bandai Namco Naohiro Ogata, Director at Bandai Namco Kenichi Suzuki, and Emmy Award-nominated XR Producer at Meta Ryan Genji Thomas will jointly share their experiences in adapting such a franchise into an XR experience.
• ​​A Conversation with FTC Commissioner Lina Khan: In this session, join White House and Washington Reporter for POLITICO Daniel Lippman and Chair of the Federal Trade Commission Lina Khan as they discuss how Washington thinks about AI, regulating Big Tech, and more.
• Design in Tech Report 2024: Design Against AI: Designers bear the awkward and important responsibility of raising ethical AI concerns in their product-making circles alongside policymakers. Questioning how to advance the art, practice, and nature of creativity in this new era provides spectacular opportunities to fail, learn, grow. In this session, author and Vice President of Design and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft John Maeda will discuss how “Design against AI” means both critically thinking about AI’s implications for humanity and critically making work to stay ahead of AI’s capabilities.
• Explore Space & Poetry With NASA & Poet Laureate Ada Limón: As we look around this world, we can find an infinite number of things to explore. Every corner we turn can be filled with curiosity and wonder. And the more we look, the more we can find possibilities that will inspire, spark ideas, and expand our understanding of worlds beyond Earth. With a long history of sending inspirational messages out to the depths of space, it’s only fitting that NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launching in October 2024 will continue this tradition by including an engraved poem by author and 24th Poet Laureate of the United States Ada Limón. In the official Opening Session for SXSW 2024, join Limón and Director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division in the agency’s Science Mission Directorate Dr. Lori Glaze as they share Limón’s poem as well as dive into the many ways science and art unite.
• How to Differentiate Yourself as an Entrepreneur: About 55% of adults have started a business at some point in their lives, and small businesses account for 99.9% of all the businesses in the US. Being an entrepreneur is difficult enough, so how can you differentiate yourself from the scores of other well-intentioned next great ideas? In this session, join designer, philanthropist, and founder, Executive Chairwoman, and Chief Creative Officer of Kendra Scott, LLC Kendra Scott as she reveals how to succeed as an entrepreneur by learning from past failures, finding what makes you unique, and never ceasing to think like an entrepreneur.
• Kaleidoscopic Worldbuilding in a Fractured World: Traditional entertainment models are being challenged by a rapidly fracturing culture. But by using a kaleidoscopic worldbuilding lens, entertainment companies like Meow Wolf, Ubisoft, and Riot Games are envisioning the storytelling potential in this fragmenting reality. In this session, join Vice President of IP Creative at Riot Games Laura DeYoung, Mascot and Senior Art Director at Meow Wolf Benji Geary, Chief Creative Strategy Officer at Meow Wolf Anne Mullen, and Narrative Director at Ubisoft Jeffrey Yohalem as they discuss how worldbuilders are creating new opportunities for engagement across both physical & digital platforms through increased participant agency, pervasiveness, connectivity, and community.
• Lessons Learned: The Next Frontier in Entertainment, Gaming and Tech: Join co-founder of Crunchyroll and co-founder of GGWP Kun Gao, co-founder of Rotten Tomatoes and co-founder and Managing Partner at PKO Investments Patrick Lee, and co-founder of Kabam Holly Liu for a conversation on lessons learned in moving from their industry (movies, streaming) and into gaming. In this session, they will share how having a different perspective has impacted their choices and what they see coming in the future, while also touching on using community to manage these shifts between industries.
• Molly Sims on Cultivating a Lifestyle Media Empire: Join entrepreneur, actress, model, producer, philanthropist, New York Times bestselling author, Host of the podcast Lipstick on the Rim, and founder of YSE Beauty Molly Sims as she takes us on a captivating journey through building a lifestyle media empire. With a successful 20-year career that spans across the runways, screens, and business ventures, Molly is an unstoppable force, with women at the center. Sims will take us behind-the-scenes with a candid conversation highlighting her latest ventures – YSE Beauty, her podcast Lipstick on the Rim (Dear Media), and her production company, Something Happy Productions.
• Pivot Live with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway: In this session, join journalist, CNN contributor, and author of the forthcoming memoir, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, Kara Swisher, and serial entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author, Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Scott Galloway, for a live recording of their podcast, Pivot. They’ll share sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They’ll make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no one else. After all, with great power comes great scrutiny. The Pivot Featured Session is part of the Vox Media Podcast Stage at SXSW. Running from March 8-10, the Vox Media Podcast Stage will bring Vox Media’s chart-topping shows to life with live tapings, including On with Kara Swisher; Where Should We Begin?; Today, Explained; Decoder; The Vergecast; Point Forward; Stay Tuned with Preet; and more.
• Team Human Live: Autonomous technologies, runaway markets and weaponized media seem to have overturned civil society, paralyzing our ability to think constructively, connect meaningfully, or act purposefully. It feels as if civilization itself were on the brink, and that we lack the collective willpower and coordination necessary to address issues of vital importance to the very survival of our species. It’s time to recognize that being human is a team sport. Each week, author and Professor of Tactical Media at Queens College, City of New York Douglas Rushkoff hosts the Team Human podcast, where he engages in real-time, no-holds-barred discussions with people who are hacking the machine to make it more compatible with human life, and helping redefine what it means to stay human in a digital age. In this session, join Rushkoff as he records a live episode of the Team Human podcast.

Additional Keynote Speakers and Featured Sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music, and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2024 will take place March 8–16 in Austin. Learn more at sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend.

SXSW 2024 is sponsored by Porsche, C4 Energy, Venmo, and The Austin Chronicle.