SXSW 2022: What We’re Looking to Say and See

Team JM has officially touched down in Austin, Texas with a hankering for innovation, technology, design, and a helluva good time.

Our team members across Australia and the US in design, venture strategy, narrative, technology, and beyond are on the ground to experience, learn, and discover the next greatest ideas at SXSW Interactive. We’ve refined our panels to attend and prepped our own session (see you on March 13 for Technologists and the Future of Story), and compiled below are the topics we’re keen to learn about and share. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for the latest all week long.

Technologists and the Future of Storytelling

Metaverse. VR. AR. XR. Immersive storytelling. Audio narratives. NFTs. We’re excited to delve into these topics in our own panel. We’ve brought together JM legends Jessie Hughes (Creative Technologist), Uzi Bar-On (Technical Director), Zach Johnson (Head of Narrative), and Ben Johnston (Founder) to dive into what’s next in narrative. We’ll cover future predictions and trend-mapping from XR design to blended realities, and how design factors into the emerging space of transmedia.

And so the answer to our question — what is the future of storytelling? — is expansive and endlessly fascinating. We hope to see you at the Industries Expo Next Stage in Exhibit Hall 5 at the Austin Convention Center on March 13 at 11:30am CT.

SXSW 2022 Talk

The Evolving World of Web3

Web3 is so much more than just a buzz term — it’s a progression we’re primed and prepared for as a new set of web protocols take shape. We’ll be doing a lot of listening at SXSW and understanding how others are thinking about the space, from discovering how a more decentralized internet can create more equity, to understanding the role of web3 as a platform for new stories, ventures, and innovative ideas. In fact, we may have a few of those ventures and innovative ideas of our own, but stay tuned in this space to find out more there.

What’s Next for Creativity

Every year, one of the best parts of SXSW is the sheer creative talent it brings into one city. From attending live shows on South Congress to peeping Ben Grosser’s art installation “Order of Magnitude” (deemed “an epic supercut that chronicles Silicon Valley’s 21st-century obsession with growth”), we’ll be hopping and bopping around the city, taking in every last ounce of creativity we can measure.

Here’s a shortlist of panels and events (besides ours — we’ll see you there!), that we’re excited to attend:

• Fjord Trends 2022 — A Survival Guide to 2022
• Democracy by Design: Art, Tech, and Activism
• SXSW Art Installation — “Order of Magnitude” by Ben Grosser
• Metawhat? The Future of Real-World Entertainment
• NFTs and the Metaverse, Art’s Digital Age

If you find yourself at SXSW and are keen to discuss venture design, the future of storytelling, or any of the above (or just want to share what you’re most excited about in design and technology), shoot us a line at hello@josephmark.com.au, or do it the old fashion way and slide into our DMs at @whoisjosephmark.