Hear From The Curators Of Your Next Obsession At SXSW Sydney

September 28, 2023

The world of entertainment is a constantly shifting landscape, driven by the creative visionaries who predict and shape its course.

The SXSW Sydney 2023 Conference presents a dream rolodex line-up of the people commissioning, creating and curating the shows and songs you’ve been playing on repeat. And given that the main point of bringing South By to Australia was to show off our incredible talent, we’re delighted to have so many local heavy hitters of the Screen and Music industries.

As our Managing Director, Colin Daniels, recently explained to Mark Bouris: “[SXSW Sydney is] not here to show off Bondi Beach or the Harbour Bridge, we’re here to show the depth of the creativity and culture that our country has — because it’s insane.”

New Featured Speakers joining the line-up include:

Paul Martin

The visionary behind Netflix hits Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Full Swing, and Break Point will be talking about making sports docuseries that cut through and create noise.

Sulinna Ong

The Global Head of Editorial at the helm of all curation and programming for Spotify, Sulinna and her team are responsible for some of the biggest and most influential playlists in the world (Today’s Top Hits, Rap Caviar, New Music Friday etc).

Derrick Gee

Having built an audience on TikTok, Instagram and Substack, while consulting with artists and labels around the world, Derrick is here to break down content, storytelling, the much-misunderstood algorithm, and the pressure on music creators to “go viral.”

New sessions:

‘Local is Global – The Ingredients to Make a Hit Australian Series’

Discover what it takes to craft an Australian series with global appeal, featuring Netflix ANZ Director of Content, Que Minh Luu; Prime Video Australia Senior Development Executive, Sarah Christie; and The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand’s Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Kylie Watson-Wheeler.

‘Advancing & Amplifying Australian Stories in conversation with Stan, moderated by Google TV’

A discussion about the evolution of Australian storytelling, what it takes to be greenlit, and what kind of content is resonating with audiences. This discussion will feature Stan’s Head of Originals, Amanda Duthie; Google Head of M&E APAC Partnerships, Rohan Tiwary; and Stan showrunner/director/producer/star of C*A*U*G*H*T, Kick Gurry.

triple j reveals the results of their national survey: ‘What’s Up In Australian Music?’

There’s no doubt it’s been a massive few years for the local music industry. Following on from triple j’s annual ‘What’s Up In Your World?’, you’ll walk away from this session with important insights into the ever-evolving landscape of Australia’s music scene and the trends that will reverberate throughout its future.

Accessing SXSW Sydney 2023 – Badges and Wristbands

Badges are your master key for SXSW Sydney – they open the doors to all activity across the week-long event, from its Conference and Tech & Innovation Expo to its Music, Screen and Games Festivals. Hearing from the hitmakers mentioned in this article is only possible with a badge.  

Wristbands give access to SXSW Sydney’s Music, Screen or Games festivals, for performances, screenings and showcases.

  • Music Festival: 300 performances in 25 venues over 4 nights.  
  • Screen Festival: unlimited screenings over one week.
  • Games Festival: 150 new indie games and parties over 6 nights.  

Head here to find the level of access that’s right for you.