Five SXSW Sydney Sessions You Can't Miss (Including Two Just Announced!)

With SXSW Sydney kicking off next Monday, here are five sessions you won't want to miss, including two that have just been announced – they're shaping up to be highlights of the program. 

From hearing Professor Richard Scolyer AO, the 2024 co-Australian of the Year, through to learning how to embody a future-ready mindset today, these sessions tackle some pretty meaty questions: How do we build the future (rather than just worrying about it)? How do we create ethical content? How do we move beyond AI hype? And what does it mean to tell Australian stories in a global landscape? 

So, make a date in your calendar, bookmark these sessions in the app, and we’ll see you there!

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1. Keynote | Brainstorm: Professor Richard Scolyer in-conversation with Holly Ransom 

Tuesday, October 14 at 11:30am, Darling Harbour Theatre 

This one's truly special. Professor Richard Scolyer AO is the 2024 co-Australian of the Year and a world-leading melanoma researcher. When he was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, he refused to accept the conventional approach. Instead, he undertook world-first experimental treatment using the scientific advances he'd helped create. 

Professor Scolyer will be in conversation with Holly Ransom, as they discuss his groundbreaking journey, his relentless pursuit of better outcomes for patients, and the remarkable support that's carried him through. It's a conversation about courage, hope, and meeting life's challenges with boldness. 

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2.  Keynote | How One Australian Case Spawned a Global Content Empire  

Wednesday, October 15 at 1:15pm, Darling Harbour Theatre 

When Erin Patterson served a fatal mushroom lunch in rural Victoria, she unknowingly created Australia's most commercially exploited true crime story. This isn't another retelling; it's a critical look at how tragedy becomes entertainment. 

Moderated by Wendy Zukerman (Science Vs podcast), with panellists including Rachael Brown (3x Walkley winner, ABC True Crime Executive, co-host Mushroom Case Daily podcast), Katy Watson (BBC Australia Correspondent), Professor David Ranson (with 35+ years experience in forensic pathology), and Gil Marsden (Director, Stan Original Revealed – Death Cap Murders) 

The central theme will explore the dissolved boundaries between journalism and entertainment in our most media-saturated criminal case. 

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3. Featured | Beyond Predictions: From Future Thinking to Future Being 

Friday, October 17 at 11:30am, Pyrmont Theatre 

The future isn't something that happens to us, it's something we actively create. As Google's First Chief Innovation Evangelist and current NYU Executive-in-Residence, Frederik G. Pferdt shaped Google's innovation culture and has inspired over 500,000 people worldwide. From boardrooms to refugee camps, he's helped leaders turn uncertainty into opportunity. 

Moving past traditional forecasting, Frederik will guide you through practices and tools for embodying your future‑ready mindstate today. You'll learn how to shift from anxious speculation to confident action, develop organisations that thrive on uncertainty, and stop predicting the future to start creating it. 

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4.  Featured | Beyond the Myths: Building Your AI-First Future 

Tuesday, October 14 at 4:15pm, Pyrmont Theatre 

AI hype is everywhere, but real transformation is rare. Sandy Carter, COO of Unstoppable Domains and Author of AI First, Human Always, shows you how to change that. Moving beyond her viral "10 Myths Busted" session from Austin, Sandy delivers practical frameworks to shift from AI experiments to enterprise-wide transformation. 

Walk away with clear roadmaps for measurable AI business value, change management strategies that work, and how to separate shiny distractions from technologies worth your investment.  

A SXSW favourite – we’re am thrilled Sandy Carter is joining us. 

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5. What Is An Australian Story? 

Friday, October 17 at 12:00pm, Cockle Bay 1 

We're constantly told that Australian stories need to be told. It's what funding bodies push for, and what we hear international audiences are hungry for. But what is an Australian story and can anyone really predict which Australian stories will take off overseas? This session questions the frameworks we use and challenges what we think we know about Australian content. 

On this all-star panel, hear from Liz Watts (multi-award-winning film and television producer and executive producer), director Tony Ayres (one of the founding members of Matchbox Pictures), television comedy writer and producer James Colley and Australian comedian Nina Oyama. 

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Across the scores of sessions at the conference, you’ll find nuggets of wisdom that you can bring back to your work and personal life and have the chance to see some unmissable speakers and sessions.  

Explore more of the SXSW Sydney 2025 line up here.