Four Guys in 1987

   With this issue's spotlight on SXSW (pronounced south by southwest), a little history on this Austin festival should be mentioned.

   A new documentary directed by Alan Berg, owner of an Austin based film production company and a faculty member of the University of Texas School of Journalism, premiered at the 2011 SXSW film festival and chronicles the growth of SXSW since its inception twenty five years ago in 1987.

   SXSW was originally organized by four men living in Austin, Texas: Louis Black, Roland Swenson, Louis Myers, and Nick Barbaro. At the time of its creation, Black, Swenson, and Barbaro worked at The Austin Chronicle while Myers worked as a travel agent. 

   Initially, these four men created SXSW to serve as a tool for people to network with companies to develop their careers and share ideas. In the hopes of giving start-up bands and musicians a point of contact with record label companies, Swenson, Myers, Barbaro, and Black, instituted the SXSW music festival. 

   In the early 1990‘s, Myers left SXSW, but Black, Barbaro, and Swenson remain the key organizers of the festival as of March 2011.

   Berg's documentary, titled "Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW," shows archived footage of a young SXSW festival, with attendees ranging in the hundreds. 

   As the years went by, SXSW grew too big to accommodate those interested in participating. Bands and musicians sending in their requests were being turned away for lack of space and time.

   Instead of hundreds, the documentary footage transitions to crowds of several thousands flocking to Austin to enjoy what had become a musical extravaganza.

   The increasing number of attendees began causing major changes within the festival. To accommodate such large and diverse groups of people and businesses, the creators added a separate component for film and other media into the SXSW music festival.

   After splitting the Film and Multimedia Conference portions of SXSW into two separate events, the Multimedia portion was renamed "SXSW Interactive" in 1999.

   The SXSW Film Festival showcases the talents of national and international filmmakers and their crews. Professionals from all areas of the industry are available to provide information to current or aspiring filmmakers. Films, from shorts to documentaries to narratives, are screened at different theaters in downtown Austin and surrounding areas. 

   The SXSW Interactive Festival brings together new digital media professionals and creatives from the United States and around the world for five days of programming, brain-storming, deal-making, networking, and fun. 

   The SXSW Music and Media Festival celebrated its 25th anniversary in March 2011. By day, thousands of conference registrants fill the Austin Convention Center to network, do business in the SXSW Trade Show, sit in on informative panel discussions, and gain insight from the industry's key members. At night, SXSW brings Austin to life with hundreds of musical acts from around the globe showcased on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. 

   SXSW has rapidly grown into a national and international sensation, with people from all over the world dominating downtown Austin for a week in March to exchange ideas and change the world.