My Experience Attending SXSW as a Wedding Photographer

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Last summer, when SXSW 2023 was announced, I immediately texted my brother (also an entrepreneur) and asked him to tag along with me. We purchased the interactive badge because our main goal was to learn from the incredible speakers and founders to learn more about building a brand and business. Sometimes you need to invite yourself to the party to learn from brilliant minds who are just a few steps ahead of you. That’s exactly what we did.

Allyson Felix interviewed by Gloria Riviera at SXSW on life beyond the podium and brand partnership with Athleta

Here are all of the talks, keynotes, and panels we attended:

  • Simran Jeet Singh in Conversation with Laurie Santos

  • Creating Happiness: The Art & Science of Disney Parks Storytelling

  • Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Conversation with Jennifer Salke

  • Chelsea Handler & Jen Psaki

  • Miranda Kerr on Building a Business that Inspires

  • Beyond the Podium: How Athleta and Allyson Felix Reinvented the Brand/Athlete Partnership

  • Fall in Love with the Problem with Waze Co-founder Uri Levine

  • Scaling in the Midwest

  • Open Minds: Innovations in Consciousness, Psychedelics & Mental Health with Deepak Chopra, Doug Drysdale, Cristie Strongman & Gabriella Wright

  • A Conversation About the Future of Business with Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert and Katie Couric

  • Future Collectibles: A Collective Effort to Bringing Luxury Goods to Web3 presented by Porsche X

  • SXSW Moonbirds & PROOF Collective Happy Hour (my brother Aaron McCarthy is an NFT collector)

  • Turning the Tables on Tim Ferriss: A Conversation with Bill Gurley

  • Building a Tech Unicorn

  • MI Unicorns: Life after the $1 Billion Valuation with Dug Song of Duo Security and Josh Luber of StockX

As a business owner, I found the speakers and founders to be incredibly helpful. There was a feature within the SXSW app where you could submit questions. It was pretty cool hearing Allyson Felix say my name and answer my question in real time.

If you’re looking for niche advice within your industry, SXSW might not be the right path for you. I would first invest in a mentor session with someone in your industry doing whatever it is you’re wanting to learn and pay them for their mentorship services. This is exactly what I did when I first started my photography business 2019.

If you’re in the creative or tech industries and looking to get out of your comfort zone for a few days, then SXSW is the place to do it. You’ll be surrounded by a likeminded community and leave feeling a renewed sense of energy. You’ll feel ready to tackle your next business to-dos, but with a much higher level of big picture understanding.

 
Allyson Felix interviewed by Gloria Riviera at SXSW on life beyond the podium and brand partnership with Athleta