That’s going to be something that we’re really growing into. The Comedy Festival has always been amazing, but it maybe hasn’t been as visible or people didn’t come to SXSW with a comedy show top of mind. I think a big focus of this year is integrating it more into everything that’s happening at SXSW so attendees know to make comedy a priority, too. It’s something that we can definitely grow into. If this is year one, then what can we do next? I think we have a huge ramp upwards from here.
Dropout Comedy is featured at this year’s Comedy Festival and I’ve just been so impressed with their branding and evolution. What about their growth has impressed you, and why were they talent that you wanted to showcase this year?
Dropout was one of the first people that I wanted to reach out to for this festival. The partnership that we were able to create with them this year was bigger than I even imagined. We have this ACL Live show that’s a Platinum perk exclusive for SXSW Platinum badgeholders. We have something for the public and something for SXSW and then we’re also doing two live shows in our venue with them. We’re doing a live version of Dirty Laundry and a live version of Crowd Control.
As somebody who comes from a TV, digital, and film background, Dropout is taking the model of what I’ve loved about working with comedians and developing with them. They’re able to talk to their fans so organically and I’m so impressed with how they connect with their audiences. It just felt like a no-brainer to me. This is the type of brand that is indicative of where comedy is today and what people want. They have interactivity, live, digital. They have all these different parts of their machine that are so cool and non-stop funny. I’m just completely thrilled with their partnership with us this year. I’m excited to see where we can take it.
After working in comedy for so long, what emerging trends are you noticing right now in the industry and how is SXSW responding to those? What do you see in the festival’s future?
Somewhere that SXSW is uniquely positioned to amplify, and perhaps hasn’t taken full advantage of yet, is how it can really grow in the podcast space, both in terms of comedy and other topics. We can really grow as podcasts and big emerging talent move into live spaces. I think that’s strangely been the biggest growth in comedy. It’s already a huge genre, but digital creators are moving into live experiences that aren’t necessarily comedy-first. For example, Mary Beth Barone doing the Golden Globes Red Carpet content, to me, is a no-brainer. She’s a fantastic comedian and actress.