SXSW 2025
Future Media Hubs x Eshap presents: Content Crossroads, a full-day event on March 10th at The Line Hotel, Topaz Room! Join thought leaders and industry changemakers from across the globe during 4 panel conversations.
- 10.00 - 11.00 am: How Fandom drives Modern Media Attention
- 11.30 - 12.30 pm: The User-Centric Era is Here
- 2.30 - 3.30 pm: The Product is the Message Now
- 4.00 -5.00 pm: The Pipeline Problem: How Do We Stop Talking About Diversity
This edition is in collaboration with Ateliere, Paramount, Comscore, France TV, EO, FIT, VRT and RTBF.
This is SXSW Partner Programming operated under license from SXSW, LLC.
10.00 - 11.00 am: How Fandom drives Modern Media Attention
Speakers: Lydia Daly (Paramount), Julie Piskin (Roblox), Neil Waller (Whalar Group) and Nicolás García Hemme (LaLiga North America) , moderated by Evan Shapiro
Co-presented with Paramount Advertising
2024 proved the power of the Creator-sphere - podcasters helped decide an election and a YouTuber broke Netflix. The center of cultural relevance has moved from Hollywood to Creator platforms - and 1 billion hours of YouTube are watched on TV - per day. How do brands and publishers adapt? What does this mean to the nature of fandom, and how does that affect the larger entertainment ecosystem?
11.30 - 12.30 pm: The User-Centric Era is Here
Speakers: Steve Bagdasarian (Comscore), Ruth Berry (ITV Studios), John Halley (Paramount), Justin Sampson (Barb), moderated by Evan Shapiro
Co-presented with Comscore
The last era of media was defined by RCA’s tagline “His master’s voice.” The User Centric Era is defined by the Audience’s voice. The irony is that those who have traditionally held the least power - Creators and Audiences - now use Big Tech to control the Media they use. Big Media worldwide must retool their models around today’s audiences or their models will continue to unravel. How do Media, publishers, and Creators adapt to meet the moment, and how will the economics of the ecosystem change as a result? Let’s discuss!
2.30 - 3.30 pm: The Product is the Message Now
Speakers: Linette Zaulich (ZDF Studios), Mike Sid (Ateliere), Rob Caruso (Google TV), Adde Granberg (SVT), moderated by Evan Shapiro
One of the biggest problems facing the Media industry is outdated products - from production, to distribution, to the user interfaces of our platforms, to the very methods by which we measure success. Consumer technology has advanced light years in the last decade, how can Media’s systems of delivery, consumption, production and measurement keep up?
4.00 - 5.00 pm: The Pipeline Problem: How Do We Stop Talking About Diversity
Speakers: Meghan Bartley (GLAAD), Bridget Banton (Dear Creative Gurl) and Sarah Yourgrau (Common Ground Studios), moderated by Evan Shapiro
Co-presented with Ateliere
The global workforce is now the most diverse in history. Yet the most powerful seats in Media - behind the camera and in the executive suites - do not reflect that. Recruiters, hiring managers and producers often blame "the pipeline" for this problem. How can we fill more seats with people who look like our audiences? How do we stop talking about solving these issues and actually start solving them? How do we remove the financial barriers to entry for the best opportunities? This panel tackles those thorny questions.