1
00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,760
Speaker 1: My name is and I'm from Mexico from Kancun's. My

2
00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,720
Speaker 1: name is Donksu. I'm from the Bay Area, but actually

3
00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,000
Speaker 1: I was born in Vietnam, grew up in Finland, and

4
00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:20,640
Speaker 1: I have a startup called Noodleists. It's premiale lamp based

5
00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,720
Speaker 1: instan Noodles. Not only do we get to see fellow musicians,

6
00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:29,479
Speaker 1: artists and creators, but also you get to see you

7
00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,000
Speaker 1: get to meet with industry experts. I'm doctor Herb Calling.

8
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,839
Speaker 1: I'm here from Austin. I teach it Oustormunity College. I'm

9
00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,279
Speaker 1: Natalie Kerosina Ersina. And you go to Texas Women's University

10
00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,320
Speaker 1: in Denton, Texas. Yeah, I am a students I goota

11
00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:47,560
Speaker 1: Western Governors University. Even we are aboard the Austin Metrorail

12
00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,360
Speaker 1: somewhere between Kramer and Crestview. Springtime, the blue bonnets are out.

13
00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:57,640
Speaker 1: It's time to come back to Austin. Welcome to Strictly

14
00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:02,760
Speaker 1: Business Varieties weekly podcasts featuring conversations with industry leaders about

15
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:07,000
Speaker 1: the business of media and entertainment. I'm Cynthia Littleton, co

16
00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:11,040
Speaker 1: editor in chief of Variety Today. My guests are about

17
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,120
Speaker 1: two dozen people that I conversed with last week while

18
00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:18,080
Speaker 1: attending the south By Southwest Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.

19
00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,720
Speaker 1: They are in fact leaders in media and entertainment, even

20
00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,240
Speaker 1: if you probably won't recognize any of their names. As

21
00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:31,280
Speaker 1: sophisticated and highly engaged consumers, their choices can make or

22
00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:36,120
Speaker 1: break a streaming platform, a movie, a TV franchise, a tour,

23
00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,320
Speaker 1: or an album. I love the spirit of south By

24
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,160
Speaker 1: Southwest because it is a gathering that involves so many disciplines,

25
00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,319
Speaker 1: even more than I knew. The weather in Austin was

26
00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,960
Speaker 1: sunny for most of the ten day festival, and so

27
00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,880
Speaker 1: was the mood. Festivalgoers making the rounds of downtown were

28
00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:56,360
Speaker 1: only too eager to stop and talk to variety about

29
00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,960
Speaker 1: why they wanted to come to south By Southwest and

30
00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,560
Speaker 1: what impressed them this year. True Austin locals were unfailingly

31
00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:09,200
Speaker 1: friendly and generous. My interview with Rebecca Nicki and Debbie, three,

32
00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,720
Speaker 1: retired public school teachers, was conducted while riding the rails

33
00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,919
Speaker 1: on the cap Metro rail line that heads north from

34
00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,320
Speaker 1: downtown Austin. The station just a few feet from the

35
00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,440
Speaker 1: convention center. Other people stopped for me inside the convention

36
00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,920
Speaker 1: center and outside in the heart of the festival's foot traffic.

37
00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,799
Speaker 1: I've done many interviews in many settings over the years,

38
00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,720
Speaker 1: but my brief chat captured here with Brea is the

39
00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,600
Speaker 1: first time I've spoken to anyone who was wearing a

40
00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:43,040
Speaker 1: vagina costume. It's a character like this is Veronica the Volva.

41
00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,000
Speaker 1: From first timers to veterans, there was a lot of

42
00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,880
Speaker 1: love expressed for the south By Festival and what it

43
00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,480
Speaker 1: brings to the region, as you'll hear here. I want

44
00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:56,160
Speaker 1: to make an important disclosure as well. South By Southwest

45
00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:01,040
Speaker 1: was acquired by Variety's parent company PMC in twenty twenty one,

46
00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,480
Speaker 1: but I can't emphasize enough how much these interview subjects

47
00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:09,160
Speaker 1: were chosen at random as I bopped around Austin for

48
00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,040
Speaker 1: five days. The format of this episode is in keeping

49
00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:17,360
Speaker 1: with the fan focused interviews I conducted for special strictly

50
00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,160
Speaker 1: business installments produced out of the VidCon conference in Anaheim, California,

51
00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,720
Speaker 1: last June, and the Kcon fan gathering last August in

52
00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,200
Speaker 1: downtown Los Angeles. So to hear what south By Southwest

53
00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:35,960
Speaker 1: festivalgoers had to say about media, business, culture, and what

54
00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,000
Speaker 1: they liked to watch on TV. Stick around. That's all

55
00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:49,320
Speaker 1: coming up after the break, and we're back with a

56
00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,320
Speaker 1: special episode of Strictly Business that takes the pulse of

57
00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:56,560
Speaker 1: the south By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. The first

58
00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,200
Speaker 1: thing I wanted to know from people was what was

59
00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,520
Speaker 1: the draw? Why did you spend money, time and energy

60
00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:06,440
Speaker 1: to get yourself to south Buy. We'll hear perspectives here

61
00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:11,560
Speaker 1: from festivalgoers Rodrigo, who works in tech in Mexico, RJ

62
00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:17,560
Speaker 1: a streaming video tech entrepreneur, Natalie, a student from Denton, Texas.

63
00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,760
Speaker 1: And we'll wrap up with perspective from the trenches from

64
00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:27,880
Speaker 1: south By Southwest volunteers Sydney Francis and Accacci. So this

65
00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,840
Speaker 1: is basically the mega of innovation and technology and everything

66
00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:34,640
Speaker 1: that's going on out there. So I've never been here,

67
00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,040
Speaker 1: is my first time and it's been amazing. This is

68
00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:39,960
Speaker 1: spring break for me. It's honestly, I feel that one

69
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,920
Speaker 1: wheel I don't. Yeah, So that also is something I think.

70
00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,960
Speaker 1: It's a testament to the fact that when you when

71
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,719
Speaker 1: you come here, it's like you meet one year's worth

72
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:56,000
Speaker 1: of people in this short, compressed timeline and everyone's open minded.

73
00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:57,719
Speaker 1: It's not like when you go and you sit with

74
00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,800
Speaker 1: somebody in a meeting room and you're just you know

75
00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,360
Speaker 1: that that is a different openness that people have when

76
00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:06,480
Speaker 1: they come to Austin for South Buy and I think

77
00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,120
Speaker 1: that's just that's also part of the magic of it all.

78
00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,040
Speaker 1: How did you hear about South buy self wherever? Um?

79
00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,880
Speaker 1: So I would see it throughout TikTok and I would

80
00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,960
Speaker 1: get ads about it, and then my institution brought it

81
00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:20,800
Speaker 1: up and I was like, Okay, let me look more

82
00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,880
Speaker 1: into it. But my perspective of it was completely different.

83
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,000
Speaker 1: I had a different image of it. I was like, Okay,

84
00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,000
Speaker 1: it's just you know, business connections and stuff, but no,

85
00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,400
Speaker 1: it's so much more than that. You have film, you

86
00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:38,680
Speaker 1: have TV, you have you know, actors, producers, medical, doctors, everything.

87
00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:40,520
Speaker 1: You have all types of people from around the world.

88
00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:42,440
Speaker 1: And that's what's so cool about it that you know,

89
00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:45,680
Speaker 1: you never imagine to come across these people and you do.

90
00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,160
Speaker 1: What makes me volunteer would probably be I do live

91
00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:53,320
Speaker 1: here and just being able to be around all these

92
00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,280
Speaker 1: brilliant minds and all these diverse people and just being

93
00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,560
Speaker 1: amongst that is a pretty inspiring and cool atmosphere to

94
00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:01,479
Speaker 1: be in. I think it's a student it's just like

95
00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,119
Speaker 1: a really good opportunity to be able to immerse yourself

96
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,400
Speaker 1: from the festival because it is really expensive, so getting

97
00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:10,760
Speaker 1: free access is really beneficial. It's just like diverse or

98
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,680
Speaker 1: diversity in culture with the films and the art and

99
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,400
Speaker 1: all the people that are talking. So I think it's

100
00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,359
Speaker 1: just a good experience. I feel like there's something for everybody.

101
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,400
Speaker 1: You know, even certain things that you may or may

102
00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,320
Speaker 1: not be interested in. As she said, you you can

103
00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,400
Speaker 1: still pop in and learn certain things. I met somebody

104
00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,719
Speaker 1: that works in the government, I met a celebrity forgot

105
00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:36,760
Speaker 1: what his name was. And also like you can identify

106
00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,000
Speaker 1: with certain people, so someone would look at me, here

107
00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,560
Speaker 1: my accents and be like, I know you, you're from Trinidanzabago.

108
00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,280
Speaker 1: Then they would recommend an event for me to go

109
00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:51,280
Speaker 1: to with a bunch of other Caribbean people, or like

110
00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,400
Speaker 1: there were two guys that just passed it that they

111
00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,919
Speaker 1: saw me and they recognize okay, y'anna artists, so let's

112
00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,000
Speaker 1: link up, let's do something. So the networking is really good.

113
00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,760
Speaker 1: It as on my last day in Austin, I ran

114
00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,560
Speaker 1: into a group of local teachers at the convention center

115
00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,800
Speaker 1: who gave me their perspective good and bad on what

116
00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,320
Speaker 1: it's like to have the south By Circus come to town.

117
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:16,400
Speaker 1: Here are observations from Alyssa, Sarah, and Carlos, all of

118
00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,960
Speaker 1: whom are involved in public school instruction. We all work

119
00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,080
Speaker 1: in the schools. So we're on spring break. Yeah, adult

120
00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,440
Speaker 1: spring break, So just here too experience Austin or just

121
00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,840
Speaker 1: to experience this. Yeah, are your teachers are Yeah, I'm

122
00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,960
Speaker 1: a speech pathologist, but yeah, we all work in the schools.

123
00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,480
Speaker 1: Elyssa Jacobs. I feel like in past years I didn't

124
00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,640
Speaker 1: have a badge. This year I lucked upon getting a badge,

125
00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:42,920
Speaker 1: and I've could be like, gosh, they're just like it's

126
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,240
Speaker 1: so crowded, like you know, all of that. I would

127
00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:47,000
Speaker 1: try to go to some free events, but it was like,

128
00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,200
Speaker 1: you know, a lot of chaos. But this year, with

129
00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:51,480
Speaker 1: the badges, we made it so easy. We went to

130
00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,760
Speaker 1: like a movie premiere, going around everywhere. It's been a

131
00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:58,160
Speaker 1: fun time. Yeah, yeah, what type of stood out to you?

132
00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:04,760
Speaker 1: What really impressed you for you? We really liked the

133
00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:06,920
Speaker 1: movie we went to today. It was awesome. It was

134
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,400
Speaker 1: called Down Low. It was hilarious. But yeah, there's just

135
00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:12,560
Speaker 1: so many different events. We went to a tech thing.

136
00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,920
Speaker 1: We went to some different talks. So literally you can

137
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,600
Speaker 1: go to anything. I think, whatever interest you have, you

138
00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,080
Speaker 1: can go find stuff for it. That's been awesome. Come

139
00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,080
Speaker 1: one or twice, go check out some of the free

140
00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:26,920
Speaker 1: exhibits and whatnot, and then just go because honestly, I'm

141
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,960
Speaker 1: a teacher budget we can't get a batch. Yeah, would

142
00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,960
Speaker 1: you say, does a festival make it accessible for you

143
00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,000
Speaker 1: or is it prohibitively expensive? Of course it is. Who

144
00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:42,559
Speaker 1: has fifteen hundred dollars for a badge? Yeah? Who has? Who? Okay,

145
00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,360
Speaker 1: I know a lot of people do have. No, they're

146
00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:50,839
Speaker 1: like fifteen hundred and three thousand, there are so like, realistically,

147
00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:53,840
Speaker 1: somebody who's making only, you know, fifty five dollars, fifty

148
00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:57,559
Speaker 1: five dollars fifty five carrier, how can you spend thirteen

149
00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:00,600
Speaker 1: hundred dollars on a badge for a week. They had

150
00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:04,400
Speaker 1: the education segment of south By, which is the week

151
00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,040
Speaker 1: before south By Southwest when we have off. Wouldn't it

152
00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:12,800
Speaker 1: be very extremely convenient actually have an educators here, not administrators,

153
00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,559
Speaker 1: not people from tea, not people from other administrations that

154
00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:19,719
Speaker 1: have actually nothing to do in the classroom, coming to

155
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:24,000
Speaker 1: things that would actually impact our students directly. If educators

156
00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,840
Speaker 1: were at the actual conference, I don't know. That's just

157
00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:30,520
Speaker 1: my two cents. Earlier in the festival, I spoke with

158
00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,079
Speaker 1: doctor Herb Coleman, a professor of psychology for Austin Community College.

159
00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:38,040
Speaker 1: He's been a south By regular for more than a decade.

160
00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,840
Speaker 1: He recognized the value to attendees of the community that

161
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,960
Speaker 1: is built at the festival year after year. So does

162
00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:49,679
Speaker 1: Amy Price, an Austin based tech marketing executive who moonlights

163
00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,080
Speaker 1: for Getty Images as a photographer during the festival. I

164
00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:55,320
Speaker 1: love south By because you get to talk to people

165
00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,800
Speaker 1: from all over that you may not think he had

166
00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:00,960
Speaker 1: anything in common with. I've been doing this for several

167
00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,960
Speaker 1: years now, and way back in the day, I would

168
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:05,719
Speaker 1: get like a film pass and I would just kind

169
00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,160
Speaker 1: of watch films whatever. So after one of the sessions

170
00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:10,079
Speaker 1: and they said that we're having a get together over

171
00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:12,360
Speaker 1: at this place. Everybody who's here can get in. Whatever

172
00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:14,520
Speaker 1: we get in the line. And they said, oh, badges only,

173
00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,640
Speaker 1: and these these three guys from Ireland like no, no, no,

174
00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:19,440
Speaker 1: he's our buddy, He's getting in. They told us anybody

175
00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,360
Speaker 1: could get in, and they fought and they got me in.

176
00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:23,800
Speaker 1: Now here's the coolest thing. So they do short films,

177
00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,000
Speaker 1: they do short horror films whatever, and so we had

178
00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:27,920
Speaker 1: a good time, We've talked, we met each other and everything.

179
00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:31,840
Speaker 1: A year later, I'm walking down Sixth Street and i

180
00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,920
Speaker 1: hear this, there's herb and I'm like, you've got to

181
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,000
Speaker 1: be kidding me. And it was those guys, and so

182
00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:39,959
Speaker 1: we hung out again, and next year the same thing.

183
00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:41,840
Speaker 1: We ran to him after one of the other short

184
00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:43,680
Speaker 1: I went to the shorts anyway, and that they were

185
00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,320
Speaker 1: And so it's so cool that you meet people and

186
00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,480
Speaker 1: I there's some other people who I've met who haven't maintained,

187
00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:52,560
Speaker 1: you know, friendships throughout the years from being here as well.

188
00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:54,400
Speaker 1: But those are the international ones that got the guys

189
00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:56,920
Speaker 1: from from Ireland that was just like so crazy people

190
00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,480
Speaker 1: have Pomo because oh my gosh, I'm missing out on this.

191
00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,840
Speaker 1: But the truth is the south By that you have

192
00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:04,720
Speaker 1: is the south Buy you're supposed to have. You will

193
00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:08,520
Speaker 1: meet and interact and have experiences that you've never had before.

194
00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:11,440
Speaker 1: Are you going to see every single Oh yes, are

195
00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:14,360
Speaker 1: you going to see every single experience? Have every single experience?

196
00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:16,920
Speaker 1: Probably not, but you know what, the ones that you

197
00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:18,840
Speaker 1: have were the ones you were meant to have And

198
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,040
Speaker 1: what other people don't realize that one of the real

199
00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:23,680
Speaker 1: magical things here is the people you meet, just like

200
00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:26,680
Speaker 1: being able to see you again after last year, that

201
00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,040
Speaker 1: the networking is actually one of the biggest. Biggest benefits

202
00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:34,319
Speaker 1: are coming to south By Southwest is this interactivity with others. Well,

203
00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,640
Speaker 1: I learned that people come to south By for fun,

204
00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,080
Speaker 1: but they also come for business. The halls are full

205
00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:44,319
Speaker 1: of entrepreneurs with products to sell. Bruce and Victoria Henderson

206
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,720
Speaker 1: of Detroit are musicians and songwriters who have been recording

207
00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:53,040
Speaker 1: for years. Lately they've builled themselves as Bourgeoisie paper jam.

208
00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,400
Speaker 1: This married couple is at south By for career guidance.

209
00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,320
Speaker 1: After the Henderson's will hear from Natalie the college student

210
00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:03,600
Speaker 1: from Denton, Texas and Professor Coleman, who also weigh in

211
00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,000
Speaker 1: on the community building aspect of the festival. And we'll

212
00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,760
Speaker 1: hear again from Brea about the sex education advocacy work

213
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,800
Speaker 1: that brought her from George Washington University in Washington, DC

214
00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,840
Speaker 1: to Austin with her anatomically specific costume. And we'll close

215
00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:24,319
Speaker 1: this segment with a plug from entrepreneur Dong Tu who

216
00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,360
Speaker 1: couldn't resist after a microphone appeared. We have been putting

217
00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,760
Speaker 1: out records until now we like to get more into

218
00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,600
Speaker 1: sync licensing and that is placements in advertisements, movies, things

219
00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,960
Speaker 1: like that. So this has really giving us an avenue

220
00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,840
Speaker 1: or vehicle to get to meet the people who made

221
00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,640
Speaker 1: those decisions. And so I'm impactful to meet them in person.

222
00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,199
Speaker 1: That's what we find. Yeah, and so like twelve different

223
00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,920
Speaker 1: yes mentors you know, in this particular time here soft

224
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,079
Speaker 1: by Softwest, and it's been really good. It's advice that

225
00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:58,520
Speaker 1: we received. Yeah, it's just it's been excellent, so you know,

226
00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:01,920
Speaker 1: and it's difficult to kind of get that from Jess

227
00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,200
Speaker 1: on the web or email and and things like that.

228
00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:08,120
Speaker 1: You know. So what we're here doing is making connections

229
00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:10,360
Speaker 1: with business just because we're working on our degree. So

230
00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,840
Speaker 1: we need opportunities see what you know is out there

231
00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,880
Speaker 1: for us kind of thinking outside the box if we

232
00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,200
Speaker 1: had something in mind to do with what to do

233
00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,360
Speaker 1: something with our degree? Keeping our options open, you get

234
00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:26,760
Speaker 1: to hear from people who didn't ask your permission, who

235
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:32,080
Speaker 1: built their thing, who launched their business, who did that

236
00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,320
Speaker 1: that low budget film, who produced their music in their basement,

237
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,000
Speaker 1: got it on Spotify whatever. But the people who just

238
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,920
Speaker 1: when they had were daring enough to believe that they could,

239
00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:42,520
Speaker 1: and they did it, and you hear how they did it.

240
00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,920
Speaker 1: I'm very lucky seekers flew me out here. I'm just

241
00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,560
Speaker 1: the communications intern, so this is a big break for

242
00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:52,280
Speaker 1: me to be here right now. It's awesome. You can

243
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:57,200
Speaker 1: also get newis at ww at nooilist, n O d

244
00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:02,000
Speaker 1: e list dot com and used to Promoco south By

245
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,720
Speaker 1: Southwest to get extra love and discount from our website.

246
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:10,240
Speaker 1: I spoke with three retired teachers, Rebecca, Debbie and Nicki,

247
00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:13,959
Speaker 1: who I met on the cap metrorail train. They were

248
00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,440
Speaker 1: on their way to downtown Austin to check out the

249
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,080
Speaker 1: festival goings on, and they were also discussing the Rodeo

250
00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:24,160
Speaker 1: Austin event that runs simultaneous to the festival. I asked

251
00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,880
Speaker 1: them to be honest about how locals feel about south

252
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,800
Speaker 1: By Here we'll hear from Rebecca and Debbie. My name

253
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,800
Speaker 1: is Rebecca Schroeder and I've volunteered at the Rodeo Austin

254
00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:37,720
Speaker 1: Rodeo for several years, and I do notice that there

255
00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:41,320
Speaker 1: is a flux of people that divide their time between

256
00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,960
Speaker 1: going to the Rodeo and going to south By Southwest

257
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,560
Speaker 1: because both our fabulous hedds like my friend here, I've

258
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:51,000
Speaker 1: also volunteered at the rodeo for years and years and years.

259
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:55,080
Speaker 1: So lots of discussion about whether or not people don't

260
00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,680
Speaker 1: go to the Rodeo because of south By Southwest from

261
00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,280
Speaker 1: whether it brings in people from out Austin. But it's

262
00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:05,040
Speaker 1: just the same week. It's actually two weeks that one

263
00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,720
Speaker 1: of the weeks a soupy settlers. But is the event

264
00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,480
Speaker 1: worth all the disruption, all the closed downtown streets, all

265
00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:14,880
Speaker 1: the long lines and your favorite restaurants here? Debbie and

266
00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,920
Speaker 1: Nikki respond, Absolutely a great thing. It brings so much

267
00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,680
Speaker 1: in economics to our community and really love some people

268
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,880
Speaker 1: get to see the town like yourself. And all the

269
00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,680
Speaker 1: years during COVID when they had to cancel it, it

270
00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:35,040
Speaker 1: was an economic disaster for some people because they had,

271
00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:40,840
Speaker 1: you know, especially cater ers, had prepared for it. I

272
00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:43,400
Speaker 1: think it's exciting for the young people even just to

273
00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:45,920
Speaker 1: get on the train go downtown see all the little

274
00:15:45,920 --> 00:15:49,200
Speaker 1: pop up musicians. I just read about a pop up

275
00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:52,280
Speaker 1: musician that was at the Austin Airport in the baggage

276
00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,960
Speaker 1: claim area, but just all over, even on the corners.

277
00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,520
Speaker 1: I was a high school teacher for eighteen years, and

278
00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,520
Speaker 1: with fail every one of those eighteen years there was

279
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:06,000
Speaker 1: someone in one of my classes that was doing a

280
00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,600
Speaker 1: little pop up or a show at south By Southwest.

281
00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:15,240
Speaker 1: Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more on

282
00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:25,440
Speaker 1: the ground reporting from south By Southwest twenty twenty three,

283
00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:30,080
Speaker 1: and we're back with more voices of south By Southwest.

284
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,000
Speaker 1: How do you not love a city where the motto

285
00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,040
Speaker 1: is keep Austin Weird? But how do you do that

286
00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,760
Speaker 1: today in Texas with everything going on in the political

287
00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:43,640
Speaker 1: and culture wars that are roiling this country. In this segment,

288
00:16:43,640 --> 00:16:47,840
Speaker 1: we'll hear from photographer Amy and retired teachers Nicki and Rebecca.

289
00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,200
Speaker 1: Austin has always been a little different for those reasons,

290
00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,440
Speaker 1: because you could be sitting in a bar and you're

291
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:55,600
Speaker 1: sitting next to a guy who's a venture capitalist on

292
00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:58,000
Speaker 1: one side, and you've got a person who plays the

293
00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:00,200
Speaker 1: bass in a band that plays in bar city on

294
00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,480
Speaker 1: the other side of you, and the guys across from

295
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,200
Speaker 1: you as a part time government worker, so you kind

296
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,280
Speaker 1: of got it all going on here. We're a liberal

297
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:13,600
Speaker 1: bubble in a very conservative state and that and that

298
00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:20,080
Speaker 1: absolutely tempers the atire fabric fabric of the town where

299
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,119
Speaker 1: the state capital, so the legislators come to town, that's

300
00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:30,280
Speaker 1: you know, really affects the mood of the town and

301
00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:34,840
Speaker 1: the effect that they have on our governmental systems because

302
00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,840
Speaker 1: they think they owned Austin. And then of course the

303
00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:44,800
Speaker 1: college is a huge has a huge impression on the city.

304
00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,240
Speaker 1: And it hasn't been that long that Austin was really large.

305
00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:50,320
Speaker 1: For a long time, it was just a small, sleepy

306
00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:54,400
Speaker 1: college town until high tech arrived. So there's still you know,

307
00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:59,240
Speaker 1: it still maintains that that feeling of a small town

308
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,800
Speaker 1: a lot of natives. Yes, I've lived in Austin since

309
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:11,280
Speaker 1: i was three years old and I'm fifty something. But anyway, yes,

310
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,040
Speaker 1: I mean seeing all the changes and stuff, sometimes you

311
00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,679
Speaker 1: feel like, oh, it's getting too big. But we really

312
00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:21,360
Speaker 1: do keep Austin weird and truly believe in that. Yes,

313
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:27,080
Speaker 1: And there's just so many people that so many things

314
00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,560
Speaker 1: you can do when you're here, like besides the festivals

315
00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,160
Speaker 1: or you know, Constreet festival that they have and then

316
00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,840
Speaker 1: of course they have I go to Eor's birthday party

317
00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,520
Speaker 1: in Austin. That's always like that's been going on since

318
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,520
Speaker 1: I was a little kid, and it's a tradition for

319
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,320
Speaker 1: us at the end of April, yep, when either pooh

320
00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:51,400
Speaker 1: e or they have an eor festival at Peace Park

321
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,159
Speaker 1: at the end of April. Finally, let's close with a

322
00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:58,159
Speaker 1: value added segment. Here are tips from Austin locals on

323
00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:02,000
Speaker 1: fun things to do, see and eat the next time

324
00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:07,600
Speaker 1: you visit. Here's Rebecca Carlos, Alyssa and a punchline offered

325
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,760
Speaker 1: by Nikki. You can still do small town sort of

326
00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,320
Speaker 1: things and go on little adventures to Mount Banell or

327
00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,320
Speaker 1: go out to Lake Travis and things like that, or

328
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:19,800
Speaker 1: you can do big things. So these are all record

329
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:25,400
Speaker 1: Barton Springs. Barton Springs, Zilker Park is you know, a must.

330
00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,359
Speaker 1: And then of course there's the little restaurants that are

331
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:33,480
Speaker 1: along there. You gotta go to Chewies and the sculpture gardens.

332
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,400
Speaker 1: My daughter's favorite place is Mayfield Park where they have

333
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,520
Speaker 1: the peacocks that just run around the park. And so

334
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,159
Speaker 1: there's just so much, so much culture and things to

335
00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,480
Speaker 1: do in Austin. The Public Library, which is located on

336
00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:51,720
Speaker 1: Second Street in between Second and SASA Chavis and San Antonio.

337
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:57,080
Speaker 1: It's a relatively new build and it's not the only

338
00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:03,000
Speaker 1: public library, I swear, but it's it's beautiful. It's four floors, stunning.

339
00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:05,720
Speaker 1: I think if you're gonna come here to Austin and

340
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,520
Speaker 1: you want to check out like local eatery, definitely go

341
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:13,040
Speaker 1: out to Comino Casino. It's a dive bar super like

342
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:19,280
Speaker 1: b Plane, I mean at best Burgers most definitely, and

343
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,000
Speaker 1: cheap beer is good. Bruis kind of hell escape in

344
00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,200
Speaker 1: the bar very particular. Yeah, and they always play b

345
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:29,080
Speaker 1: movies in the in the TV, so it's very you know,

346
00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:30,639
Speaker 1: if you're a little bit fret as though you're not

347
00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:34,520
Speaker 1: necessarily gonna like it, but the Burgers and the Hondas

348
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,719
Speaker 1: absolutely sweet. Baby Jesus, Yes, a little plug for our

349
00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,080
Speaker 1: favorite burger place though Billy's on burn It that's our favorite.

350
00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,720
Speaker 1: Like dive bar too, love. I feel like when you

351
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:45,800
Speaker 1: live here, I feel like the dive bars and dive

352
00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,359
Speaker 1: restaurants are kind of like where you go and you

353
00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,600
Speaker 1: still love. My daughter, who was born in Race Here

354
00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:53,480
Speaker 1: now lives in Dallas and she thinks Dallas is boring.

355
00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,840
Speaker 1: She said, there's nothing to do here, So like this

356
00:20:57,040 --> 00:21:07,120
Speaker 1: is Dallas, but apparently compared to Austin. Thanks for listening

357
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:12,680
Speaker 1: to this special, ostentatious episode of Strictly Business. My thanks

358
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:18,359
Speaker 1: especially to all who participated and shared their candid thoughts. Listeners,

359
00:21:18,560 --> 00:21:21,240
Speaker 1: be sure to leave us a review at Apple Podcasts.

360
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,160
Speaker 1: We love to hear from you. Please go to Variety

361
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,320
Speaker 1: dot com and sign up for the free Strictly Business newsletter,

362
00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,640
Speaker 1: and don't forget to tune in next week for another

363
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:32,119
Speaker 1: episode of Strictly Business