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Vox Media returns to SXSW 2019 with The Deep End and a slate of newsmaking interviews

Highlights from three days of live programming, food, music, and experiences — and can’t-miss podcasts to relive it all

By Vox Media

As the media, entertainment, and music industries return from SXSW, Vox Media is excited to relive our favorite moments from The Deep End and the SXSW stages. From hosting 6,500 passionate fans at The Belmont for three days of content and experiences, to watching from the SXSW audience as CEO Jim Bankoff weighed in on the future of our industry and Recode’s Kara Swisher hosted a SXSW keynote interview, we strived to delight, inspire, and drive more meaningful connections with our audiences. To the Vox Media experts, special guest speakers, thousands who celebrated with us, and our key sponsors: THANK YOU.

Whether you were with us on the ground or are just joining us here, the experience lives on as photos and interviews on the Vox Media Podcast Network — dive in.

The Deep End

Vox Media brought The Deep End back to SXSW from March 8-10, 2019 to take audiences deeper into their passion points, ignite curiosity, and drive meaningful connections. Over three days, we welcomed nearly 6,500 guests for an exclusive lineup that brought Vox Media to life.

Photo Credit: Ryan Muir Photography

Alongside fan-favorite voices from Vox, Recode, The Verge, SB Nation, Curbed, Eater, and Polygon, we hosted a wealth of incredible guests for candid conversations and live podcasts on topics we care about most — technology, business, politics, gaming and film, Hollywood, media and more. Highlights included...

  • Recode’s live podcasts with Kara Swisher and Peter Kafka: Swisher interviewed Arlan Hamilton and Wendy Davis for Recode Decode, and Pivot with co-host Scott Galloway. Peter Kafka brought Recode Media to the stage with an interview with Mark Cuban.
  • Vox’s The Weeds live: Vox’s Matt Yglesias, Dara Lind, and Jane Coaston held two wonderfully wonky conversations with presidential hopefuls Julian Castro and Pete Buttigieg.
  • The Vergecast live & conversations with Casey Newton: The Verge’s Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Casey Newton, and Ashley Carman hosted their popular podcast live. Casey Newton then brought his expertise to interviews with Facebook’s former Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos and Craigslist’s Craig Newmark.
  • Vox Media’s Liz Plank and SB Nation’s Natalie Weiner on advancing the conversation around women: Plank interviewed actress Olivia Wilde and Katie Silberman, and Weiner sat down with Monique Lamoreaux, Indiana Pacers Assistant GM Kelly Krauskopf, and Sports Management Partners CEO Lonnie Murray, to look at both the worlds of Hollywood and sports through the lens of successful women in the industries.
  • Eater Travel with Amanda Kludt: Eater not only hosted 20 pop-up food stalls inspired by Eater Travel’s “24 Hours In,” but Amanda Kludt interviewed chefs Mei Lin and Nini Nguyen and host of Travel, Eat, Repeat Iz Harris.
  • Interactive live podcasts from SB Nation, Vox, and The Ringer: Packed rooms of fans for Shutdown Fullcast, Switched on Pop, and The Rewatchables cheered, sang, laughed — and watched The Matrix — alongside their favorite hosts.
  • Conversations at the intersection, led by Polygon and Curbed: Polygon’s Matt Patches hosted Amy Hennig, Adi Shankar, and Kiki Wolfkill to discuss how video games and film influences one another. For a curious crowd, it was as compelling as the conversation led by Curbed’s Kelsey Keith, who hosted eBay’s Chris Librie alongside Austin Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison and Michael Hsu of the Office of Architecture on keeping the city of Austin weird while it grows.
Ryan Muir Photography

Days of live podcasts, unfiltered storytelling, and musical spotlights, turned to nights of the same in The Deep End. On Friday, The Verge and Aloft Hotels hosted the Future of Music starring The Verge’s Dani Deahl, artist and entrepreneur Laura Escudé, singer-songwriter Herizen and headliner Emily King. On Saturday, a special event took over the space for a meal curated by chef Kevin Fink of Austin’s Emmer & Rye, an Eater favorite.

Ryan Muir Photography

Attendees also enjoyed a conversation on the impact of silence, music and noise with Vox and 3M, and a Polygon arcade presented by TCL, the Curbed Lounge featuring local purveyors and products from eBay’s Retail Revival program, flights of kombucha from KeVita, and a conversation on global issues with individuals from around the world in our Doha Debates video portal

Vox Media Takes the Main SXSW Stages

Outside The Deep End, we were represented on the SXSW mainstages by Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff, Publisher Melissa Bell, CRO Ryan Pauley, Recode’s Kara Swisher and Peter Kafka, and Polygon’s Karen Han.

SXSW

Bankoff, in a Featured Session with journalist Soledad O’Brien discussed the future of media and entertainment. Bankoff broke news that Vox Media will launch a premium members’ offering later this year, and he left the stage on an optimistic note: “As an audience member, it’s never been a better a time and we’re so privileged and so proud to serve those curious audiences every day. That’s a reason to be optimistic about the future of media.”

Photo by Ismael Quintanilla/Getty Images for SXSW

Kara Swisher also spent the weekend making news in back-to-back interviews. First, with an interview with Senator Amy Klobuchar that the New York Times reported spanned “health care, impeachment and, yes, that comb.” Swisher then hosted the once-daily SXSW keynote, where she welcome comedian Kathy Griffin on the notorious photo that changed her life and the role of platform CEOs.

Podcasts

Catch up on the conversations from The Deep End and SXSW

Recode Decode with Comedian Kathy Griffin

Recode co-founder and editor-at-large Kara Swisher sat down with award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin for a conversation that dove deep into the last 18 months of Griffin’s career. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Recode Decode in your podcast app.

Recode Decode with Senator Amy Klobuchar

Recode co-founder and editor-at-large Kara Swisher took the official SXSW stage with Senator Amy Klobuchar to discuss health care, impeachment, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Recode Decode in your podcast app.

Recode Decode with Arlan Hamilton and Wendy Davis

Kara Swisher was joined live in The Deep End by Arlan Hamilton and Wendy Davis for a discussion about being underestimated, drive, and defying the odds. Subscribe to Recode Decode, hosted by Kara Swisher on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app to be the first to hear this conversation once it’s released later this month.

Recode Media with Peter Kafka and Mark Cuban

At The Deep End, Peter Kafka dove in with Mark Cuban – the serial entrepreneur known for his ownership of the Dallas Mavericks and investments on ABC’s Shark Tank. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Recode Media with Peter Kafka in your podcast app.

Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway

Recode’s Kara Swisher and NYU Stern School of Business Professor Scott Galloway came together in The Deep End to talk tech wins and fails of the week, and offer big predictions about what’s coming next. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway in your podcast app.

Vox’s The Weeds with Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Hosts Matthew Yglesias, Dara Lind, and Jane Coaston in conversation with Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana live from The Deep End. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Vox’s The Weeds in your podcast app.

Vox’s The Weeds with Julián Castro

Hosts Matthew Yglesias, Dara Lind, and Jane Coaston come together for a conversation with Julián Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 2020 democratic candidate for president live from The Deep End. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Vox’s The Weeds in your podcast app.

Vox’s Switched on Pop with Emily King (Presented by Aloft)

Musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding spoke with singer-songwriter Emily King live in The Deep End. Subscribe to Switched on Pop on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or in your favorite podcast app to be the first to hear this conversation once it’s released later this month.

The Vergecast

The Verge’s editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and executive editor Dieter Bohn, alongside Silicon Valley editor Casey Newton and tech reporter Ashley Carman look at what’s happening right now (and next) in the world of technology and gadgets live from The Deep End. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for The Vergecast in your podcast app.

Shutdown Fullcast

Hosts Spencer Hall, Jason Kirk and Ryan Nanni delve into the biggest sports stories of the week live from The Deep End. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search for Shutdown Fullcast in your podcast app.

Coming soon...

The Ringer’s The Rewatchables

Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan and Shea Serrano of The Ringer, hosted a live episode of The Rewatchables discussing The Matrix in The Deep End.