Now Speaking at SXSW: Ozzy Osbourne, Trent Reznor, Janelle Monae
By Kevin Curtin, February 11, 2020, 11:26am, Earache!
If we told you that a prince were coming to South by Southwest, you’d probably guess Harry. More exciting, the conference rolls out the red carpet for the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne.
The proto-metal wildman, now 71, arrives with a hefty promotional agenda. His new album, Ordinary Man, arrives Feb. 20, although locals can hear it a day early if they get some Ozzy ink at Resurrection Tattoo. The Birmingham native’s first solo work in a decade features contributions from Elton John, Slash, Tom Morello, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and – you guessed it – Post Malone.
SXSW, meanwhile, signed on to premiere his A&E doc Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy, directed by R. Greg Johnston, who produced Ozzy’s family reality TV show The Osbournes.
The Black Sabbath frontman recently revealed his diagnosis last year of Parkinson's disease, a central nervous system disorder that impacts motor skills. In a Good Morning America appearance last month, wife Sharon Osbourne predicted her husband would return to performing. Indeed, the impact of Ozzy can’t be understated.
Black Sabbath remains the touchstone of all heavy music in America. In terms of contemporary influence, you’ll find more bands citing them as musical role models than even the Beatles. The British quartet first visited Austin in 1971, the same year all-time classic Paranoid received a delayed U.S. release alongside follow-up Masters of Reality. They last played locally at the Frank Erwin Center in 2013.
The Ozzman will officially appear as a Featured Speaker Session along with his son Jack Osbourne and comedian Jim Norton.
Per usual, SXSW reveals have proved measured – up ’til now: Nine Inch Nails leader and former Apple Music executive Trent Reznor will be making his first ever SXSW appearance alongside bandmate Atticus Ross.
The pair's immersion into film scoring has been nothing short of brilliant, winning a 2010 Oscar for their work on The Social Network and a 2013 Grammy for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Last year, they produced stellar original soundtracks for Waves and HBO’s The Watchmen. That series’ director Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost, will appear with Reznor and Ross.
Also coming from the crossroads of music and cinema, meta doc The Nowhere Inn. Reportedly, the film tracks musician St. Vincent hiring friend Carrie Brownstein of Portlandia and Sleater-Kinney fame to make a documentary about her, so the two singer/guitarists fly to Austin to screen and discuss the film.
Director Spike Jonze also added a local appearance to his planner. The ever-ingenious cineaste premieres a film about his greatest muses: The Beastie Boys, about whom he just published a photo book. The Beastie Boys Story, slated for AppleTV in April, comes billed as a “live documentary experience,” which ostensibly means living members Mike Diamond and Adam Horowitz telling stories in front of a big screen where Jonze played video.
Meanwhile, Janelle Monae has signed on as a keynote. In 2009, Monae cut through the clutter of SXSW to emerge as the queen of that year’s crop of buzz artists. Eleven years later, standing as one of pop music’s most impressive artists, she shook last night’s Academy Awards with an ostentatious and incisive opening number that made her the event’s headline grabber. She’s starring in the film Antebellum, set for release in April.
Also on deck for a keynote: South Korean music mogul, producer, and former singer Lee Soo-Man. The modern K-pop pioneer will appear in conversation with Capitol Music Group COO Michelle Jubelirer.
In other speaker news: Roger Water’s previously announced keynote has now been revealed to be a conversation fellow activist Michael Moore. Another interesting pairing brings in Judd Apatow, whose The King of Staten Island has already been tapped for a SXSW premiere, to interview Stephen Colbert.
Kenya Barris, the mastermind behind all sitcom’s ending in …ish will sit with actress Rashida Jones to talk about their new Netflix series #blackellence. Other fascinating minds appearing on the Featured Speaker roster include linguistics professor and political theorist Noam Chomsky, mad-smart comedians Desus and Mero - who have new book entitled God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx, actor Jason Segel, and Wu Tang chef Raekwon.
Here’s a full rundown of today’s SXSW programming announcement, in their own words:
SXSW 2020 Keynotes
• Multiple Grammy-award winning musician, actress, producer, director, and writer St. Vincent a/k/a Annie Clark with musician, actress, writer, and director Carrie Brownstein in conversation about their upcoming collaboration on The Nowhere Inn (Convergence)
• The founder of SM Entertainment, one of Asia’s largest entertainment groups, and pioneer and innovator of the modern K-Pop industry, Soo-Man Lee in conversation with COO of Capitol Music Group, Michelle Jubelirer (Music)
• Eight-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, producer, activist, star of the second season of Amazon’s critically acclaimed series Homecoming and the upcoming film Antebellum Janelle Monáe (Convergence)
• Executive Director of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation Cat Packer in conversation with Cannabis Doing Good and kindColorado president and founder Kelly Perez (Convergence)
• Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — who also comprise Nine Inch Nails, which will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this Spring join Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer and writer Damon Lindelof to discuss their collaboration on the HBO series Watchmen (Convergence)
• Filmmaker, and writer and director of the Golden Globe nominated film The Farewell Lulu Wang (Film)
• Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore has been added to a conversation with founding member and creative force for Pink Floyd, Roger Waters (Music)
Featured Speakers
[image-3-right]• Director and comedian Judd Apatow will interview Emmy and Peabody Award-winning host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, best selling author, producer, and comedian Stephen Colbert (Film & TV Industry)
• Former Microsoft CEO and founder of the non-partisan and non-profit USAFacts, the most comprehensive online source of American government data Steve Ballmer (Government & Politics)
• Founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer in conversation with Politico federal cannabis policy reporter Natalie Fertig (Cannabusiness)
• Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Agnese Nelms Haury Chair in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona Noam Chomsky, with senior columnist at The Intercept and host of the Deconstructed podcast, Mehdi Hassan (Government & Politics)
• Multitalented comedians, authors of the upcoming book God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx, and co-hosts of Showtime’s first late-night talk show Desus and Mero as well as the long-running Bodega Boys podcast Desus Nice and The Kid Mero (Connection & CuThe Farewell lture)
• Multi-platinum rapper, comedian, producer, writer, and star of FXX’s DAVE Dave Burd in conversation with director and Dave co-creator, executive producer and writer Jeff Schaffer (Making Film & Episodics)
• Venture capitalist and leading spokesperson for Bitcoin, Blockchain, ICOs, and cryptocurrencies, as well as the founder of Draper Associates Tim Draper (Startups)
• CEO and Founder of Platoon Denzyl Feigelson (Future of Music)
• Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and creator, writer and director of the upcoming FX on Hulu limited series Devs, Alex Garland (Making Film and Episodics)
• CEO of Verizon Media Guru Gowrappan (Tech Industry & Enterprise)
• Since the 80s co-founder and head of marketing, Kei Henderson (Creating & Monetizing Music)
• Electronic musician and composer Holly Herndon (Future of Music)
• Award-winning writer and publisher of the Water & Music newsletter Cherie Hu (Future of Music)
• Academy Award-winning filmmaker and director of Apple’s upcoming documentary feature Beastie Boys Story, Spike Jonze (Making Film & Episodics)
• CEO and co-founder of 300 Entertainment and author Kevin Liles (Future of Music)
• One of the world’s most respected film critics and historians, and author of Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin with his daughter and co-host of the Maltin on Movies podcast, Jessie Maltin (Film & TV Industry)
• Grammy Award-winning musician and cultural icon Ozzy Osbourne and television star Jack Osbourne in conversation with comedian, radio personality, author and actor Jim Norton (Connection & Culture)
• Founder and CEO of DropLabs and former CEO of Beats By Dre Susan Paley (Future of Music)
Sony/ATV Music Publishing Chairman and CEO Jon Platt (Future of Music)• Acclaimed country singer-songwriter Margo Price (Creating & Monetizing Music)
• Actor, writer, director, producer, and New York Times bestselling author, Jason Segel, the creator and star of the new AMC drama Dispatches from Elsewhere (Making Film & Episodics)
• Journalist, author, television producer, and creator of the HBO series The Wire and upcoming limited HBO series The Plot Against America, David Simon (Making Film & Episodics)
• Executive Chairman of S4 Capital Sir Martin Sorrell (Advertising & Brand Experience)
• Multi-talented comedy writer & performer, creator, star, and executive producer of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show Robin Thede, in conversation with Fast Company associate editor KC Ifeanyi (Film & TV Industry)
• Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri (Sports)
• Acclaimed anime and film director Shinichirō Watanabe, director of Carole and Tuesday, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and most recently Blade Runner Blackout 2022 (Making Film & Episodics)
Featured Sessions
• Are You Ready for the Future of Space Exploration? (Space): Join NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Tyler N. “Nick” Hague with CNN Business writer Jackie Wattles as they discuss how we'll get people back to the Moon, what they'll do there and how it will lay the groundwork for missions to Mars.
• Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones on #blackexcellence (Making Film & Episodics): Join stars and executive producers Kenya Barris and Rashida Jones for a conversation discussing their upcoming Netflix series #blackexcellence. Inspired by Barris’ irreverent, highly flawed, unbelievably honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackexcellence flips the traditional sitcom family on its head. Pulling back the curtain, the series uncovers and explores the messy, unapologetic and often hilarious world of what it means to be a “new money.”
• The Black List Podcast (Film & TV Industry): Co-hosted by Black List founder Franklin Leonard and Kate Hagen. Coming soon to LuminaryPodcasts.com.
• Building the Consumer Bank of the Future From Scratch (Workplace): A conversation about the transformation and innovation happening at Goldman Sachs with chairman and CEO of The Goldman Sachs group, David M. Solomon and Managing Editor of Business at Axios, Jennifer Kingson.
• Disrupfluencing in the Age of Social Media with Jaboukie Young-White (Connection & Culture): Social media titan and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah correspondent, Jaboukie Young-White charts the future iteration of internet culture. In this multimedia presentation, Young-White will teach the next generation of social influencers the disruptive tools they need to master the art of online personal brand impact.
• QuickTake by Bloomberg: Disrupting Global News in a Streaming World (Media & Journalism): In this conversation with Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin B. Smith and QuickTake by Bloomberg General Manager Jean Ellen Cowgill, hear how social media has transformed the pace and delivery of global news, and get the first look at the new streaming global news channel and over-the-top (OTT) programming from QuickTake by Bloomberg. Hear how QuickTake is taking the fight to the traditional networks and reinventing premium news video for the next generation.
• Driving Herbal Economic Equality (Cannabusiness): Listen to hip-hop legend Raekwon discuss his newest venture alongside CitizenGrown CCO, Deepa Vora, Vice host and executive producer of Weediquette Krishna Andavalu, and radio presenter, author and host of the nationally syndicated radio show, The Breakfast Club Charlamagne tha God, as they discuss the opportunity of leveraging cannabis as a tool for the community and why the bulk of the new market economy should be delivered for opportunity and economic growth.
• Embracing Mental Wellness at Home and in the Workplace (Connection & Culture): Author, mental health advocate and CCO of ban.do Jen Gotch, in conversation with Fast Company writer Rina Raphael, shares her personal journey, dives into how fostering a healthy online community can create positive conversations around mental health, and how she balances professional and personal responsibilities as a mental health advocate.
• How Women are Reclaiming Their Power to Advance Gender Equity (Film & TV Industry): A conversation exploring the backlash to the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements; the perpetuation and stigma of shame, and how to overcome it; and what responsibility the entertainment industry has in working on intersecting issues core to women's lives, with The Good Place actress, activist and founder of I Weigh Jameela Jamil in conversation with President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center and co-founder of TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, Fatima Goss Graves.
• For Mature Audiences: The Rise of Adult Animation (Film & TV Industry): A conversation with leading adult animation creators and hitmakers as they discuss their recent hits and how the streaming audience has helped to grow their projects and reach featuring Justin Roiland (Co-Creator and EP, Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites); Mike McMahan (Co-Creator and EP, Solar Opposites, Star Trek: Lower Decks and EP Rick & Morty); and Julie Thacker Scully (Co-Creator/Executive Producer, Duncanville). The panel will be moderated by Billy Rosenberg, Director of Content Development and Head of Comedy at Hulu.
• Holding our Humanity: From the Border and Beyond (Connection & Culture): Through their work at the border, each of them has used their platform to highlight the struggle of families and children in this area, tell their stories, uplift voices and focus on their humanity. This conversation with activist and co-founder of This is About Humanity Elsa Collins and actor, activist, entrepreneur and co-founder of HARNESS Wilmer Valderrama will focus on how their journey has influenced them to talk about how they are invested in inspiring others to use their gifts and become an activist in their own life.
• How HBO Max Plans to Break Through the Streaming Space (Media & Journalism): A conversation about HBO Max’s strategy to expand a treasured brand into new (streaming) territory, how it will stay disciplined in a marketplace that is anything but, and the importance of quality programming in an age of infinite content, with Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer Robert Greenblatt, and Chairman and CEO of MediaLink Michael E. Kassan.
• How Women Win on Gun Safety - and Stop the NRA (Government & Politics): Tackling an increasingly pressing issue in America this session will explore how a grassroots army of “mothers and others” transformed gun violence prevention from a third rail in electoral politics to a central plank of the 2020 election, featuring Oscar and Emmy Award-winning actress, and Creative Council chair of Everytown for Gun Safety Julianne Moore, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America founder Shannon Watts, two-time WNBA Champion and gun safety advocate Devereaux Peters, and MSNBC Political Analyst and MoveOn’s Chief Public Affairs Officer Karine Jean-Pierre.
• The Intersection of Music, Business, & Alcohol (Future of Music): For years we have lost members of the music community to substances, and recent tragedies have amplified calls for action. This conversation with Grammy-nominated musician and member of Sofi Tukker Sophie Hawley-Weld, Athletic Brewing Company founder Bill Shufelt, and former professional athlete and Creative Projects Manager for RICKiRICKi Richie Crowley, will explore attitudes, surface consumer trends, and interpret lyrics, we will aim to understand our affinity, or dependency, for alcohol.
• Journeying to the Outpost of Humanity in Space (Space): Join co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios Felix Lajeunesse, TIME Editorial Director of Enterprise and Immersive Experiences, Mia Tramz, NASA ISS communication manager Dylan Mathis, and astronaut Jeanette J. Epps in a conversation about the rise of public and private collaborations to create immersive experiences like Space Explorers: the ISS Experience — the most ambitious project ever filmed in Space — that transport audiences to the edge of space exploration.
• Leadership in Turbulent Times (Media & Journalism): A conversation about the unprecedented period of disruption in the media and technology industry, and the strong leadership that is required to navigate that change, with former University of Texas Chancellor and retired U.S Navy Four-Star Admiral William McRaven and Executive VP and General Manager of CNN Digital Worldwide Andrew Morse.
• Marvel Comics: The Oral History of the X-Men (Connection & Culture): Marvel’s Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski, and EVP, Creative Director + fan-favorite writer/artist Joe Quesada lead an interactive discussion on the storied history of the most beloved super hero team of all time, the X-Men! Join them as they walk through the franchise that revolutionized comics and re-defined the boundaries of super hero fiction – from its creation in the 1960s, to its various TV & film iterations, and finally to the current startling world of the HOUSE OF X that has captivated fans and critics alike!
• The Next Era of Storytelling (Making Film & Episodics): A conversation with Quibi Founder and Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg and top Hollywood creators about producing, distributing, and viewing movie quality shows on the first premium video entertainment platform — designed exclusively for your phone — a brand new kind of storytelling.
• OK Boomer, Here's the MFT on TikTok (Connection & Culture): A conversation about what exactly TikTok, the short-form video app, is — and what makes it so unique. Hear from TikTok Director of Creator Community Kudzi Chikumbu, content creators Sarah Lugor (@shreksdumpster) and Brittany Tomlinson (@brittany_broski), and New York Times internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz, as they give us the tea.
• Other Side of War: “City of a Million Soldiers“ Film Conversation (Making Film & Episodics): Directors, producers, screenwriters actors and editors Anthony and Joe Russo; director, writer and producer Matthew Michael Carnahan; writer, director and producer Mohamed Al Dradji; and actor and star of Mosul Suhail Dabbach in conversation about their collaboration on the Iraq-set film Mosul based on a New Yorker article.
• Oxygen’s Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project (Climate and Social Action): In June 2018, Kim Kardashian West used her global fame to publicly campaign for criminal justice reform by convincing the White House to grant Alice Marie Johnson clemency. Inspired by her work with Johnson, Kardashian has made it her personal mission to lobby for systematic change and advocate for the men and women who she and her legal experts believe have been unfairly sentenced. Now, as she pursues her own career in law, Kardashian is dedicating both personal resources and her public platform to the cause. Her upcoming documentary for Oxygen, Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project captures Kim as she lends a hand to right injustices and advocate for change. Ahead of the documentary’s debut in April, Kim Kardashian West sits down for a discussion on criminal justice reform with #cut50 Co-Founder and Senior Counsel Jessica Jackson along with Momolu Stewart, who is featured in the documentary, and was recently released after serving 22 years in prison.
• Preventing the Next Pandemic: How IDseq Can Help (Health & MedTech): A conversation with Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Co-President, Joe DeRisi, and Tested.com editor-in-chief Adam Savage about the Biohub’s recent launch of IDseq—a free, cloud-based tool to help scientists and global health workers more quickly identify, track, and stop disease outbreaks.
• The Privacy Project at SXSW (Government & Politics): Privacy’s boundaries are in dispute. Its future is in doubt. Join New York Times Opinion writer Charlie Warzel as he takes you inside The Privacy Project, a year-long initiative exploring the key questions facing us all: does privacy matter? What do they know, and how do they know it? What should be done about it? And what can I do? Then contributing writer Kara Swisher will sit down with special guests to discuss the promise and peril of big tech, and the tradeoffs of government regulation.
• SBIR Means Billions of Dollars for Startups (Government): Government innovation is often as much about acquisition (how to buy things) as it is about technology. Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon will lead a discussion with Commanding General, Army Futures Command General John “Mike” Murray, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Dr. Will Roper, and Microsoft president Brad Smith about how the Air Force, Army and Navy are working together on a joint initiative to award startups billions of dollars in funding through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants.
• SXSongs: F**k Up the Conversation (Creating & Monetizing Music): This conversation features award-winning artist Wrabel and producer/songwriter Alex Hope, for a discussion about a male artist who chose to collaborate with a female producer and songwriter – their process, collaboration, and experiences together. This will be an intimate discussion to push the conversation forward from the challenges females face in the studio to providing real solutions.
• Technology + Storytelling = Magic (Experiential Storytelling): Today’s technological revolution is changing the game when it comes to experiential storytelling, and Disney is staying ahead of the curve by leveraging emerging tech to revolutionize the Guest Experience. In this conversation, Bob Chapek, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products, will be joined by Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios, and Chief Creative Officer, Marvel, and Disney Imagineers to give attendees a behind-the-scenes look at some of the incredible innovations Disney uses to bring stories to life at destinations around the world.
• Tools and Weapons: The Promise and Peril of the Digital Age (Tech Industry & Enterprise): A provocative, compelling conversation with Microsoft President Brad Smith that addresses some of the thorniest issues faced by industry and society today. How can the hope technology offers be protected against the very real threats it also presents?
• What A Time To Be Alive (Creating & Monetizing Music): Did you ever wonder how a song comes into being? How much of it is inspiration vs. perspiration? Musician Beabadoobee will join Britt Daniel, Matthew Caws and Mac McCaughan as they attempt to deconstruct the mystery of the songwriting process, while also performing some of your favorites.
Special Events
SXSW Film Fest Episodic Pitch-A-Thon Presented by SeriesFest
For the first time at SXSW Film, independent content creators will have the opportunity to participate in an Episodic Pitch-A-Thon presented by SeriesFest in partnership with SXSW. The Pitch-A-Thon is an exclusive live episodic pitch session with top television, new media and digital execs in hopes of moving their projects — and careers — forward. SXSW 2020 filmmakers will be among six slots in a live event where each Creator/Creative Team will have five minutes to pitch in front of an audience. An industry panel of experts seated on stage will then have seven minutes to give their feedback to each project. This event will be approximately 90 minutes.
ISM Hexadome
ISM Hexadome, a 360° immersive installation demonstrating the empowerment of shared direct experience through sound, art, film and technology, comes to SXSW 2020. Comprised of 6 giant cinema screens, Epson advanced laser projection and 52 channels of spatial sound featuring exclusive commissioned audio/visual collaborative works by artists including Thom Yorke & Tarik Barri, Suzanne Ciani & AudeRose, Ben Frost & MFO, as well as a first-of-its-kind immersive cinematic experience by Paramount Pictures and Little Cinema for the highly-anticipated release of Antoine Fuqua's action thriller Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg and in theatres Summer 2020.
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