Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Joins SXSW Speaker Roster

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, just added to the list of SXSW 2019 speakers. The festival and conference runs March 8-17.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been shaking up U.S. politics since her upset win last November; now she’s one of the big names just announced as a speaker for SXSW 2019.

After waves of speakers for the festival (running March 8-17), including Shirley Manson of Garbage and VR film pioneer Jessica Brillhart, plus an ever-growing list of musicians and the announcement of Jordan Peele’s Us as the opening night film, today’s list of keynotes and panelists brings new and familiar talents.

On the film front, the biggest addition may well be that of actor/director Olivia Wilde. A SXSW veteran as an actress in 2013’s Drinking Buddies, she returns mere months before the release of her debut as a feature director, Booksmart (starring Kaitlyn Dever, Lisa Kudrow, and Jason Sudeikis).

She’s far from the only household name on today’s list, with a roster that includes rapper-turned-taste-maker A$AP Rocky, Henry Winkler (yes, the Fonz himself), and the Emmy-nominated star and creator of FX’s Better Things, Pamela Adlon. Plus, if we’re talking people with new films imminent, Jerry Maguire director Cameron Crowe will be in conversation with ex-Byrd David Crosby, about whom he just produced a new documentary.

Also, watch out for one of alternative culture’s power couples: Crowdfunding trailblazer Amanda Palmer had already been announced for the music track, and now her husband – genre-defining comic writer Neil Gaiman – will be in town.

Yet SXSW isn’t just about entertainment. On the tech side will be heavy hitters from Instagram, plus experts from the increasingly volatile world of cryptocurrency (expect to hear the word “bubble” a lot this year), while Ocasio-Cortez is the big name for the Cities, Governments, & Politics track.

Here’s the full list of speakers added today:

SXSW Convergence track keynote speaker Bozoma Saint John

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

• Endeavor Chief Marketing Officer Bozoma Saint John (Convergence)

• Instagram Co-Founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom in conversation with TechCrunch Editor-At-Large Josh Constine (Interactive)

• Actor/director Olivia Wilde (Film)

FEATURED SPEAKERS

BLOCKCHAIN & CRYPTOCURRENCY

• Daniel Kahan, attorney in Morrison & Foerster’s Corporate Department, in conversation with Valerie A. Szczepanik, head of the Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

• Entrepreneur Willy Woo in conversation with CoinDesk Director of Research Nolan Bauerle

CANNABUSINESS

• MedMen Enterprises CEO Adam Bierman

CITIES, GOVERNMENT, & POLITICS

• Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, in conversation with The Intercept columnist Briahna Gray

• Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in conversation with Canva Chief Evangelist Guy Kawasaki

DESIGN

• Rapper and creative director at MTV Labs and Viacom Velocity, A$AP Rocky, with Daimler AG Chief Design Officer Gorden Wagener

• Nike Vice President of Creative Concepts Tinker Hatfield in conversation with Scott Dadich, founder and co-CEO of Godfrey Dadich Partners.

Henry Winkler, who will be presenting an Acting Workshop Featured Session at SXSW

ENTERTAINMENT INFLUENCERS

• Peabody and Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Pamela Adlon (creator, star, and director of FX’s Better Things and the voice of Bobby Hill in King of the Hill)

• Novelist, comics pioneer, and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Goodwill Ambassador Neil Gaiman

• TV legend Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Barry) in an Acting Workshop Featured Session

HEALTH & MEDTECH

• Google Health Vice President David Feinberg in conversation with Dell Medical School Dean and UT-Austin Vice President for Medical Affairs Clay Johnston

• Tech podcaster and investor/advisor Tim Ferriss in conversation with author and activist Michael Pollan

INTELLIGENT FUTURE

• Hacker and comma.ai founder George Hotz (aka geohot)

• Artist Trevor Paglen and researcher Kate Crawford discuss dismantling the cultural underpinnings of machine learning, and how AIs are being taught

MAKING FILM & EPISODICS

• Designing for Films at Pixar Animation Studios Featured Session with Character Art Director Deanna Marsigliese (Inside Out); Graphics Art Director Josh Holtsclaw (Cars 3, Kubo and the Two Strings); and Sets Art Director Paul Abadilla (Cars 3, Finding Dory).

MAKING & MARKETING MUSIC

• Music video producer and Happy Place, Inc., Founder Tara Razavi

• Fender Musical Instruments Corporation CEO Andy Mooney, Managing Director-North America at Ableton Tony McCall, artist Elise Trouw, and musician and NPR commentator Meredith Ochs discuss music and technology in Featured Session Guitars and More: Creating New Sounds With Tech

Olivia Wilde, this year’s SXSW Film Conference keynote speaker (Photo by Jon Kopaloff)

MEDIA & JOURNALISM

• Journalist and former Washington Bureau Chief for The New York Times Jill Abramson in conversation with Buzzfeed Co-Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti

• Jim Bankoff, chairman and CEO of Vox Media, in conversation with award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien

• WndrCo Co-Founder and Managing Partner Jeffrey Katzenberg and Quibi CEO Meg Whitman in conversation with NBC News Senior Media Reporter Dylan Byers

MUSIC INDUSTRY & CULTURE

• Haight Brand founder (and manager of Chance the Rapper) Pat Corcoran

• Iconic musician David Crosby in conversation with journalist-turned-filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Singles, Almost Famous)

• Hip-hop-journalist-turned-concert-producer Lola Plaku

• Swedish musical heavyweight, ABBA member, and musical score composer Björn Ulvaeus and Auddly CEO Niclas Molinder in Featured Session Creator Credits: Providing the Missing Links

SOCIAL & GLOBAL IMPACT

• Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Co-Founder Priscilla Chan

TECH INDUSTRY & ENTERPRISE

• Foursquare Co-Founder Dennis Crowley

• Bird Founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden and Monday Motorbikes CEO Josh Rasmussen