SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, IN COLLABORATION WITH
THE TEXAS TRIBUNE FESTIVAL, ANNOUNCES
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT AMERICA’S FUTURE 2020

Austin, Texas — March 2, 2020 — South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals (March 13-22, 2020) has announced the return of a two-day series of conversations in collaboration with The Texas Tribune Festival. Conversations About America's Future will bring some of the nation’s best-known journalists together with top elected officials, political activists, and influential thought leaders whose ideas and visions for the future will shape our country for decades to come. The event will take place Saturday, March 14-15 at the Fairmont Austin as part of the SXSW Conference’s Government & Politics Track, and is open to all SXSW badgeholders.

Conversations About America’s Future Sessions Announced Include:

• Former U.S. Secretary of State, Senator and First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton in conversation with MSNBC political analyst and host of AM Joy Joy Reid
• U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff, in conversation with NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent and host of MSNBC’s Kasie DC Kasie Hunt
• Former Chicago Mayor, ABC News contributor and author of The Nation City: Why Mayors are Running the World Rahm Emanuel, in conversation with Recode co-founder and editor-at-large Kara Swisher
• Journalist, author and co-founder of Lift Our Voices Gretchen Carlson, in conversation with Glamour editor-in-chief Samantha Barry
• Former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate, and Powered By People founder Beto O'Rourke in conversation with The Washington Post national political reporter and moderator of Washington Week on PBS Robert Costa
• Entrepreneur, founder of Venture 4 America and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in conversation with New York Times media columnist Ben Smith
• Four of the Lincoln Project’s founding members — independent political strategist Reed Galen, national political strategist Steve Schmidt, national political strategist John Weaver, and long-time Republican media consultant and author Rick Wilson — in conversation with CNN anchor and host of At This Hour, Kate Bolduan
• Justice Democrats spokesperson Waleed Shahid, Mayor of Stockton, California Michael Tubbs, and Harris County (TX) Judge Lina Hidalgo in conversation with TIME national correspondent Charlotte Alter, the author of The Ones We’ve Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leadership will Transform America
• Washington bureau chief for The Daily Beast Jackie Kucinich, New York Magazine Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi, CNN senior congressional correspondent Manu Raju, and Politico senior writer and Politico Playbook co-author Jake Sherman in conversation with senior media reporter at NBC News and MSNBC and the author of Byers Market, Dylan Byers
• U.S. Representative Will Hurd, former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence in the Office of the DNI Sue Gordon in conversation with editor-in-chief of The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg

"The 2020 election is the most important election of our generation, and at SXSW our goal is to address the issues that affect the lives of all citizens," said SXSW Chief Programming Officer Hugh Forrest. "We're fortunate to have a young, diverse and engaged audience looking for solutions to the complex problems that face the next generation."

“There’s no more important time to be talking about big ideas than in the middle of the biggest political year,” says Evan Smith, CEO and co-founder of The Texas Tribune. “There’s no better place to do it than on the biggest stage — and that’s SXSW. This is going to be amazing.”

The Government & Politics Track at SXSW aims to discuss issues that affect the lives of all citizens. Topics focus on technology regulation, livable cities, privacy issues, and the challenges of maintaining civil engagement in the age of social media. These sessions also address the

difficulties of creating policies that encourage competition and economic growth while balancing legacy systems. Explore more of these sessions here.

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, the event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2020 will take place March 13 - 22, 2020. For more information, please visit sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend. 

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public media organization whose mission is to promote civic engagement and discourse on public policy, politics, government and other matters of statewide interest. The Tribune is proud to celebrate 10 years of exceptional journalism for an exceptional state. Explore the next 10 years.

SXSW 2020 is sponsored by White Claw, American Express, Audible, Kia and The Austin Chronicle.

###

Press Credentials: Press applications for SXSW 2020 are now closed, however, SXSW will accept a limited number of late press applications from large national media outlets, please inquire to conferencepress@sxsw.com for access.

Press Contacts:
Brett Cannon
Jody Arlington
Elizabeth Derczo
Heather Kaplan
press@sxsw.com
512-467-7979