Always be Pitching: SXSW Version

_{Sign up to receive Surface Area or follow me on Linkedin or Twitter. Book a meeting here to talk about ghostwriting from my agency, Principals Media}.

Carson Tharp was standing in front of a booth promoting an AI travel startup called Babelon when I walked up.

“Go ahead and pitch me,” I said.

I’d just arrived in Austin for the tech portion of the annual South by Southwest festival.

Carson delivered a smooth outline of how I could type in any destination and the AI would map out an ideal itinerary.

“How long have you been CEO?” I asked.

“Ohh, I'm not. I just happen to be standing here.” 

He saw my confusion.

“I went to college with the founder, and he needed a table, so I brought one.”

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, he continued: “But if you're interested, I have my own startup manufacturing electronic ducks. Are you a hunter?” 

ALWAYS BE PITCHING should be the motto at this conference everyone calls “South by.”

It’s both exhilarating and exhausting. 

It was my first time attending and I regret not going earlier. Others seem to agree. The attendance skyrocketed to 340,000 last year, up from 278,000 in 2022. 

The city of Austin is a big part of the charm and the warm weather in March doesn't hurt.

A better explanation for its popularity is the mix of music, film and tech which drives so much of the modern economy. It draws entertainment people from LA, finance people from New York and tech engineers from San Francisco. There really isn’t anything like it. 

South by is also part of the emerging annual circuit of party goers, VCs and hangers on who coordinate business around cultural events. It starts with Sundance and then moves to Davos, the Oscars, Fashion Week, the Tribeca Film festival and Miami Art Basel. 

The majority of the people at SXSW won't attend official programs. I flew down for parties thrown by two New Yorkers, Andrew Yeung and Brett Perlmutter. I ran into friends including Jess Larsen from Park City, Laura Walker Lee from LA and even a local, Zeke Torres. 

It's a movable feast with taco trucks on 6th Street that stay open until 3 a.m. 

I didn’t attend many conferences in my previous corporate job. I’m not sure if it’s a good investment for companies. But it’s definitely beneficial for individuals. 

Networking outside your firm and in person can make all the difference.

In a couple hours I met:

Dan Garfinkel, COO at jellyjelly.com 

Asia Stewart, a performance artist at PerformVu

Matei Psatta, CMO of digital ad agency Blindspot

Diana Muturia, founder at Clyn, a household cleaning firm

Suzanne Charlotte Vos, founder of an anti-spam startup

Jonathan Frenkel, a Linkedin ghostwriter like me!

Cary Grossart, biz dev manager for the NFL players union 

Allesha Coleman, founder of sports betting app Playcer

Damian Slattery, CMO at Fast Company 

Weston Woodward, a self-proclaimed connector

I'm a big believer in the serendipity of relationships you make showing up.

Had I not gone to SXSW, I would not know about Jahpoo, the “Waterfowl Motion Duck Decoy” company Carson started.

It’s not clear when a New York City resident will need an electronic duck. 

But it’s good to be prepared!

BRIEF OBSERVATIONS

MAD MEN MARKETING: Advertising illustrates how we see the world.

GUERRILA MARKETING: Every time I read something about Whitney Wolfe, I come away more impressed.

URBAN MARKETING: Weed dealer chains sign for Best Zaza on Broadway.

ASPIRATIONAL MARKETING: My friend, her Loubs and her daughter.

THE IMPACT OF MAREKTING: Marketing convinces us we need it now.