June 13, 2017

Apply to Participate on June 26: PanelPicker, Film Submissions, Music Showcases, and More

Be a part of one of the most diverse, collaborative, and inventive communities in the world! SXSW 2018 applications open on Monday, June 26 for PanelPicker, SXSW Film Festival submissions, SXSW Music Festival Showcasing Artist applications, Interactive Innovation Awards, SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event, David Carr Prize, and the SXSW Art Program. Learn how to participate in one of the many prestigious SXSW categories below.

Applications Opening on Monday, June 26

PanelPicker

PanelPicker is the official SXSW user-generated session submission platform. This easy, two-step online process allows the SXSW community to have a voice in what creative and thought-provoking programming is scheduled at the SXSW Conference, SXSWedu, and SXSW Gaming. Upload proposals related to music, film, and digital technologies in variety of formats including panels, solo presentations, workshops, and more to help shape the 2018 SXSW programming.
Entry Deadline: Friday, July 21, 2017

Film Submissions

The SXSW Film Festival celebrates raw innovation and emerging talent from both behind and in front of the camera. Featuring provocative documentaries, comedies, genre standouts, and more, the festival has become known for the high caliber and diversity of films presented, and for its smart, enthusiastic audiences. Film submission categories include Feature Films, Short Film, Virtual Cinema, Texas High School Short Films, Title Sequences, and Music Videos.
Early Entry Deadline: Friday, August 25, 2017.

Showcasing Artist Applications

SXSW Showcasing Artists benefit from career changing exposure and publicity provided by the amazing mix of influential participants who attend SXSW every year. Showcasing at SXSW means performing in one of the many venues located in famous downtown Austin for industry reps, media members, and thousands of fans and fellow musicians from all over the world.
Early Entry Deadline: Friday, September 8, 2017

Interactive Innovation Awards

The Interactive Innovation Awards celebrate and honor the most exciting tech developments in the connected world. Innovators from across the digital industry have the opportunity to enter their exciting, new work in this competition – open to all projects, products, and developments launched or made in calendar year of 2017.
Early Entry Deadline: Friday, September 22, 2017

SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event

The SXSW Accelerator Pitch Event showcases the most ambitious startup talents from around the world with the most creative, new ideas to change it. Startups, companies, and tech innovators alike can enter their product or service for the chance to pitch to a live audience and panel of expert judges in March. Entry Deadline: Friday, November 10, 2017

David Carr Prize

Longtime New York Times writer David Carr spoke on numerous panels at SXSW throughout his career. After his passing in 2015, the David Carr Prize was launched to spotlight the intersection of technology and journalism. All emerging (and established) writers, bloggers, and journalists are invited each year to honor David Carr by entering an essay or short story in this competition.
Entry Deadline: Friday, October 13, 2017

SXSW Art Program

From established artists to emerging talents, the SXSW Art Program aims to assemble a diverse group of creatives to lend their unique contributions to Austin’s thriving art scene with permanent and temporary installations. Gain international exposure and connect with leaders in the fields of music, film, and technology by showcasing your innovative project in March.
Early Entry Deadline: Friday, August 11, 2017

Coming Soon: 2018 Registration and More Applications

Stay tuned for more 2018 application information coming soon for SXSW Release It, Gaming Awards, SXSW Community Grant, and SXSW Community Service Awards. Explore the 2017 Awards categories to view the 2017 winners and learn more about each program.

2018 registration and housing information is also on its way. Until then, take a trip down memory lane and get ready to help us write the next chapter of the SXSW Conference & Festivals during March 9-18, 2018.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and SXSW News for the latest announcements, recaps, and more.

Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

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Related News:

• Learn More About the 2018 PanelPicker
• SXSW Joins Mercedes-Benz to Host Future-Focused Convention in Frankfurt
• Sign Up for SXSW Event Updates
• Watch 2017 Keynotes, Red Carpets, and Showcases on the SXSW YouTube Channel

The post Apply to Participate on June 26: PanelPicker, Film Submissions, Music Showcases, and More appeared first on SXSW.

Source: SxSW Film

June 13, 2017

WHY THE WORLD NEEDS DATA-BASED STORIES MORE THAN EVER

This article originally appeared on Column Five.

There has never been a more confusing, more incendiary time in the media than this moment. Fake news, pundits, think pieces, op eds, blogs, Twitter feeds, and a trillion other platforms are disseminating information, yet opinion is reigning supreme over facts. Many of us have become disillusioned, retreating to our corners and shaking our heads. We are in the middle of a credibility crisis, and that’s why data-based stories are needed more than ever—especially for marketers.

Many groups, particularly millennials, are suspicious of brands’ intentions. The 2014 Edelman Brandshare survey found that 70% of consumers think brands only share information with them to increase profits.

So how can brands fight this sentiment? How can they break through that barrier of skepticism to deliver credible and valuable information? Data can help.

WHY WE NEED DATA-BASED STORIES

Too much marketing is one-sided. It serves the brand, not the audience. The whole reason we create content is to communicate and cultivate genuine relationships with people. But to foster true connection, that stuff we put out needs to be relevant, interesting, and worthwhile. Above all, it needs to be credible.

When it comes to the relationship between a brand and audience, credibility is everything. It’s not enough to have a great product or a solid service offering. People want to trust the people behind these products and services.

Readers are looking to you to guide them to the right decisions about your product or service. They want to know that you have their back and best interest at heart. They want to know you’re genuinely invested in helping them. They want and need to trust you.

Data-based stories are uniquely positioned to help you foster that trust. A strong data set reveals truths in cold, hard numbers. Dig into data and you uncover stories in the form of trends, correlations, outliers, and more. These stories may provide a big-picture view or hone in on a specific subject, but the insights extracted have very real-world consequences. Data storytelling can influence your audience’s behavior, expand their knowledge, and shift perspective in powerful ways.

By crafting a strong narrative anchored by solid data, you are creating content of substance. Whether a simple infographic or a large interactive, data-based storytelling gives you something to hang your hat on.

THE ELEMENTS OF TRUST

Again, in the current climate, where feelings and facts are blurred beyond recognition, data is a port in the storm.

Data provides evidence: If you can show your audience the data, not just “tell” them what you think, they will be far more likely to listen to you. When you are trying to deliver a certain message or takeaway, a story backed up by concrete evidence is much easier to trust.

Data storytelling provides transparency: The very act of transparency—showing them the data, especially if it’s internal—also demonstrates that you are vulnerable and willing to let them into your world. This is a great gesture of mutual trust.

DATA-BASED STORIES AND YOUR ORGANIZATION

Beyond the benefit to your audience, data storytelling also cultivates trust within your own organization.

It builds your credibility: You have a larger audience than you realize. Beyond customers or fans, you have colleagues, competitors, potential employees, industry contacts, and many more paying attention to the content you create. The more you demonstrate your interest and expertise, the more it will help your reputation in larger spheres.

It builds confidence: The better you can extract and communicate insights, the better you can make decisions. This builds confidence throughout your organization—confidence that your decisions and actions are informed by real-world data, which is important for your bottom line and company morale. Data provides an anchor for your team to gather around, so there are fewer arguments based on feelings or ego and more constructive discussions centered around data.

HOW TO DIVE INTO DATA STORIES

Telling great data stories just takes a little practice. If you don’t know where to start or you need a little refresher, here are a few things that might help.

• Look at these 9 sources to find great data for your next piece of content.
• Learn how to craft an effective narrative.
• Design your data according to best practices.

Source: Visual News

June 13, 2017

How to make effective infographics that tell a story?

Infographics have become one of the fastest growing tactics savvy visual marketers use today. In fact, the effectiveness rating for infographics rose more in one year than any other tactic—from 50 percent to 58 percent, according to the 2016 study by the Content Marketing Institute.

What’s in an Infographic?

We hear about infographics all the time in the digital marketing world, but unfortunately, many people are using the word incorrectly.

“An infographic is not a chart or a collection of graphs – it tells a story in a visual manner that makes difficult topics easier to digest for readers.”
-Brian Wallace

This particular type of visual storytelling can have a lot of benefits for brands in marketing campaigns by giving consumers content they want and building relationships instead of hard-selling.

There are several kinds of infographics:

Click to view entire infographic

1) Static infographics that start with an idea and then uses visuals and snippets of text to tell a story. A good example of that is the above infographic about the gig or freelance, economy which starts by talking about the growth in freelancing and ends with tips for freelancers to help them do well.

Click to view entire infographic

2) Interactive infographics like this one which explains where coffee comes from through a series of moving pictures and text that lead you through the process as you scroll down. It’s a fun way to get people interested in a topic, and content like this tends to get your company a lot of attention.

How to effectively distribute your infographics

Click to view entire infographic

Infographics tend to get shared a lot, not just on social media, but also through news stories relating to the topic. We recently had the above infographic get shared on over 100 different websites! When you create a high-quality, well-researched infographic you can share it with reporters as a news source that they can then use as a springboard for or complement to their next article on the topic.

To get started, follow these 3 tips

1. Value-first: You have to be careful here, however- creating an infographic that doesn’t contribute value to the conversation is likely to fall flat.
2. Make it useful to them: Focus instead on giving people something they can use instead of talking about your company’s latest whitepaper.
3. Avoid talking about your company: The objective is to get more eyes on your company, and the best way to make sure that doesn’t happen is to only talk about your company.

Want to Know More?

I’ll be talking about infographics and the marketing strategies surrounding them on a FREE live video on June 29th at 10:30 AM EST. Be sure to register – I’ll be chatting about the power of infographic marketing leveraging narrative visuals and you’re going to want to hear this.

Source: Visual Storytelling