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SXSW Interactive 2008 - A Personal Success For Me

Posted on March 13, 2008
Filed Under Personal Posts, Podcasting, SXSW 2008 |

While I’m still in Austin, and the SXSW Music and Film conferences are still running, I have to say that my time in Austin at the SXSW Interactive Conference has proved to be a personal success. Not in terms of business or contacts, even though both of those look at this stage - before I go through the cards and notes I have in detail when I get back to Edinburgh - to be worth the trip. But it has been a success in terms of personal growth and development.

And as usual for a big conference, it was the side events that made the difference. Let’s start with Barcamp Austin 3, where I turned up for the last hour or so of programming and the evening events (including two bands, more underground Battlebot demos, and the obligatory sponsored food and drink). Whurley grabbed me and asked if I could introduce the bands for the evening, and generally warm up the crowd - it seems my ‘reputation’ for being a bit wacky preceded me.

Never one to turn down a challenge, I said yes. And with that, I was off around everyone there, finding out what was happening, the mood of the crowd, and doing some admittedly rough and ready writing to construct a Carson-esque monologue and a Top 5 List for a little bit of a stand up show. The results, along with my duet with a Unicorn of Teenage Kicks, is below (the Nokia didn’t cope too well being next to the speakers, but you can skip the song - in fact I recommend it). There’s an alternate angle of the song on Blip.TV.

This, along with helping MC the rest of the Karaoke night (Karaoke with a real Rock band, stage and lighting is actually quite fun!) seems to have been well received. Throughout the rest of SXSW I had a lot of people come up to me and say they really enjoyed it, and it was one of their highlights. I always try to raise my profile at a conference, and the Barcamp stand-up has certainly helped.

And then there was the Fray Cafe.

Fray is a night of stories - I describe it as ‘performance storytelling.’ It’s more than people round a table, and a sideways step from stand-up, but essentially it is true, personal stories. Hosted this year by Baratunde Thurston (Eric Rice was in Japan), I had a few ideas prepared and ready to go that could well have resonated with the crowd; airline travel, technology problems, etc. But leading off the open slots, and second up on stage after Baratunde’s story - with Baratunde being a professional comic - it would have been interesting and probably easier to carry on the comedic route.

On Stage at Fray Cafe 8, SXSW 2008, Austin

Picture by Aeioux, via Flickr

But I didn’t. As I hit the stage, I changed my mind, and decided to talk about the events of the 25th-27th July, 2002. The days leading up to the birth of my eldest daughter. Days where as a family we were put through an emotional roller coaster. And while I could only recount just a few moments in the time on stage, I knew where it was going to end, and the beats that could give the audience room to breathe, smile and laugh.

And as CC Chapman pointed out to me after, it was very emotionally charged. CC was wondering if I actually would make it through without loosing it on stage (I didn’t, but it was a close run thing). If I had thought that the amount of feedback and recognition from the Barcamp stand-up was a lot, then the Fray reaction was unprecedented. It started at the break in Fray, with quite conversations and some private confessions,and people are still looking for me and thanking me for sharing it three days later. Two comments I received online should illustrate this.

I was at the Barcamp Karaoke… but also the Fray Cafe. I wanted to tell you that, as a father of two, your story is the one that has stuck with me. Thank you so much for sharing… You are an amazing storyteller
Adam Darowski

Ewan [in this picture, is] telling a very emotional story of the birth of his daughter. There is much [more] to this man than kilts and volume. It was truly awesome seeing him at The Fray Cafe.
Dave Delany, Flickr commenter

Both of these appearances on stage have actually fired me up in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. There’s a box somewhere in my psyche marked ’stage presence’ and ‘confidence’ that have been ticked because of them. And the timing is almost perfect. Just before I left Edinburgh, I made some plans to address something I tried ten years ago - and SXSW has said, loud and clear, that it’s going to be okay this time around.

Comments

2 Responses to “SXSW Interactive 2008 - A Personal Success For Me”

Michelle Riggen-Ransom on March 13th, 2008 15:37

Yeah Ewan! I was just going through my cards and got to your cute moocard. Let me tell you, as someone who was at both events, I think you are completely awesome. Adam called you a “rocker with a heart of gold”. Plus, you are crazy huggable and just place nice. Hope to cross paths again and soon.
Michelle Riggen-Ransom on March 13th, 2008 15:47

(That should been just “plain” nice :) Feel free to edit!

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