SXSW 2025: Meet the Bavarian Media Industry in Texas

SXSW is calling again – and of course we're answering. Together with XPLR: MEDIA in Bavaria, media start-ups and media professionals from Bavaria are heading to Texas to discuss topics from media, tech, society and more over the nine days of the festival. This is a great opportunity for us to show our international partners what innovative projects are being created in Bavaria.

Panel: „AI Regulation: Lessons from Both Sides of the Atlantic”

When it comes to the regulation of artificial intelligence, the EU and the USA under Donald Trump have now taken very different paths. The European AI Act stands in contrast to a US AI strategy without regulation. The panelists on our panel, lawyer Kelsey Farish, Professor of Law Jeremias Adams-Prassl and COO of SAP Labs US Luke Nixon, will discuss the two strategies and the concrete effects on the day-to-day business of American and German companies together with Medien.Bayern AI expert Jim Sengl.

When? Saturday, March 8, from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

Where? German Haus at Speakeasy, 412 Congress Ave. D, Austin.

Who? Admission is possible with an Interactive or Platinum Badge from SXSW.

Bavarian Networking Breakfast

At the Bavarian Networking Breakfast in cooperation with the state capital of Munich, XPLR: MEDIA in Bavaria brings the media location to life with all the senses. We start the day musically with the beat of Bavaria, our project that makes the media location Bavaria audible. We discuss what it sounds like and what's behind the project with hip-hop journalist and Chief Cultural Officer of Serviceplan Culture, Niko Backspin. Afterwards, the augmented reality project “Luminescence” blurs the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds. Producer and sound artist Anne Wichmann, alias She's Excited, will demonstrate the interactive technology in a live performance and directly involve the audience. A panel on the topic “Impact of AI on storytelling in independent filmmaking” with Bavarian and international experts will round off the breakfast. In between, there will be plenty of time to chat and, of course, for breakfast bites and coffee.

When? Monday, March 10, 9:30-11:45 a.m.

Where? German Haus at Speakeasy, 412 Congress Ave. D, Austin.

Who? Access is possible with an Interactive or Platinum Badge from SXSW. Click here to register via Eventbrite.

Media Lab Bayern, sister brand of XPLR: MEDIA in Bavaria under the umbrella of Medien.Bayern GmbH, is once again giving three of its startups the opportunity to take part in the SXSW events this year:

1. PHONT: PHONT takes subtitles to the next level. Through AI and innovative design, they aim to promote immersion and inclusion for potentially hundreds of millions of subtitle users. Their goal is to bring subtitles to life.

2. paged: paged works with AI and IT solutions to create digital inclusion in online media and ensure a completely new user experience.

3. freispace: freispace is a modern project planning software for post-production. We replace editing suite management via Excel and shared calendars with an intuitive online solution, creating more reliable schedules and more time for production thanks to smart predictions.