"Deep in the Heart of Texas."

As I surfed the waves of the Internet searching for plausible outlets for my artist Chris DeVille to perform, I stumbled across a true treasure. What I found was a website called sxsw.com, formally known as, South by Southwest.  South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences that take place every spring in Austin, Texas.  This is an event that started in 1987 and it has grown in size every year since.  The SXSW Music Festival is the largest musical festival of its kind in the world.  The event is the ideal platform for any musical artist.  It has the perfect audience and the best crowds for networking with over 25,000 industry representatives and fellow musicians combined, plus over 3,000 media members and thousands of fans in attendance.  The music festival has grown from approximately 700 registrants in 1987 to nearly 12,000 registrants.  This event has hosted many acts during different stages of their career, including acts such as Prince, Bruce Springsteen, LL Cool J, Stevie Nicks, and Kendrick Lamar.  Aside from the music festival, SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive events have grown every year as well, most recently bringing around 15,000 to 20,000 registrants to Austin every March.  

“The ever-expanding South by Southwest festival might cover film, tech and comedy, but to most people, after 27 years it’s the music that matters. Every March people travel from across the world to Austin, Texas to see bona-fide legends as well as the next big thing.”

TheGuardian (UK), March 23, 2013

SXSW has become the industry’s premiere event.  It is a huge opportunity for any aspiring artist or anyone looking to break into the music industry.  The deadline to apply for next year’s event is quickly approaching.  For those interested in applying for next year’s event scheduled for March 7 – 16, 2014, you must submit your application by October 11, 2013.  

“TED Talks and why I listened.”

I was introduced to TED Talks when I sat down with the principal of my hometown high school just a few months ago.  My high school, Johnstown High, is one out of a hundred high schools across the globe to have a TED ED club and I was asked to be on a committee to help organize their TEDx event.  When the principal first explained to me the concept of TED, he presented me with a short video by a guy by the name of Derek Sivers.  I found the concept of TED Talks very intriguing and Sivers’ presentation even more fascinating.  Sivers’ TED Talk was titled “How to start a movement.” I felt that this talk was very interesting because it not only explained how to start a movement, but it also showed the importance of the first follower.  In life we are told to be a leader and not a follower.  In school we learn about leadership skills.  As children we are asked by our parents “If your friends jumped off of a bridge, would you do that too?”  We are programmed to almost believe that leaders are winners and followers are losers.  However, after watching Sivers' video I realized the significant importance of the first follower. 

It is the first follower who actually makes a leader the leader.  Wow!  This now makes the first follower as powerful as the leader.  As I watched this video the principal was using to explain the concept of  TED, I kept thinking to myself how this was such a valuable lesson in leadership.  As a leader you need to be aware of the importance of your followers and more importantly your first follower.  Leaders must embrace their first follower as an equal.  “The first follower is actually an underestimated form of leadership in itself,” Sivers said.  The idea of equal importance between the leader and first follower is so powerful.  With gaining the first followers the leader has now gained credibility and as Sivers’ says, “it becomes less risky for others to join.” 

Let’s face it.  We all cannot be leaders.  We need followers.  Sometimes the person with the must guts is not the leader at all, but instead the person who decided to follow that lone person and make them a leader.