The 2025 edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) is rapidly approaching, and with it comes even more featured speakers and keynote presenters. Things are heating up, and this round includes names like actor Issa Rae, comedian Conan O’Brien, post-apocalyptic seriesThe Last of Us, and more.
SXSW is already several announcements deep into its conference lineup, which includes regular sessions called featured sessions, as well as daily keynotes that usually feature especially influential speakers in larger formats. Speakers so far have included The Drive podcast host Dr. Peter Attia, WNBA star Candace Parker, musician John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Bluesky CEO Jay Graber, among many others.
“Every year, SXSW assembles a group of speakers that are doing extraordinary and often surprising things, like breaking boundaries in storytelling and representation, advocating for secure communication, and bringing back the woolly mammoth,” said SXSW president and chief programming officer Hugh Forrest in the announcement. “Issa Rae, Meredith Whittaker, Ben Lamm, and Joe Manganiello make up a stellar group of changemakers who are a perfect fit for the SXSW community."
As usual for the massive conference, this late-stage announcement contains a larger number of bigger names than the previous ones; this time, at a glance, fans will likely be excited to hear more about food critic and creator Keith Lee, Golden Globe Award-winning actor Kevin Bacon, iconic TV host Conan O’Brien, After Midnight hostTaylor Tomlinson; and Jack's Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon. Attendees interested in the more scientific talks might also recognize social health expert Kasley Killam, MPH.
A full list of official speakers and their topics is available at sxsw.com. For easier skimming, we've pared the announcement down to panel names, and speaker names, titles, and occasional descriptions (as they appear in the release).
Newly announced keynotes:
- Colossal: Technology Company Turning Science Fiction to Science Fact: Founder and CEO of Colossal BiosciencesBen Lamm and actor, producer, director, author, Emmy Award-winning voice actor, and reality competition host Joe Manganiello will share a special announcement about Colossal’s progress to restore extinct species and save existing ones.
- A Conversation with Issa Rae: Actor, writer, and producer Issa Rae of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, Insecure, and her own multimedia company Hoorae presents her new HBO Documentary Seen and Heard, which is having its world premiere in the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival.
- A Conversation About Online Security and Confidentiality with Signal President Meredith Whittaker: Signal founder Meredith Whittaker and author, professor, host of the Remarkable People podcast, and Chief Evangelist of Canva Guy Kawasaki have a tactical, practical, and heretical discussion about hiding information even — maybe, especially — if you're the good guy.
Newly announced featured sessions:
- Balloonerism - A Film Based On The Album By Mac Miller with visual artist and director Samuel Mason, graphic designer and creative director Miller McCormick, and Managing Partner at Hornet Hana Shimizu, with film and creative director Alexandra Thurmond.
- Breaking Barriers by Turning Prisoners into Firefighters with co-founder and CEO of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program Royal Ramey.
- Change Starts Now & It Starts With Us!with activist and founder of YOUTHTOPIA Melati Wijsen.
- Claiming the Future of Entertainment with five-time Emmy Award-winning television host, comedian, writer, producer, and host of the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a FriendConan O’Brien and President of Blizzard Entertainment Johanna Faries.
- A Conversation with Taylor Tomlinson with comedian and host of After Midnight Taylor Tomlinson.
- DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH with legendary game creator and founder of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS Hideo Kojima.
- Eames House: Singular Gateway to Charles and Ray's Many Worlds with author, filmmaker, and Director of the Eames Office Eames Demetrios.
- Fans Over Fees: Touring in the Age of Secondary Market Greed with singer-songwriter and frontman of Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Andrew McMahon
- Fireside with Arm CEO Rene Haas with Arm CEO Rene Haas.
- Funny AF Comedy Showrunners with Universal Television creators Eric Ledgin (St. Denis Medical) and Nahnatchka Khan (Laid).
- How America’s 33M Small Businesses Can Grow and Prosper with star of ABC’s Emmy Award-winning Shark Tank (produced by MGM Television and Sony Pictures Television) and co-founder of Cost Plus Drug Company Mark Cuban; Shark Tank entrepreneur and co-founder/CEO at BeatBox Beverages Justin Fenchel; Emmy Award-winning host, actor, three-time New York Times bestselling author, and Chief Empowerment Officer at Clover Tabitha Brown; and Chief Brand, Marketing, and Communications Officer for Fiserv Shannon Watkins.
- How Technology Is Transforming Urban Spaces and Building Cities of the Future with reporter at TechCrunch Rebecca Bellan, Mayor of the City of San Jose Matthew Mahan, and Chief Marketing Officer at AutoDesk Dara Treseder.
- ILM Immersive: Inviting Fans to Step Inside Our Stories with VP of Immersive Content at ILM Immersive Vicki Dobbs Beck, Executive Producer at ILM Immersive Alyssa Finley, Supervisor of Look Development and Technical Art at ILM Immersive Jonathan Harman, VP of Development at ILM Immersive Mark S. Miller, and Director of Marketing and Publishing at ILM Immersive Elizabeth Walker.
- Kevin Bacon: A Career Retrospective From Footloose to The Bondsman with iconic Golden Globe Award-winning actor Kevin Bacon.
- The Last of Us: Cast and Creators on Season 2 with co-creators, executive producers, writers, and directors Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and cast members Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, and Young Mazino.
- Mastering the Art of Influencer Entrepreneurship with food critic and creator Keith Lee and founder and CEO of Digital Voices Jennifer Quigley-Jones.
- Measuring Film & TV Streaming Viewership with CEO of Luminate Rob Jonas and Chief Content Officer at Tubi Adam Lewinson.
- The Moment We’re In: Transitioning How We Move, Think and Change The Planet with founder and CEO of Rivian RJ Scaringe.
- Paramount CTO on AI in the Media Industry with AI with Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President, and Head of Multiplatform Operations at Paramount Global Phil Wiser.
- Quantum Computing—What's now and what's next? with Chief Operating Officer at Google Quantum AI Charina Chou.
- A Sabbatical Deep Dive with The Happiness Lab Podcast Live with founder of The Sabbatical Project DJ DiDonna in a live taping of psychology professor Dr. Laurie Santos’ The Happiness Lab podcast (previously announced, updated).
- The Story of Solana—Why It’s the Ecosystem Fueling the Future of Web3 with co-founder of Solana and President of Solana Labs Raj Gokal and General Partner at Foundation Capital and Solana seed investor Rodolfo Gonzalez.
- SXSW 2025 Opening Session: Kasley Killam with renowned social health expert and award-winning author of The Art and Science of Connection Kasley Killam, MPH. Drawing from her research at Harvard and over a decade of experience advising global organizations, Killam will reveal why meaningful connection is essential for longevity, well-being, and success.
More information about South by Southwest and its featured speakers so far is available at sxsw.com.