Photo by Koa MetterOne of the core missions of the SXSW Interactive Festival is to showcase those who use their creativity and artistic talent to make the world a better place. With this ideal in mind, we are ridiculously excited to announce our first keynote speaker for the March event:

Matthew Inman is the artist and best-selling author behind the comedy website known as The Oatmeal. Inman championed two successful crowdfunding campaigns in 2012, including "Operation BearLove Good. Cancer Bad" where he turned a lawsuit on its head by raising over $200,000 for charity instead of paying $20,000 in damages to a rival website. In addition, he generated over $1M in nine days to try to buy the laboratory formerly owned by Nikola Tesla, a turn-of-the-century engineer who many consider a geek hero. Matthew lives in Seattle and really, really likes Sriracha rooster sauce.

Exact day and time of Inman's keynote will be announced soon. Stay tuned to SXSW website for this info, as well as info on other keynote speakers for the 2013 event.