Shaquille O'Neal
courtesy the speakerSXSW Interactive has become a very big gathering with lots of big ideas and big concepts and big-picture thinking. Given this theme of big, we are very excited that one of the biggest personalities from the world of professional sports will speak at the 2013 event. Join us on Monday, March 11 at 12:30pm when we present Shaq Goes Social: The Big Interview.
On the basketball court, Shaq was a four-time NBA champion, a three-time NBA Finals MVP, a two-time NBA scoring champion and a 15-time NBA All-Star. He was also voted Rookie of the Year (1992-93) and Most Valuable Player (1999-2000).
With more than 3,000,000 likes on Facebook, his accomplishments in the world of social media are equally impressive. On Twitter, Shaq was the first verified celebrity account and now has more than 6.6 million followers – Jack Dorsey once said: "Twitter wouldn't be what it is today without Shaquille O'Neal." He is the second most followed US athlete and fourth most followed athlete worldwide. Shaq also helped launch the startup video platform Tout via his innovative NBA retirement announcement, thereby cementing his reputation as a technological trendsetter. As of mid-January, there have also been more than 6.5 million views of the Comedy Shaq YouTube Channel.
In addition to his work in the new media realm, he is now part of the award-winning "Inside the NBA" team on TNT. Ratings for this program have jumped 30% since Shaq joined the show.
Interviewing Shaq will be a long-time SXSW favorite Brian Solis. A principal analyst at Altimeter Group, he is a prominent blogger and an award-winning author. At SXSW Interactive 2013, Solis is debuting his latest book, "What's the Future of Business," which covers how consumerism boils down into four distinct moments of truth and explores how technology and psychology plays a role in each step. His previous book, ""The End Of Business As Usual," looked at the changing consumer landscape, its impact on business and what companies can do to adapt and lead. At SXSW Interactive 2012, Solis hosted a controversial interview with Smashing Pumkins front-man Billy Corgan.
This session will occur as part of the convergent programming at the Long Center for the Performing Arts (701 West Riverside Drive). From Friday, March 8 through Sunday, March 10, all Long Center programming is open to SXSW Interactive, Film, Gold and Platinum badge-holders. On Monday, March 11 and Tuesday, March 12, all Long Center programming is open to all SXSW Interactive, Film, Music, Gold and Platinum badge-holders.
