The SXSW 2021 PanelPicker is now open! We'd love your support in getting Code and Theory's session submissions picked. We plan to show up big next year with three great talks and know that every vote counts!

Creating Community for the Creative Community

VOTE HERE for this session with Mailchimp Studios' Director of Programming Sarita Alami and Code and Theory CMO Brent Buntin

The pandemic has dramatically impacted the events industry, with cancellations and financial losses abound. Independent writers and filmmakers from high schoolers to professionals relied on festivals like SXSW and in-person book campaigns for visibility into their hard work. When SXSW got canceled in March 2020, the 70+ short films created by independent filmmakers needed a home. Book festival cancellations followed and due to the stay-at-home orders, writers needed a place to share their work and perspectives. As a creative agency, we knew the opportunity to help other creatives and building a visually stunning and immersive experience befitting of their hard work was bigger than us. Thus began our partnership with Mailchimp to create new digital homes for these talented creatives.

How Digital is Finally Prioritizing Older Adults

VOTE HERE for this session with NCOA's Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Ken Bracht, and Code and Theory's Associate Director of Product Strategy Zooey Purdy

This year’s pandemic is hitting the older adult demographic the hardest, and has amplified the need for creative solutions and innovation. As families and friends are unable to provide for loved ones with adequate care, isolation becomes inevitable—which makes digital resources more important than ever before. By combining the efforts of older adults, professionals, caregivers, and advocates, The National Council of Aging is on a mission to improve the lives of millions of older adults. Over the past few months, Code and Theory and the NCOA have been working closely together to redesign, rebrand, and reposition the organization to tackle these societal challenges head on, and help make their mission of improving the lives of 40 million adults by 2030 a reality.

The Moral Imperative of Inclusive Design

VOTE HERE for this session with Code and Theory's Sr. Creative Strategist Renee Miller and CEO/Founder Dan Gardner

Amidst the social reckoning we’re experiencing in the United States and around the world, issues of systemic racism and inequity have finally risen to the fore of our collective consciousness. While advancements in technology have pushed our society forward at breakneck speed, it has come at a steep cost to inclusivity. We have a moral imperative to ask ourselves who has been left behind, who currently lacks a seat at our table and in the tech and design world, how do we find ways to make equitable impact through business decisions? One of the answers is inclusive design.