At South by Southwest, there’s been a significant change at the top as Jenny Connelly, currently the executive vice president of product and technology at PMC (which also owns EbMaster), has been appointed director of the iconic film, music, and technology festival by the SXSW board. This new role marks her leading the event moving forward.
Since 2017, Connelly has been in charge of digital and technology strategy and implementation at PMC, following seven years as an executive at Live Nation. The announcement of her new role at SXSW was made during a town hall meeting on April 25. Connelly takes over from Hugh Forrest, who has recently left the company, having held the position of SXSW president prior to this.
Based on comments from a representative of PMC, it appears that Forrest chose to step down from SXSW due to not being offered the CEO position and instead having Connelly as his superior. However, in a separate interview with the New York Times, Forrest stated emphatically that his departure was not his decision.
He stated that he’s invested over three and a half decades of his passion and dedication into this event, anticipating many more editions in the future. However, due to recent circumstances, he will be ardently supporting the Austin team moving forward. The city, country, and world require the optimistic vibe SXSW has historically offered, and now more than ever.”
Forrest began his tenure at the company in 1989 and held the position of the interactive festival director for several decades. Unfortunately, Forrest could not be reached for comments at the time of writing.
Changes announced last Friday involve the promotion of Greg Rosenbaum, who was previously the vice president of SXSW EDU, to the role of head of programming for the entire SXSW event. Peter Lewis, the current chief partnerships officer, will now serve as the chief of partnerships and strategy. Additionally, Brian Hobbs, who was the director of SXSW, has been promoted to vice president of the music festival. Notably, Lillian Park, the communications chief, is also departing from the company.
In 2021, PMC and MRC jointly purchased a 50% share of SXSW when the festival was grappling with severe financial difficulties due to the COVID pandemic. They took complete ownership of the festival in 2023. A representative from PMC declared that the 2025 edition of the festival generated the highest sponsorship revenue ever recorded by the company. Following the introduction of SXSW Sydney in Australia in 2023, they are now preparing to introduce SXSW in London, set for June.
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2025-05-02 01:47