SXSW Day 1: Obama Disrupts Festival, Meets Digital Players, Hits Interactive

Amid concerns that President Barack Obama's arrival on day one of SXSW might hijack the popular interactive/film/music conference, many film journalists stayed away from the packed Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, as snipers set up positions around the perimeter and on the roof of an opposite high-rise in advance of the POTUS arrival. Security guards showed me the gunmen, but wouldn't let anyone photograph them. The line for general admission snaked around the park, but VIP and press slipped into the lines for four airline-style security gates—no food or water bottles allowed. I applied for press credentials via SXSW and The White House, which were readily accepted,...

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