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Amy Szmik, a junior strategic communication major from Brecksville, Ohio, gained confidence in her career field and connections during her 10-day SXSW experience. Knowing exactly the type of career she wanted and that it is never too early to make connections for jobs, Szmik went into SXSW with the goal of meeting new people in the music industry and gaining advice and knowledge on what goes into doing public relations (PR) and marketing for a record label.
“Meeting so many people who work in PR and in the music industry helped me gain so much insight on the industry itself,” Szmik said. “They helped me learn what to do and where to look to get a job out of college. They also all gave me their contacts and we connected so I have people to turn to in the future. Personally, it really made me enthusiastic and confirmed that this is what I want to do with my future and make a career out of this. I also feel much more confident in my abilities and my talents as a journalist.”
Szmik’s days would start bright and early at 8 a.m., getting ready to be out the door by 9 a.m. to scope out the panels she wanted to attend for the day. Her mornings were spent attending panels, such as the “Back on Tour: Crafting Collaborative Musical Experiences” panel, followed by grabbing lunch with her friend group.
After lunch, Szmik would attend either more panels or mentor sessions, where she connected with music industry professionals. Following all the sessions for the day, she would make a list of who she saw or met in order to help her make connections and remember their advice after the festival was over.
At night, Szmik would explore Austin or attend film premieres like “Everything, Everywhere All At Once.” During the week, she also saw several pop-events like the Amazon Prime show “Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” promotional event, where there was a designated area based on the show that included a mini salon and big signs that were references to Lizzo’s songs. Szmik also got to see a live recording of the podcast episode “Beyond the Scenes” from the Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
“I absolutely recommend anyone who is interested to apply to go to SXSW,” Szmik said. “It is a wonderful networking and connection-building experience. You get to speak with professionals who you usually would not be able to talk with. I also made some incredible friends, and you get to meet many people who are interested in the same things as you. It is also very helpful if you are interested in the music industry.”
In addition, she saw Roy Wood Jr. interview Yamiche Alcindor, Symone D. Sanders and Vladimir Duthiers on being a Black journalist in America, heard Lizzo and Reggie Fils-Amie speak, and got to see and meet Linda Perry of 4-Non Blondes.
For Szmik, listening to all the keynote addresses and speakers talk about the music industry was a highlight, especially when it related to PR or journalism, although she also found the film aspects of the festival interesting as well.
Szmik hopes to move to Los Angeles next summer after graduating and land a job at a record label or publisher.
“I've been dreaming of that since I was in high school and I believe SXSW has helped me get closer to that dream,” Szmik added.