NBCUniversal at South by Southwest 2024 

March 20, 2024

NBCUniversal at SXSW 2024

NBCUniversal Premiered Upcoming Films, Content and Participated in Panels in Austin

NBCUniversal’s media, news and studios groups flocked to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW) to showcase upcoming projects and engage in insightful conversations ranging from brand marketing innovations to sustainability in the film industry.  

Unveiling the SXSW 2024 Lineup with NBCUniversal

Universal Pictures and Focus Features premiered three films at SXSW, including Monkey Man, The Fall Guy and Dìdi (弟弟).  Universal Television’s Emmy-winning comedy Hacks also premiered its third season at the festival.

Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Universal Television Premiere Upcoming Projects

Universal Pictures’ Monkey Man 

Director Dev Patel made his debut with action thriller Monkey Man from Universal Pictures and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. “Monkey Man” was a fan favorite, taking home the SXSW Audience Award for a Headliner film. 

“It [“Monkey Man”] is a movie that proves that films can be all things. You can have a movie that tells an amazing story, that has meaning, that has depth, and you still can just kick a bunch of people’s asses along the way,” said Peele about the film as he introduced Patel to the crowd. 

“I put everything into this, I shot this film in the biggest slum in India, Covid hit, and the film went down. Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. And then Jordan came along in the end, he picked up from the ground, he brushed the dust off and put it on the mantel piece,” said Patel.  

In an exclusive conversation with Patel at SXSW, he discusses his directing debut, inspiration for the film and the thrills and challenges of its 10+ year journey to securing a major theatrical release.

The film stars Patel, Sharito Copley, Pitobash, Vipin Sharma, Sikander Kher, Sobhita Dhulipala, Shwini Kalekar, Adithi Kalkunte, and Makarand Deshpande. “Monkey Man” will be released in theaters on April 5, 2024.
 

Universal Pictures’ The Fall Guy 

The Fall Guy, from real life stunt man and director David Leitch, stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson in a love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under appreciated crew of people who make them.

While introducing the movie, Gosling and Leitch both took a moment to acknowledge and thank stunt performers. 

“We hope that it’s reflective of how much the crew gives to every film,” Gosling said. “There are so many cynical movies about moviemaking. The crews care so much. They give so much, it’s amazing. It’s things no one will ever notice. They put so much love and attention into every detail. And they get no credit — well, they get a credit at the end but it goes so fast. It was fun, on some small level, to reflect how much they care.”

“This film is really personal to me, being a stuntman for 20 years. We wanted to celebrate crews and the magic behind the scenes and the people that make those movies,” Leitch explained to the SXSW crowd after the film had its world premiere at Austin’s Paramount Theatre.

“The Fall Guy”, a Universal Pictures film, is set for a theatrical release on May 3, 2024.   

Focus Features’ Dìdi (弟弟) 

Focus Features premiered their recently acquired coming-of-age film, Dìdi (弟弟), from Academy Award nominated filmmaker Sean Wang (“Nai Nai & Wài Pó”). Dìdi (弟弟) is a funny, irreverent, and affecting ode to first-generation teenagers navigating the joy and chaos of adolescence The film earned critical and audience acclaim after making its first premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, winning the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast. Dìdi (弟弟) hits theaters on July 26. 

Universal Television Previews Hacks 

The third season of Hacks, a show from Universal Television, had its world premiere at SXSW followed by a panel with co-creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, and stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The season consists of 9 episodes and premieres on May 2. 

NBCUniversal Leaders Take the Stage on South by Southwest Panels 

The State of Comedy in Television 

Donnelly, Beth Miyares, Senior Vice President, Comedy Development, and Megan Macmillan, Senior Vice President, Comedy Development, sat with Glamour’s Jessica Radloff for a discussion on the state of comedy. During the panel, they spoke to a room of 140+ attendees about the “comfort of comedy” in today’s climate, the role they play in supporting the creative visions of our showrunners and what defines a comedy today.

Sustainability in Hollywood

In a panel sponsored by NBCUniversal, Kimberly Burnick, Director of Sustainable Content and Partnerships, NBCUniversal, and Ian Cooper, Creative Director, Monkeypaw Productions, Jordan Peele’s film production company, discussed partnering on sustainability efforts both behind the scenes on films such as NOPE, as well as opportunities for greening the broader filmmaking process including on-screen sustainability.  These initiatives and more are supported by Universal’s recently launched GreenerLight Program.

Marketing and Social Impact

Hilary Smith, Executive Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, NBCUniversal, participated in two SXSW panels discussing authentic ways to bridge entertainment marketing and employee wellbeing.

At the Fast Company Grill, Smith and fellow panelists, Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Mastercard, and Angelique Temple, CMO at WeTransfer, discussed authentic ways to bridge entertainment and marketing while connecting with audiences on a panel titled “When Entertainment Meets Marketing.” 

Smith spoke about NBCUniversal’s Creative Impact Lab, and its unique model that is using NBCUniversal’s unique strengths for the greater good. The Lab leverages NBCUniversal’s storytelling power to empower the next generation of creators and create much-needed marketing assets for its portfolio of nonprofit partners, helping nonprofit organizations get their mission to audiences around the world.  

At Female Quotient’s Equality Lounge, Smith joined a panel titled, “A Better Corporate Culture: Why Prioritizing Employee Wellbeing Is the Best Strategic Investment.” Smith was joined by four other panelists and discussed how NBCUniversal puts employees at the center of its social impact efforts and CSR programs, including NBCUniversal’s Matching Gifts program, Ambassadors Program, and opportunities to give back to local communities, and the importance of employee wellbeing.

NBCU News Group 

CNBC Make It hosted a panel (moderated by Success Reporter Megan Sauer) “The New American Dream: Make Passive Income Working for Yourself”. The conversation, which included three panelists who have successfully found ways to bring in passive income, focused on financial advice and tips on how to generate passive income. 

Join NBCUniversal at SXSW 2024

From film and television premieres to enriching talent-led panels, NBCUniversal made an impactful presence at SXSW 2024, exciting fans for innovative and creative content to come.