Are YOU Going to PME at SXSW? Penn Badgley Is. Full Line Up Announced

Podcast Movement Evolutions is just around the corner and we could not be more excited for this year’s event to be a part of the official SXSW programming.

Recently added to the lineup:

• Penn Badgley (You, Gossip Girl) joining Companion for a live appearance during an already stacked weekend.

• Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, Rudy, The Goonies) delivering the Sunday keynote. Beyond his iconic acting career, he currently serves as President of SAG-AFTRA and brings a powerful perspective on creators, labor, and the evolving media ecosystem.

• Apple will present the Saturday keynote to spotlight its new video podcast experience on Apple Podcasts, including support for HLS video, which is a major leap forward in how audiences discover and engage with podcasts across formats.

Friday Opens with Community and Scale

Programming begins Friday with an address from Tom Fox, Founder of The Compliance Podcast Network and Founder of Podcast Movement Evolutions' honorarium program for community driven sessions.

This will be followed by a keynote from Steve McLendon, Product Lead for YouTube’s podcasting initiatives. Under his leadership, YouTube has grown to more than one billion monthly active podcast viewers and redefined how podcast discovery, engagement, and creator tools scale in a video-first world.

Saturday Night: Companion Takes Over

On March 14, you’ll experience Companion Presents: In Good Company, an evening built for creativity and connection amid the SXSW chaos.

The night includes:

• An intimate acoustic set from multi-platinum artist Andy Grammer

• A conversation with Penn Badgley

• Appearances from Science and the City, We Love You, and In The Hyphen

• Performances by Ayana Butterfly and JJ & The Mood

• Programming inspired by voices like Rainn Wilson’s Soul Boom and Christiana Mbakwe-Medina’s Pop Syllabus

More Voices Shaping Culture:

Throughout the weekend, you’ll also see:

• MrBallen (John Allen)

• Kensington Tallman

• Allison Dunbar

• Shaan Sharma

• Maya Hawke

And on Sunday evening, you’ll close out with The Independent Creator Awards Show from Oxford Road, hosted by Killer Mike. Nominees include:

• Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO)

• Theo Von (This Past Weekend)

• Tim Ferriss (The Tim Ferriss Show)

• Caleb Hearon (So True With Caleb Hearon)

• Kendall Rae (True Crime with Kendall Rae)

• Hala Taha  (Young and Profiting)

This Is Where Audio, Video & Creator-Led Media Converge

Podcasting isn’t evolving quietly. It's accelerating across audio, video, live experiences, and creator-driven businesses. At Evolutions, you’re not watching that shift happen. You’re in the room with the people building it.

Made Possible By

Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW is supported by:

Acast, ADOPTER Media, AdsWizz, Airwave Media, Amazon Music, ART19, Audacy, Castbox, Colture, Companion Network, Display.io, ESPN, Hill Country Podcast Network, Locked On Podcast Network, Magellan AI, Mynt Agency, Nielsen, Nueva Network, Nomono, NPR, Oxford Road, Red Seat Ventures, Right Side Up, SAG-AFTRA, Simplecast, Soundstack, Supporting Cast, and YouTube.

Podcast Movement Evolutions at SXSW is free to attend.

You can check out the full schedule and register now on the Podcast Movement website.

See you soon!
Team Podcast Movement