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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANNOUNCES FIVE DAYS OF COMPLIMENTARY SXSW PROGRAMMING (AND FREE DRINKS!) AT THE “NAT GEO FURTHER BASE CAMP”
Located One Block From the Convention Center on 6th Between Trinity and Neches, Nat Geo Further Base Camp Open Daily March 10-14
Mon Mar 06 2017 18:30:00 GMT+0000 (UTC)
Lineup Includes Groundbreaking Augmented Reality; Interactive Robotic Art;
Inspirational Talks and Interviews With Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Ridley Scott,
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Jason Silva, Cory Richards, Steven Kolter, David Guttenfelder and
Aaron Huey; Plus a Birthday Party and Pi Day Celebration for Albert Einstein
Live Musical Performances From R.LUM.R, Ponytrap and Little Hurricane
WHAT:
This year at SXSW, National Geographic presents Nat Geo Further Base Camp: an interactive hub open daily to festival attendees to explore their own genius through brain-boosting and mind-boggling activities.
Hosted by TV personality Jason J. Carter (“#SayWhat?!,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Base Camp will feature enhanced experiences inspired by the network’s highly anticipated global event series GENIUS from Academy Award winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Highlights of the five-day activation include:
● See FURTHER: Experience the world’s first commercially available untethered augmented reality headset, the Microsoft Hololens, a cutting-edge blend of the digital and physical worlds that will bring the theory of relativity to life through powerful visualizations, as if Einstein himself were there to explain it.
● Sketch Like Einstein: Einstein’s iconic chalkboard will be transformed into a first-of-its-kind interactive robotic artist, sketching art from guest-submitted Twitter photos through a GENIUS algorithm using Einstein’s words, symbols and equations as pixels.
● Celebrate Pi Day and the Birth of a Genius: Fete the greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein, whose birthday also happens to be Pi Day (3.14). Coincidence? We think not! Guests will help Einstein blow out all 138 candles, enjoy a cocktail menu inspired by the trials and tribulations of the iconic genius and snack on a pi-inspired dessert bar.
● Explore Genius: Hear from the forces behind Nat Geo’s commitment to content that pushes the boundaries of human curiosity, including:
○ Entertainment Weekly chat with GENIUS executive producer and director Ron Howard, executive producer Brian Grazer, actor Johnny Flynn (young Einstein) and actress Samantha Colley (Mileva Maric);
○ Live recording of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson;
○ Breakthrough panel on cyberterror with security expert and author Jayson Street, social psychologist Nafees Hamid, Breakthrough series producer and showrunner Kurt Sayenga and director and producer Steven Hoggard, moderated by Jason Silva (Breakthrough, premiering May 2, is Nat Geo’s anthology series that shines a light on the world’s leading scientists and how their cutting-edge innovations and advancements will change our lives in the immediate future and beyond);
○ Origins panel with modern-day philosopher Jason Silva and author, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Kotler (new series Origins, premiering March 6, is a full-sensory, time-travel adventure that delves deep into history to find the pivotal “origin” moments that made the world modern);
○ Daily recording of podcasts from The Verge reporting on the festival’s hottest news, including special SXSW recordings of “The Vergecast”, “Decode,” “Too Embarrassed to Ask” and “Recode Decode” with SXSW Hall of Fame inductee Kara Swisher; and
○ Various musical performances highlighting genius in its many forms including R.LUM.R., Ponytrap and Little Hurricane.
● Chasing Genius With Nerd Night: For the third year in a row, National Geographic partners with the popular Nerd Nite at SXSW. This year’s presentation will feature speakers including National Geographic Explorer and submarine pilot Erika Bergman, science and tech journalist Seth Porges and MIT researcher Adam Haar Horowitz. It is themed to Chasing Genius, a new platform being unveiled by National Geographic ahead of SXSW.
● Travel Further: Win a 10-day National Geographic Expeditions trip for two to the Galapagos Islands by visiting Base Camp to learn about the Nat Geo Further Photo Contest.
Nat Geo Further Base Camp comes to life in advance of the April 25 premiere of GENIUS, starring Geoffrey Rush as Albert Einstein, Johnny Flynn as the younger Einstein and Emily Watson as his wife Elsa.
Beyond nonstop programming and content, Nat Geo Further Base Camp will offer premium Wi-Fi, charging stations and meeting spaces, in addition to a free premium bar available daily, featuring GENIUS-inspired cocktails.
Join the conversation with @NatGeoChannel on social media using #NatGeoAtSXSW.
Schedule*:
Friday, March 10
12:00 p.m. – Doors open
3:30 p.m. – “Alien: Covenant” with Ridley Scott, Katherine Waterson and Danny McBride in conversation with Entertainment Weekly’s James Hibberd
4:00 p.m. – “Recode Media” podcast recording with Peter Kafka and Glenn Beck
5:30 p.m. – Cocktails and Q&A with National Geographic adventure/expedition photographer alpine climber Cory Richards (Richards is also SXSW Keynote Speaker scheduled on March 10 from 2:00pm-3:00pm in Ballroom D at the Austin Convention Center)
7:00 p.m. – “Life Of Us” VR installation introduced by Chris Milk, founder and CEO of Within, produced by Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures, and Made With Unity
7:45 p.m. – Special guest performance
Saturday, March 11
7:00 a.m. – National Geographic Geopolitical Conflict, Conservation and Culture Photographer David Guttenfelder Photo Walk
12:00 p.m. – Doors open
12:30 p.m. – “Too Embarrassed to Ask” podcast recording with Kara Swisher and Lauren Goode, with special guest Mary Lou Jepsen
3:30 p.m. – Q&A with SXSW keynote speaker and TED Talker Jessica Shortall
4:30 p.m. – Conversation with the founder of Black Girls CODE Kimberly Bryant
6:00 p.m. – “Walking the Line” discussion and Q&A with Aaron Huey and Peter Krogh
8:00 p.m. – Nerd Nite; showcasing GENIUS in a real way with sessions from National
Geographic Explorer and submarine pilot Erika Bergman, science and tech journalist Seth Porges and MIT researcher Adam Haar Horowitz
10:00 p.m. – R.LUM.R acoustic performance
Sunday, March 12
12:00 p.m. – Doors open
12:30 p.m. – The Verge’s “Vergecast” podcast recording with Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Casey Newton and Lauren Goode
2:00 p.m. – Discussion with National Geographic photographer David Guttenfelder
3:00 p.m. – Conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ron Howard
5:00 p.m. – Breakthrough panel on cyberterror with security expert and author Jayson Street, social psychologist Nafees Hamid, Breakthrough series producer and showrunner Kurt Sayenga and director and producer Steven Hoggard; moderated by Jason Silva
6:30 p.m. – National Geographic Adventure/Expedition Photographer and Alpine Climber
Cory Richards Photo Walk
7:00 p.m. – Chat with avant-garde artist and cyborg activist Neil Harbisson
8:00 p.m. – GENIUS panel moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Rosen and featuring Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and cast members Johnny Flynn and Samantha Colley
10:00 p.m. – Performance by Ponytrap
Monday, March 13
7:00 a.m. – National Geographic Photographer Aaron Huey Photo Walk
11:00 a.m. – Doors open
12:00 p.m. – “Recode Decode” podcast recording with Kara Swisher with guests Tim Simons and Matt Walsh from the cast of “VEEP”
1:00 p.m. – Feature Filmmaker Panel featuring Sebastian Junger, Marina Zenovich and Jonathan Chin moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Jessica Derschowitz
3:30 p.m. – Origins panel with modern-day philosopher Jason Silva and author, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Kotler
5:00 p.m. – Nat Geo Explorers Panel featuring Erika Bergman, Topher White and Albert Lin
6:30 p.m. – “Empowering the Millennial” with Erica Williams Simon
Tuesday, March 14
12:00 p.m. – Doors open
12:30 p.m. – The Verge’s “Vergecast” podcast recording with Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Casey Newton and Lauren Goode
2:00 p.m. – Chat with Pakistani-Canadian film and television actress, writer, producer and comedian Fawzia Mirza
8:00 p.m. – Einstein’s Birthday Party featuring Little Hurricane
*Final schedule subject to change; please RSVP to press contacts to confirm specific panels/discussions.
WHERE:
Nat Geo Further Base Camp
418 East 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
CONTACT:
Katherine Stein, CIVIC on behalf of National Geographic
Email: Katherine.stein@civic-us.com
Cell: (646) 784-5438
Alex Wollman, CIVIC on behalf of National Geographic
Email: Alex.wollman@civic-us.com
Cell: (914) 588-0313
To request interviews with talent, please contact:
Jenn DeGuzman, National Geographic
Email: Jennifer.deguzman@natgeo.com
Cell: (646) 256-8639
