SXSW can feel exhilarating—and overwhelming. Between packed schedules, parallel tracks, and endless “must-see” moments, it’s easy to miss some great stuff. As sponsors of the Agog Immersive Impact Award, we can’t wait to dig into key trends and visionary work that leverage XR for social good.
Whether it’s your first SXSW, your first time exploring the XR Experience, or your fifth trip back, this Agog House Event will help you fest smarter, not harder—with context, clarity, and practical insight straight from the source.
Bonus: After the conversation, join Agog and the creative team behind “Layers of Place: Austin,” a site-specific AR experience transforming Austin during SXSW—co-created by MIT Open Documentary Lab’s AR and Public Space Artist Collective.
About the SXSW XR Experience
March 15–17 | Congressional Ballroom at Fairmont Austin
Where the SXSW Film & TV Festival meets immersive art and storytelling, the XR Experience showcases cutting-edge work in virtual, augmented, and mixed reality from creators around the world.
The exhibition includes:
- XR Experience Competition — World premieres of immersive work
- XR Experience Spotlight — Acclaimed projects from global creators
- XR Experience Special Events — One-of-a-kind immersive moments
Together, these programs highlight how immersive media is expanding storytelling, art, and perception across industries.
How to join
This Agog House Event takes place in Agog House, Agog’s custom-built world in VRChat, and is free and open to the public.
You can join in two ways:
- 🪩 In VRChat—attend live in Agog House
- 🎥 On YouTube—join the livestream from anywhere
About the speakers
Blake Kammerdiener, Senior Manager, Film & TV, XR Programming, SXSW
Blake Kammerdiener has been working for SXSW in different capacities since the 2005 event, starting as a volunteer for the Film Festival. He then came on to work production for the Film Festival in 2010. Blake began programming immersive content when SXSW started the VR/AR track in its conference in 2015 and also began experimenting with immersive exhibition at the event. Following the 2016, event he became the VR Programmer, started the immersive exhibition and the XR Experience, and has led the XR programming in the conference since then. Blake also programs feature film and TV for the Film & TV Festival. Blake is now the Sr. Manager, Film & TV, and XR Programming.
Moderator
Mary Matheson, Head of Production, Agog
Mary Matheson is a multi-award-winning immersive director and producer known for using XR storytelling to drive social impact. With a background in journalism and documentary filmmaking, she has created work for organizations including NASA, Google, the United Nations, and Save the Children. Her immersive projects have been featured at SXSW, the UN Climate Change Summit, and Sheffield DocFest, among others. At Agog, Mary leads production with a focus on innovation, impact, and mentoring the next generation of immersive creators.
About Agog
Agog is a philanthropic organization that brings together social-change agents, thinkers, and builders, helping them create new ways to learn, inspire, and collaborate through the use of immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality.
Agog House is a persistent world custom-built for Agog in VRChat by ShuShu VR and Niko Lang as a gathering space for connections and conversations that explore the social impact of immersive media. Agog hosts monthly public programs in Agog House that spotlight innovative projects and critical conversations in the XR-for-good ecosystem. These events are free and open to the public, and are also livestreamed on Agog’s YouTube channel for global audiences.