LEGENDARY DIGITAL OPENS SXSW 2015 WITH A BANG

Nerdist Industries, Geek & Sundry, and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls Announce ‘Legendary’ SXSW Activation

March 11, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Friday begins the annual pilgrimage to Austin, Texas for 10 days of movies, music, and delicious barbecue at South By Southwest. That means it’s time for the teams at Nerdist Industries, Geek & Sundry, and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls to fill your weekend with endless games, panels, swag, selfies with the giant Smart Girls Light Bulb, FUNimation, a 7-11 slurpee truck, and the most epic dance parties Austin can handle. Beginning at noon on Friday, March 13, the Legendary Digital Networks will be posting up at Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden (81 Rainey Street) for three straight days of awesome. 

Friday, March 13

12:00pm-12:45pm

Festivities begin with a stacked Legendary Digital panel including Nerdist Editor in Chief Brian Walton, Geek and Sundry VP of Production and Development Ryan Copple, Smart Girls’ COO Meredith Walker, Nerdist Senior Editor Dan Casey and Head of Production Johnny Wickham to discuss the challenges they’ve faced and achievements they’ve unlocked working in digital media.

1:00pm-1:45pm

Malik Forté will be assuming direct control of the stage for a Breaking into Gaming Panel with upstarts from across the gaming landscape.

2:00pm-2:45pm

The team from Geek & Sundry will take the stage with their fans – that’s you! Come dance with us as we bring our Twitch shenanigans to life! 

3:00pm-4:00pm

Come get your chuckle on as The Nerdist Comedy Open Mic comes to Banger’s.

4:15pm-6pm

We’ll be hosting Trivia Team Trivial both Friday and Saturday from 4:15pm – 6pm. Bring a team of 3-6 friends or come sign up solo and we’ll partner you up to form the greatest bar trivia team ever assembled. Sign ups begin at 4:00pm!

9:30pm-12am

Come by and enjoy Banger’s sausage and beer garden before Geek & Sundry turns the knob to 11 for a Legendary 80s dance party.

Saturday Pi Day!

12:00pm-12:45pm

Felicia Day kicks off the day at noon by chatting with fans about her upcoming projects including her new book, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost).

1:00pm-2:00pm 

After her panel, stick around and challenge Felicia in Co-Optitude style combat as she plays games, with her brother Ryon Day, against fans in the Geek & Sundry gaming lounge for all the Twitch community to see! 

2:00pm-4:00pm 

Felicia and Ryon Day will stick around for a Co-Optitude Live Let’s Play, where they will hilariously playing through their favorite games. Fans everywhere are invited to watch and interact via live stream on twitch.tv/geekandsundry.

1:00pm-1:30pm

Nick Kroll and Ross Katz, the star and director of SXSW film Adult Beginners will join Nerdist Editor-In-Chief Brian Walton in conversation about the pair’s new film, comedy, and their careers.

1:45pm-2:30pm

Meredith Walker and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls present the Professional Lady People Panel. Featuring a unique group of creatives and professionals, the PLPP aims to discuss the non-traditional career routes that our panelists have chosen, the challenges they have faced in their jobs, and the allies that have helped them achieve in their fields.

3:00pm-3:20pm

To celebrate the greatest Pi Day ever, we’re throwing a Pi Day Pie Eating contest! Join us at 3:00PM to see who will be crowned Prince or Princess of Pie.

3:30pm-4:00pm

Writer Director Robert Rodriguez joins us for an in depth conversation about his work on From Dusk Till Dawn for El Rey, The Robert Rodriguez Museum’s Frank Frazetta collection, and his upcoming adaptation of Fire and Ice.

4:15pm-6:00pm

Another 5 rounds of Trivia Team Trivial will take place on Saturday evening. Rejoin your team of 3-6 friends or sign up solo to be partnered with a team. Sign ups begin at 4:00pm!

6:30pm-12:00am

Smart Girls will take the night with performances by Sarah Ortiz (6:45pm), Sowle Sisters (7:15), and Austin’s own Charlie Belle (8:30pm) before groovin’ the night away at a special Smart Girls Dance Party with DJ Lauren Larose. The boogie begins at 10pm!

Sunday

11:00am-1:30pm

Sunday Funday begins as Urban Achievers Brass Band takes the stage for Sunday brunch at Banger’s.

2:00pm-2:20pm

The cast of NBC’s Undateable joins Music Editor Matt Grosinger for a special conversation about their show, comedy and life in general. Ron Funches, Chris D’elia, Brent Morin and Bridgit Mendler will be on hand for this live interview.

2:30pm-3:30pm

Led by Ben Lyons, The Players’ Tribune will be hosting a special panel with top former NBA and NCAA athletes to talk sports and Real Strength.  In partnership with Dove Men+Care, the panel will show fans what real strength means to basketball greats.

4:00pm-5:00pm

The Thrilling Adventure Hour’s Ben Blacker, Busy Phillips, and Janet Varney are going to talk all things Workjuice including comics, performances and an upcoming caravan through kiwi country, a.k.a. New Zealand.

Check out the full schedule and details on Nerdist.com and stay tuned for the latest news and movie reviews from the fest. You can also keep up with all the gaming happening at Banger's on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel, twitch.tv/geekandsundry. And keep tabs on everything happening at SXSW by following Nerdist, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls and Geek & Sundry on Twitter and Facebook.

About Nerdist:

Nerdist Industries is a multi-platform creator of genre and popular culture content. Founded by CEO Chris Hardwick, its online presence includes a website at Nerdist.com; a premium YouTube channel (youtube.com/nerdist) featuring Nerdist News hosted by Jessica Chobot; a combined 2.75 million Twitter followers; a Podcast Network including the flagship Nerdist Podcast; The Nerdist School comedy training program; and the Nerdist Alliance, a community of curated partnerships with some of YouTube's most talented and passionate creators including up and coming stars Hannah and Hilly Hindi of The Hillywood Show. Nerdist also produces content for television including @midnight for Comedy Central and All Star Celebrity Bowling for AMC. Further, Nerdist hosts live events around the country such as The Nerdist Podcast Live! and Course of the Force, an annual lightsaber relay in partnership with Lucasfilm LTD. Legendary Entertainment acquired Nerdist Industries in August 2012.

About Geek & Sundry:

Geek & Sundry is a digital entertainment company recognized for bringing the best in award-winning internet television content that features leading voices in geek culture and lifestyle. Founded in 2012 by Felicia Day, Kim Evey, and Sheri Bryant, the company offers a diverse lineup of compelling content and events that have cultivated a thriving community and social media presence for fans of gaming, comics, music, comedy and literature around the world.  Geek & Sundry is spearheaded by prominent geek figureheads including Felicia Day (The Guild, Supernatural, Dr. Horrible) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek, The Big Bang Theory), and has launched fan-favorite shows such as TableTop, Co-Optitude, Written By A Kid, Spellslingers and Spooked which have earned them over 1.4 million subscribers and 120+ million views. The network has also launched their Twitch Channel to further connect with the online community that received over 5 million minutes viewed within its first week of going live. Geek & Sundry has won multiple accolades and nomination votes from the Annual Streamys, IAWTV, Diana Jones and Producers Guild awards since launch.  The office is headquartered in Burbank. For more information, visit www.geekandsundry.com and watch us on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/GeekandSundry.

About Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls:

Founded by artist Amy Poehler and producer Meredith Walker, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls organization is dedicated to helping young people cultivate their authentic selves. Our motto is: Change the World by Being Yourself. What began as an online show for young girls and an excuse to host spontaneous dance parties has become a place for information, comedy and community. When we use the word “community,” we take that very seriously. Therefore, our intention is to be a safe place where those who seek us out may be heard and offered a response. We are finding that Smart Girls is a home base where many young men and women are able to express their concerns. Through our “Call to Action” campaigns we encourage smart girls to volunteer, be more involved in the world they live in, and expand their worldview beyond their backyards. Our goal is to provide a healthy alternative to the mainstream negativity and materialism marketed towards young people today. We emphasize intelligence and imagination over “fitting in.” We celebrate curiosity over gossip. We are a place where people can truly be their weird and wonderful selves. We are funny first, and informative second, hosting the party you want to attend. Legendary Entertainment acquired Amy Poehler's Smart Girls in October, 2014.