Hugh Forrest

Hugh Forrest serves as the Director of the SXSW Interactive Festival, the five-day gathering of digital creatives that occurs in Austin every March. SXSW Interactive has emerged as one of the world’s most influential events for the new media industry. Forrest graduated from Austin High School in 1980, then majored in English at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. He has led SXSW Interactive since its inception and held several jobs in the newspaper industry before surrendering to the digital revolution. He has supported Knowbility with strong community partnerships since 2002 and joined the board in 2017.