Austin-Bound! - Sacha Evans-AdLibbing

The Ad Council's SXSW panel Bullying: Social Media as Problem & Solution will explore ways that social media can reverse the trend of online bullying. Watch our anti-bullying PSAs.

What are the characteristics of safe online communities?

How do you strike a balance between entertaining your audience and getting your message across?

What are the most effective ways to use virtual communities to produce offline actions?

The Ad Council is headed to Austin this week, where we'll be hosting two panel discussions at SXSW Interactive on Monday, March 11. In our two thought-provoking panels, we'll explore how social media can be used to combat online bullying and how social good messages can be integrated into influential programs.

Here's a sneak peek of what we have planned:

Bullying: Social Media as Problem & Solution

The Ad Council's Priscilla Natkins will speak with Lee Hirsch, director of the groundbreaking documentary Bully, Reddit Community Operations Manager Marta Gossage, and Scott Zumwalt of the It Gets Better Project about the reality of online bullying and how social media can be a part of the solution. This panel is for anyone interested in balancing user protections with free speech or anyone looking to influence online culture.

Sparking Social Change with Content Integration

The Ad Council's Anastasia Goodstein will talk with Lindsey Guetschow of Participant Media,Vicky Rideout of VJR Consulting, and Rick ReyofBlip about issue-based films like Waiting for Superman; the Kaiser Family Foundation's integration of health messages into programs on MTV, BET, Univision, Viacom, and Fox; and tapping online video producers with large followings to inspire social action. This panel is for anyone curious about how to balance entertainment and education, how to capitalize on a cultural zeitgeist, and how top-level programming decisions are made.

Stay tuned for additional coverage of SXSW on AdLibbing throughout the festival. We look forward to meeting old and new friends in Austin this year, and to seeing you at our panels!

Bullying: Social Media as Problem & Solution
Monday, March 11 from 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Austin Convention Center
Room 9ABC
500 E Cesar Chavez St

Sparking Social Change with Content Integration
Monday, March 11 from 5:00PM – 6:00PM
Austin Convention Center
Room 12AB
500 E Cesar Chavez St

Sacha currently serves as a Public Relations Manager at the Ad Council. Previously she worked in communications at Orchestra of St. Luke's, StoryCorps, NPR, and Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy. In her spare time she sings in the Manhattan Choral Ensemble, volunteers at Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, and plays with her two cats.