'Leaving South by Southwest was definitely not my decision.' Hugh Forrest out at SXSW
South by Southwest will go on without its longtime top programmer and president, and the festival and conference is reportedly laying off staff again.
Hugh Forrest, who has served as SXSW co-president since 2022 and president since 2024, was let go by P-MRC Holdings, LLC, a venture owned by MRC and Penske Media Corporation. Forrest's departure comes just over a month after SXSW concluded its 2025 event, after which it announced next year's event will be shorter and more consolidated.
More: SXSW through the years: 38 years of music, movies and photos
In addition to his leadership roles, Forrest originated and nurtured to prominence the tech portion of South by Southwest, known for a time as Interactive, which helped the event raise its profile during SXSW's biggest period of growth from the late 2000s to the early 2010s. P-MRC bought a majority stake in South by Southwest in 2021.
In a statement, Forrest wrote, "Leaving South by Southwest was definitely not my decision."
He added, "I put my heart and soul into this event for more than 35 years, and I was looking forward to leading several more editions. To this end, I will be rooting big time for the Austin team on the go forward. The city, the country, the world needs the positive energy South by Southwest has traditionally provided and needs it now more than ever."
A message to Penske Media Corporation, which bought a majority stake in South by Southwest in 2021, was not immediately returned.
The change was apparently recent; as recently as this week, Forrest was posting about technology in relation to SXSW on social media.
On social media comments on posts about Forrest's departure, other staff members were said to have been let go. On Saturday, the Austin Chronicle reported that "10 or more staff members, including senior leadership at Music and Comedy, as well as staff and management in behind-the-scenes roles, have left the company, either through previously planned departures or unexpectedly."
The new layoffs by Penske come less than a year after the company laid off nearly two dozen employees last June.
South by Southwest has spent several years reestablishing itself after being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. It has also been planning for the challenge of moving forward without an Austin Convention Center to house most of its panels and programming starting next year, when a long-planned renovation begins.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Layoffs reported at SXSW in Austin; President Hugh Forrest is out
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