A Look Inside DMLA’s Showcase at SXSW® in Austin

Two days of networking, learning and reconnecting in sunny Texas

Photos by Thomas Smith

The Digital Media Licensing Association held its first DMLA Showcase in partnership with South By Southwest® (SXSW®) festival in Austin. The Showcase was its first in-person event since the pandemic and DMLA’s first event collaborating with SXSW®.

From a kickoff dinner (featuring Fajitas and Margaritas) at the iconic Iron Cactus, to a full day of networking, presentations, and amazing content (including deep coverage of generative AI), to a popular cocktail hour in the evening, the event was highly impactful for DMLA’s member attendees and visitors alike.

Here’s a look inside the event — including several of the presentations you might have missed!

Kickoff Dinner

ImageRights sponsored a delicious kickoff dinner at the Iron Cactus. It was a joyful way to bring many of DMLA’s members back together after almost three years apart.

When in Texas, you can’t go wrong with tacos. The 80-degree weather was especially welcome for those traveling from the East Coast.

The Showcase

After an enjoyable evening of reconnecting and talking shop (and some late-night live music for some attendees), DMLA’s presenters, members and guests came together for a full day of learning, networking and discussions.

SmartFrame discusses their tech with attendees

Shutterstock, ImageRights, and SmartFrame presented and had booths for attendees to visit.

Joe Naylor shares ImageRights

Thomas Smith of Gado Images captured several of the presentations, which are available via his YouTube channel. DMLA may also provide clips on our channel.

The day began with a deep discussion about generative AI and the law with Nancy Wolff of CDAS and DMLA President Leslie Hughes.

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Attendees then hear from Alex Dimakis, a professor at UT Austin, about the exciting future of generative AI tech, in a compelling session moderated by Joe Naylor.

[embed]Generative AI; How Cutting Edge Research is Changing Everything - Dr Alex Dimakis and Joe Naylor Dr Alex Dimakis of the University of Texas and and Joe Naylor of ImageRights discuss generative AI at the Digital Media…youtube.com

Joe then presented ImageRights’ enforcement technologies, and Joel Miller of SmartFrame shared his company’s success in image streaming and in-image advertising.

[embed]Joe Naylor Talks about ImageRights Visit https://lifetechshorts.com for full articles.Join my free DIY Life Tech newsletter (http://eepurl.com/ijHXIH)…youtube.com

After some Texas-sized lunches, the group came back together for a presentation from Shutterstock’s Candice Murray and Chip Schenck about their cutting-edge AI image generation platform, including a live demo.

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The Showcase finished with a cocktail hour that brought in DMLA members, presenters, and guests for lively networking, libations, and a spread of local Texas cheeses.

Looking Ahead to October

Overall, the Showcase was a productive and positive event for all in attendance. DMLA is thankful for the work of Joe Naylor in leading the planning process, as well as sponsoring companies ImageRights, Shutterstock and SmartFrame.

Didn’t make the event, and experiencing some FOMO? Save the date for DMLA’s annual conference in San Francisco in October. Registration will open soon, and we’d love to have you there!