SXSWi is holding its 13th Annual SXSW Web Awards on Sunday the 14th at the Hilton Downtown. All the website finalists were sites that were launched or redesigned in 2009. Here’s a list of finalists! The M.C. of this year’s award ceremony is comedian Doug Benson. From his many appearances on Comedy Central Presents, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, VH-1’s Best Week Ever, The Sarah Silverman Program, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, and his own documentary Super High Me, Benson proves again and again that he is quite the entertainer. His new CD, Unbalanced Load, is currently available on Comedy Central Records.
SXTXState: You have some great experience with SXSW, including the screening of Super High Me in 2008, for those that don’t know anything about SXSW how would you describe it?
Doug Benson: 10 days of fun. Or at least I assume it was fun. I barely remember any of it. If you love movies and music, it’s a great place to be.
SXTXState: You are hosting the 2010 Web Awards for SXSWi. You have a Myspace and a Twitter account…but no website…how come? Is there a site on the way?
Doug Benson: No, I’m lazy. And I have so many followers on Twitter and Myspace, I feel like they are my web sites.
SXTXState: You tweet all the time (@DougBenson)…what is it about Twitter that you love? that you hate? What do you see as the next step beyond Twitter?
Doug Benson: I love that if I think of a joke or want to promote one of my shows, I can just tweet it and thousands of people will get the message at the same time. I’ve met some cool people through Twitter. And I don’t just mean people who are willing to get me high. But I’ve met them too.
SXTXState: Have any social networking ideas? Is there something missing in the social media world?
Doug Benson: Let me think about that and get back to you. Ok, I thought about it. I don’t have any ideas.
SXTXState: From the outside, I would think that social networking and social media have changed the business of comedy. The great thing about it is that you are able to reach audiences beyond your shows or albums. How has it changed your approach? Is this good or bad thing for the comedy world?
Doug Benson: I think it’s a great thing for me and comedy. I live Tweeted the last Academy Awards and gained hundreds of followers during the telecast. And I lost a few too. I don’t get it when people tell me I tweet too much. All they have to do is unfollow me. I wouldn’t follow me if I weren’t me.
SXTXState: Best place in Austin when you have the munchies?
Doug Benson: A bar. I’m trying to not eat so much when I’m high. So I drink.
SXTXState: Did you ever find your hat store in Austin? I saw you asking on Twitter.
Doug Benson: I was joking about wanting to find a hat store. But if you know of a good one, let me know.
Thanks to Doug for his time. Thanks to Seth Olenick for the picture. Thanks for SXSW for the bio!