ATX Television Festival Wraps

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State TheatreATX Television Festival came to a close last Sunday afternoon with a music showcase at the Stephen F. Austin Hotel, capping off a weekend full of screenings, panel discussions and sneak peeks. The event's organizers managed to round up a pretty spectacular group of industry insiders for the inaugural event, bringing together writers, producers, actors and more from shows like Game of Thrones, True Blood, Friday Night Lights and Childrens Hospital.

The festival's low-key, very Austin vibe meant panelists could speak in a much more relaxed manner than you might see even at the city's more established film festivals, and there was a lot of interplay between those on stage and those in the audience. Cougartown creator Bill Lawrence remarked that the ATX Television Festival was awesome for all involved; after all, how often do those in the TV industry get to travel and talk to fans about their craft? Oh, and also, it's a great excuse to hang out in Austin for a weekend.

I started the Saturday morning of the at Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar, where things were fairly quiet at that hour. First up was a sneak peek at the pilot episode of the Vince Vaughn-produced Sullivan & Son. The show, which will premiere on TBS July 19, should fit nicely into that channel's lineup given its old-school sitcom style and broad humor. Not AMC or HBO-quality stuff -- or even Cheers, the show's most obvious reference point -- this is TV comfort food in the vein of Two and a Half Men.

Alamo Drafthouse also hosted a screening of the latest episode of the KLRU-produced show On Story, now in its second season. Barbara Morgan and Maya Perez from Austin Film Festival were on hand to discuss how they put the show together, plumbing nearly two decades' worth of AFF panel footage, and the legal issues involved with piecing together this type of series. Hint: It's a whole lot of work.

The Stephen F. Austin Hotel was where most of the action was happening, as well as the State Theatre next door. The "Bill Lawrence and Friends" panel consisted of, well, Lawrence and his friends. The all-male panel ("Do you have any female friends?" one audience member asked) kicked back and talked about the tender portrayals of male friendship that are so common in Lawrence's shows, drank some beers and even poured some wine for the audience members of legal drinking age. Topics pondered and debated amongst the panelists -- which included actor Neil Flynn (the Janitor on Scrubs) and Cougartown co-creator Kevin Biegel (who got his start writing for Ain't It Cool News) -- included the Janitor's real name, a loose end the show never really tied up ... and which cast and crew never really agreed on, apparently.

Among the Sunday afternoon panels was the lively "Music in Television," which delved into the technical, behind-the-scenes aspect of putting together television programs. Lesley Langs (music editor for Royal Pains), Mark Schwahn (creator of One Tree Hill) and Liza Richardson (music supervisor for Parenthood) had a lot to say about the way songs are picked and edited to help shepherd a story along, as well as the difficulties in budgeting and securing rights to get the music they envisioned being the perfect fit. Especially difficult? Convincing all of Led Zeppelin's remaining members to let you use a full song on One Tree Hill. Maybe Robert Plant is a WB fan after all?

Singer-songwriter Landon Pigg, who may also be familiar to fans of the Austin-centric movie Whip It, brought another perspective to the conversation, talking about the big boost he got after being featured in commercials and TV shows. Pigg pulled out his ukelele and broke out into a nice impromptu song before ducking out to the music showcase, the finale of the festival's first season.

[Photo credit: BethAnn Harper.]