ALT Students Take on South by Southwest 2026 with the British Music Embassy

Working alongside industry professionals and Production Park, ALT students from both the UK and US campuses were fully embedded in the production team, running everything from lighting, sound, stage management and content creation across a packed schedule of live performances.

Across an intensive programme featuring nearly 60 artists, students weren’t just observing, they were getting stuck in making it happen.

Real experience. Real shows.

From day one, students were thrown into the fast-paced reality of an international showcase festival, dealing with build schedules, tight changeovers and live audiences.

BA (Hons)Live Event Production student, Tom Skinner led on the ALT stage as Lighting Designer, responsible for building and operating the rig throughout the week.

“I was responsible for designing and building the lighting rig, and programming and operating it for all the BME artists… The volume of artists allowed me to adapt my style and techniques constantly to improve on every gig.”

Working alongside fellow students and alumni, Tom helped deliver a seamless visual experience across multiple days of performances.

For US FdA Live Events Production student Presley Thurlow, the experience meant stepping into new roles and learning on the fly.

“I was given a lot of opportunities to work with lighting… taught how to operate each lighting console and given the opportunity to busk for quite a few of the artists.”

“One of my favourite parts was when an artist really let us have fun… all three of our lighting operators would be working on the board at once, creating something cohesive and creative.”

Backing the next generation

Supported by Production Park and industry partners, students had access to the same tools and environments used at the highest level of live events.

Ant Forbes, Studio & Events Manager at Production Park, highlighted the importance of that support:

“Having access to high-quality, industry-standard equipment allows us to create a professional, dynamic environment for every artist. That’s essential for delivering an event of this calibre.”

Across the week, ALT students proved they are more than ready for the industry. As Sam Wilkinson, BME Stage Manager and Studio Operations Manager at Production Park :

"With a team of 5 ALT UK and 2 ALT US students working alongside industry professionals and a Team from Production Park, we were able to showcase nearly 60 artists in a condensed version of SXSW for the 2nd year in Palm Door on 6th. The show was not without it’s challenges as SXSW and any other showcase/inner city music festival might bring but our students rose above and were a credit to their respective institutes, demonstrating that while our acts might be the next generation of British musical Talent - our students will be the ones who will be lighting them, managing their production and making them sound amazing for many years to come."

SXSW isn’t just a festival, it’s a launchpad. And for ALT students, it’s proof that their careers start long before graduation.

From building rigs to running live shows, this is what the ALT experience looks like: hands-on and happening on some of the biggest stages in the world.

If this sounds like your kind of learning, you can find out more about all of our courses (both in the UK and US) via the link below:

Once again, we would like to thank all our production partners who made this possible.

Production Partners

Allen & Heath
Ashdown
Creative Technology
dBTechnologies
DPA Microphones
ELATION Lighting
Marshall Group
Natal Drums
Wisycom