The Austinites Behind the Curtain: ATX TV Festival

Previously in this series:
Democrasexy
Poo Poo Platter
Cheerful Secrets
Hyde Park Storytelling
Wishing Horse Productions
blend.mode
Tiny Minotaur
Art Island
Mouthfeel
Erica Lies
Mike Stefanik
Ron Berry
Hyperreal Film Club
Gino Scaramuzza

We love spotlighting local creatives who are responsible for the events that we list. Remember, there would be no pig parades, facial hair competitions, dance shows in quarries, or sound installations in tree houses without the individual people who organize and promote them.

In May 2025, we spoke with Emily Gipson, Co-Founder of ATX TV Festival. In the run-up to the festival’s 14th season (May 29 – June 1; tickets available here), we asked Emily to tell us about how she and her team put together this massive event.

Lite + Brite: Can you describe ATX TV Fest for folks who haven’t been?
Emily Gipson, Co-Founder, ATX TV Festival: ATX TV Festival is a four-day festival in downtown Austin that celebrates all things TV. It’s four days of panels, screenings, happy hours, and special events (like TV Trivia!) that all center around television. Our programming spans past, present, and future, so we have reunions of old shows, premieres of new shows, and also spotlight what is airing right now (or between seasons), along with a number of topical conversations about the behind-the-scenes of the TV series you love so much. It is a place where TV fans and industry (cast, creatives, etc.) hang out as one community, and it has lovingly been dubbed at “TV Camp for Grown Ups.”

L+B: What’s ATX TV’s origin story? 
EG: My co-founder, Caitlin McFarland, and I met and became friends as assistants on the Fox lot in Los Angeles in the early 2000’s. In 2011, Cait was looking for a job in Austin in festivals and realized she really wanted to work for a TV festival… but there weren’t any. So, we started talking about what that would look like. 

At the time, we were more interested in our DVRs (yes, this dates us!) than the movie theatre, so we started dreaming what a perfect TV festival could be. After we had written down our ideas, we went to old bosses and friends in the entertainment industry to get their thoughts and join an Advisory Board. Since no one knew who we were, we needed to curate a list of “names.” Then in early 2012 we launched a Kickstarter campaign to sell badges and raise money. The first one happened in June 2012!

L+B: What’s a brief overview of your process for figuring out each year’s festival lineup? 
EB: It all starts with what our team is watching and loving, what shows and creatives are we most excited about at this moment. We have great relationships with most of the major studios and networks, and an incredibly supportive Advisory Board, so we start by asking them for representation from the shows we love, and then also what they have coming up they’d want to showcase. We also look to see which shows are having a 5, 10, 15, year etc. anniversary. That’s how this year’s Mad Men retrospective with Jon Hamm came about. It’s been ten years since the show ended! 

L+B: What’s the most memorable or unexpected thing to ever happen at ATX TV Fest event?
EB: In 2015 we re-united the cast of Gilmore Girls. The part that I loved the most is that we had the fictional band from the show, Hep Alien, play a concert at Hotel San Jose. We didn’t announce they were playing until about ten minutes before they went on, and it turned into a version of Beatle-mania. The parking lot was PACKED. It was so much fun to watch and be part of. 

L+B: Obviously, your job means working with a lot of celebrities. Can you share one of your favorite celebrity stories from the fest? 
EB: We gave Henry Winkler, the nicest man in Hollywood, our first Achievement in Television eXcellence Award in 2013. Years later, Cait and I saw him the night he won his very first Emmy (for Barry). When we went up to congratulate him on his award, he looked us straight in the eyes, smiled, and said “You gave me one first.” It doesn’t get much cooler than that. 

L+B: Out of all the programming at the upcoming festival, which piece are you proudest of putting together? 
EB: My heart and soul goes into our annual Pitch Competition. These are the only submissions we officially take, and it’s for emerging writers trying to get to the next step in their career. Through a screening process we select ten finalists who pitch their TV show ideas at the Festival. I then work with them all year long to develop their series further and get it in front of decision makers. I love working with these writers and watching them pitch their show ideas is always so exciting. 

As for the major Programming Pieces, this year I am very excited about The Late Show with Greg Iwinski, who is putting together a live late night show with special guests and music, and The Leftovers reunion… because I still think it’s one of the best shows ever. 

L+B: This is one of the only TV festivals in the country. Why hold it in ATX (rather than LA)?
EB: Cait and I are born and raised Texans, and we love Austin. We wanted a place outside of the industry hub, so that people would come to “get away” and enjoy being out of “work mode.” We lean into Austin any chance we get, with our big marquee events at the Paramount, showcasing the local food and beverage, and using the word “y’all” as often as we can! 

L+B: If money and logistics were no object, what would be your dream ATX TV event or panel to organize? 
EB: A Survivor-type challenge for our attendees. We try to lean into “experiencing TV” as much as possible during the four days of the Festival, and I would love to have some sort of challenge or activity to bring TV to life. It would be really fun to take over Congress in front of the Paramount and create obstacles and puzzles for people to compete against each other for prizes. With Jeff Probst hosting of course!

L+B: What are some of your favorite Austin events or experiences that you don’t produce? 
EB: I love attending ACL Tapings. I think the Moody Theater is the best place to see music, and I love that the policy at the tapings is for everyone to put their phones away. It makes the entire audience be present in the moment, and with the robust history of the TV show you always feel like you’re experiencing something iconic.