With only weeks to go until the 14th season of the ATX TV Festival, we’re honored that we had the privilege to speak with the event’s co-founders, Caitlin McFarland and Emily Gipson. They’ve been busy preparing for another year of bringing TV fans and industry leaders together in downtown Austin, Texas, and the lineup is star-studded (keep reading to discover this year’s panelists).
Their journey is unique, given they’ve remained true to their original vision of the festival despite its massive success — something not every creator can say, especially for such a large-scale event (RIP Round Two of the Fyre Festival …kidding!) All joking aside, the event’s success and longevity could be credited to the Texas natives’ commitment to its core focus: to celebrate television in what they call a “TV Camp for Grownups.” And while they’ve kept their eyes on the prize, they admit the festival has had “many lives” since its debut in 2011. (We’ll also touch on this later.)
Looking back, the ATX TV Festival was born from a dream by two TV lovers who turned their passion for the screen into creating one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. Let’s break down the event, which kicks off on May 29 through June 1, 2025, what to expect from the weekend, and how McFarland and Gipson transformed their fantasy into reality.
What is the ATX TV Festival?
The ATX TV Festival, held annually in Austin, highlights television series from the past, present, and future. It brings together showrunners, actors, filmmakers, and the like for reunions, screenings, panel discussions, intimate Q&As, and more to honor the industry and its significant impact on viewers. As stated on their website, it’s also an opportunity to spotlight “never-aired pilots” and “canceled too soon” series, along with other highly praised programs and fan favorites.
How Did the Festival Come to Be?
McFarland and Gipson first got the idea of starting the ATX TV Festival after noticing that TV was lacking in the festival circuit, unlike film and music that had gotten their shining moments in multiple widely known festivals (ahem, Coachella, Sundance Film Festival, Lollapalooza, the list goes on). Somehow, the programs fans loved weren’t at the forefront, and at a time when social media wasn’t as prominent to post our thoughts about every second of an episode, TV deserved the recognition more than ever.
The ladies worked closely in the TV scene as former assistants of Fox Studios in Los Angeles, California, where their friendship began in 2005. After developing a profound desire to form a community for TV fans and admittedly seeking their next adventure — McFarland, who was unemployed, and Gipson, wanting to break away from her assistant duties, the ATX TV Festival came to fruition.
How Has the Festival Expanded Since Its Start?
Those who knew of the festival in its heyday might’ve expected it to take off the way it has. The first occurred in June 2012, attracting an impressive 700 people to its venues with discussions with Scrubs (2001 to 2010) creator Bill Lawrence and Jason Katims, a talent behind shows like Friday Night Lights (2006 to 2011) and Parenthood (2010 to 2015). Now, there are dozens of big-name guests and thousands of excited attendees.
However, McFarland and Gipson haven’t avoided hurdles along the way but have used them as fuel to push for greater. “We’ve been through a lot; the pandemic, two industry strikes, and more, but have continued to grow, bring in more industry folk, talent, and fans, and take up more space in downtown Austin with our programming,” they shared. The city is a significant component of the festival’s appeal, as the ladies gravitated toward their home states of Texas as the event’s base and confessed that they leaned on the community to make it happen.
“It amazingly does match our original vision — then and now,” McFarland and Gipson said, reflecting on the festival’s start over a decade ago to its expansion. “Being 50/50 fan and industry, celebrating TV’s past, present, and premiere shows and ultimately building a community that is accessible and inclusive.”
Do You Wish You Did Anything Differently?
The TV buffs have no regrets about how the festival turned out, and how could they when they have dozens of big-name stars willingly taking part and thousands of fans fighting for tickets? While McFarland and Gipson acknowledge that every aspect of the event hasn’t rolled out as flawlessly as they’d hoped, the ups and downs have made the festival what it’s become.
“While we definitely made mistakes or limited ourselves by being risk-averse, all of those decisions led us to where we are today,” they divulged. “We protected our community and the magic that we think they bring to our event while staying true to who we are and our brand. It has allowed us to navigate a pandemic and strikes and then grow when we needed to, and we’re grateful for that.”
The Future of the ATX TV Festival
McFarland and Gipson plan to maintain the ATX TV Festival’s uniqueness and charm for years to come, but raising the bar for them means drawing in more locals.
“We simply want to continue to grow this festival more while keeping ‘TV Camp for Grownups’ at the core,” they said before noting that outsiders are a majority of their fan base, which they’d like to change.
“Funny enough, we want more of our Austin and Regional neighbors to join us. We get a lot of attendees from NY/LA and in between, and we are in your backyard. We’re really having a lot of fun, and the energy at the festival is unmatched.
“We just want to continue to bring TV fans with this same energy to a space where they can be themselves and have a really unique experience celebrating their favorite shows and actors,” they added.
The ATX TV Festival Lineup
As we said, the ATX TV Festival has a buzz-worthy guest list, with even more new additions announced in the last few weeks. Some include nighttime talk show host and comedian Seth Meyers, who’s making his debut at the festival on the opening day’s Marquee panel. Also, Emmy-award-winning actress Carrie Preston joins the lineup for a discussion about her leading role in the crime dramedy series Elsbeth. Plus, Joel McHale, Grace Palmer, and Michael Rowland, stars of the hit FOX comedy Animal Control, will provide a hilarious inside look at the show, which recently aired its third season.
Other guests that fans are hyped about are Mad Men protagonist Jon Hamm, a reunion of The Leftovers cast members Damon Lindeloff, Carrie Coon, and Justin Theroux, a session with Shrinking creator and returning ATX TV Festival guest Bill Lawrence, and a sit-down with legendary actress Christine Baranski, who’s also the recipient of the event’s 2025 Achievement in Television eXcellence Award (via Variety). A complete list of the lineup, screenings, and other attractions planned for the highly anticipated weekend is available on the ATX TV Festival’s website.
Interested attendees can also find badge and ticket information (discounted for Austin locals) on their website, as well as tips to prepare for the festival, and volunteer opportunities. You’re going to want to clear your schedule from May 29 to June 1 because there’s so much you don’t want to miss!
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