Cathy Applefeld Olson

Cathy Applefeld Olson is an editor, writer and storyteller who's been covering the music, television and digital media industries for more than 20 years. She’s a longtime contributor to Billboard, where she focuses on news, trends, artist and executive profiles, and live events. Cathy also is an editor and event producer at Cynopsis Media (Cynopsis.com), where she reports on television, digital and the intersection of the two, and produces events including the Short Form Video Fest, Social Good Awards and Imagination Awards. She also has a pulse on the cable TV industry as the managing editor of Cablefax: The Magazine.

As a Board member and communications liaison for DC-area nonprofit organization Together We Bake, Cathy works to help empower women in need of a second chance. Founded on the belief that combining personal development classes with workforce training is the best recipe, TWB achieves sustainable success graduating women from populations including immigrants, victims of domestic violence and those who’ve served prison time for nonviolent crimes.

Cathy holds a BS in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She’s the wife of an equally music-obsessed husband and proud mom of two daughters.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]