John Fragomeni has been appointed president of Mirada, the creative studio founded in December 2010 by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and Motion Theory co-founders Javier Jimenez and director Mathew Cullen. Fragomeni will help lead business development efforts for Mirada, implement new creative strategies, and continue to manage and oversee the studio’s diverse portfolio of design, visual effects, animation, digital and interactive production, and developing technology. Fragomeni has been with Mirada from its outset. Over the past two years, he has been responsible for developing the company’s robust technological infrastructure, building its pipeline from the ground up, and curating a growing talent base of over 160 employees. His push into digital production has resulted in IBM’s Centennial THINK exhibit at the Lincoln Center, the Rome interactive music video with Google, and bestselling author Cornelia Funke’s living storybook app, “MirrorWorld.” As Mirada’s sr. visual effects supervisor, he has helped oversee both concept development and visual effects for del Toro’s highly anticipated blockbuster, Pacific Rim. Fragomeni’s previous film credits include Terminator: Salvation and the second and third installments in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise…..Ian Chee joins creative and technology agency MRY as chief strategy officer and Matt Rednor, who previously held the title of chief strategy and innovation officer, has been promoted to the role of chief innovation officer. Both Chee and Rednor will report to MRY’s founder/CEO Matt Britton. Chee, a veteran digital marketer and strategist who most recently served as director, co-head of strategy at AKQA, will lead MRY’s strategy team and oversee all planning and strategic output across MRY’s U.S. offices. In his new role, Rednor will be responsible for navigating MRY’s new agency positioning and creating IP which will continue to drive business growth. He will also be charged with the continued development of the agency’s model and service offering….
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More