Director S.R. “Robb” Bindler, a documentary and feature filmmaker whose spot clients include Nokia, Visa, Ford, Coca-Cola and Intel, has signed with Chelsea. Bindler was most recently represented by Savant Film and prior to that had a long tenure in the ad arena with Nonfiction Unlimited.
Bindler made his first major career splash with the quirky 1997 documentary Hands On A Hard Body, which chronicled an annual competition in Longview, Texas, where 24 contestants compete to win a pickup truck. All they have to do is be the last person standing with a hand still touching the truck in a battle of endurance that goes on for days.
The director later diversified into commercials and other projects. In ’08, he wrote and directed Surfer Dude starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.
Chelsea’s L.A.-based partner Allison Amon said she had been tracking Bindler’s work ever since she saw Hands on a Hard Body. New York-based Chelsea partner Lisa Mehling cited Bindler’s “comedic chops and eye for natural detail” as drawing her to the director who makes his home in Los Angeles.
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