Foundation, the production/post/creative house with offices in Chicago and Santa Monica, has secured Ellen Knable as West Coast rep…..Digital production studio Speedshape–with offices in L.A., Detroit and London–has signed reps Elexis Stearn for the East Coast, Paula Arnett on the West Coast, and Denise Potts Mueller and Angela Sheridon of Potts Mueller in the Midwest….Maria V. Elgar of Hardtribe Creative Representation in Hollywood, has taken on repping duties for Sherpa Pictures, a Las Vegas-based house headed by EP Don Turley, who previously managed the production staff on all radio, TV and video projects at Vegas agency R&R Partners. Sherpa’s directorial roster includes Kevin T. Wilson, The Bodega Boys, and Jamal Dedeaux…..DP Magni Agustsson has signed with Dattner Dispoto and Associates (DDA), Hollywood. A prominent name in Swedish and British cinematography, Agustsson broke into the U.S. with his 2007 film The Last Winter. In ’04, Agustsson shot the Oscar-nominated short The Last Farm. He has also shot spots for such clients as Coke, Nintendo, Nike and Sony, and a number of music videos….
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