Director, writer and comedian Rob Schrab has joined Paydirt for commercial representation in the U.S., U.K. and Japan. Schrab, the co-creator and director of The Sarah Silverman Program, recently completed his first commercial work for Paydirt, a comedic short for Nintendo Wii U that premiered at the E3 Conference. He has directed episodes of NBC's Parks and Recreation, Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital, and the sitcom Blue Mountain State….Production company Stardust has brought Dexton Deboree on board as partner and managing director. The new appointment coincides with a realignment of the Stardust brand marked by a new website. The realignment of Stardust includes a heavier emphasis on projects that will leverage the company's all-in-one model whereby all creative, from concept to editing, VFX and finishing, can be done in house. Deboree most recently served as executive VP and partner at Psyop, and finished a brief stint as a partner in the West Coast office of Free Agents….
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