Director Tony Franklin has joined Harpoon Pictures for commercial representation. Franklin began his career in advertising in-house with Target where he became and art director and honed his skills in design direction. He’s since carried out and directed award-winning music videos and short films, as well as content, and commercials for multiple agencies, such as Duffy & Partners’ short film that showcases the design firm’s influential branding….Astrid Downs has been named executive producer for Hollywood, Calif.-based MRB Productions. Founded in 2001 by two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Matthew Brady, MRB specializes in television, features, new media and commercial. Downs, a native of Mexico, formerly acted as the executive producer and head of sales for Santa Monica-based Bully Pictures, where she was responsible for elevating industry recognition of the company’s brand as the face of the company. In her role, she also helped to manage the careers of the company’s directors, which included Dustin Lance Black, Javier Aguilera and Juergen Bollmeyer. Downs is bilingual and has 20 years of experience working as a producer, which includes working with companies such as Digital Kitchen, Gartner and Saville Productions….
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