Park Pictures has signed director AG Rojas for commercial representation. Joining Park from Caviar Content, Rojas has turned out distinctive cinematic imagery for music videos featuring such artists as Jack White, Spiritualized, Purity Ring, Gil Scott-Heron and Emili Sande. Rojas’ music video work has earned him numerous accolades including an award for Best New Director at the 2012 UKMVA’s, Best Indie Rock Video for Spiritualized’s “Hey Jane,” and a nomination for Best Rock Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for his Jack White video. Rojas’ branded work includes spots for Adidas, Sadia and O2….Stopp/family, an integrated production company with bases of operation in Stockholm and L.A., has opened an office in New York to meet the needs of its expanding U.S. clientele. Creative technologist Ola Björling–a founding member of Stopp Interactive–heads up the production arm at Stopp New York. Stopp’s recent notable U.S. work includes an integrated Honda campaign, an app for Land Rover, and an interactive website for “Hello Again,” the Beck and Chris Milk collaboration….Dallas-based editorial boutique 3008, has added turnkey production services to its offerings. Move was made in response to an increasing number of client requests expressing interest in streamlined production services. Hired for the new endeavor is a team consisting of director Shawn Fedorchuk and head of production Brian Hwang. Fedorchuk comes to 3008 from Digital Kitchen, Seattle. He has also worked for Digital Kitchen in Chicago and New York, at Lost Boys Studio in Vancouver B.C., and Prologue Films in Venice, Calif. Fedorchuk has directed, edited and creative-directed work for clients including HBO, PGA, BMW, Discovery Channel, TNT, Audi, Levi’s and the Academy Awards. Fedorchuk has hit the ground running at 3008 with a three-spot holiday package for Western Union via Moroch/Dallas and a shoot for Ford via JWT Team Detroit…72andSunny Amsterdam has hired Simon Summerscales as director of communication strategy and Caroline Britt as group brand director. Summerscales will be a champion for cross channel content planning, social spread strategy, tech and data insight and media innovation. Britt will run the agency’s Samsung and Benetton accounts, and be joint lead of the brand management department. Summerscales has run communication strategy at several London firms, including Carat, Naked and Wieden+Kennedy. Britt served as global account director at TBWAChiatDay 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