"I would say I'm famous because I taught Mr. Rogers how to use email," Amanda Kelso said of her first job in the entertainment industry as the beloved Production Assistant for Public Children's Programming mr rogers neighbor. But as acting CEO of the Sundance Institute, Kelso's latest claim to fame will be leading the storied film nonprofit after years of uncertainty, including a move that could make Sundance Institute The film festival is leaving its four-decade-old Park City home.
After enrolling in Columbia University's first undergraduate film class (her thesis advisor was former Focus Features chief and Oscar-nominated writer James Shams), Kelso found a job mr rogers community Later worked as an assistant on the set of Don Johnson nash bridges In San Francisco. It was in the Bay Area, during the rise of dot-com companies in the late 1990s, that she became involved in technology.
Kelso, who first joined the Sundance board in 2020, was approached by then-CEO Keri Putnam several years ago as the nonprofit looked to add talent from the tech world Voice (Kelso held top positions at Google and Instagram from 2008 to 2018). Her background proved especially relevant a year later, when the festival had to move online due to the pandemic and Kelso helped build the streaming platform for the first digital festival.
Even after the masses returned to the streets, the online platform persisted, becoming a lightning rod for some Sundance veterans who believed digital offerings would inhibit incentives to watch in person and make timely transactions. But the platform also opens up another revenue stream. In 2023, the Sundance Film Festival released its Economic Activity Report, which revealed attendance and ratings for its programming, with 285,184 online views. (As with Netflix, Apple and other streamers, it's unclear what constitutes a view.) Only half as many tickets and passes were redeemed on site, 138,050.
"We all acknowledge the importance of our past, but there is also a need to consider our long-term viability," Kelso said, noting that attending festivals doesn't come cheap. Filmmakers can pay thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to locate themselves and their crew in Park City. Entertainment companies, from talent agencies to studios, are also no longer sending people to Park City due to cost concerns. “It’s a wonderful, magical mountain experience, but it’s also an expensive adventure,” the CEO said.
With the contract with Park City expiring in 2026, Sundance began looking for a new home. The cities still in contention are Cincinnati and Boulder, Colorado, with the third option being to stay in Utah. But even if the festival does stay in Utah, much of the action is expected to be moved to the more accessible Salt Lake area. Housing is a top priority, as is public transportation. Kelso said a decision is expected in early spring.
Since 2021, the top jobs at Sundance have been a veritable revolving door as the larger entertainment industry begins to restructure and shift strategies. Festival director Tabitha Jackson leaves in 2022 after two years on the job, and CEO Joana Vicente, who succeeded Putnam in 2021, leaves in 2024. When Vicente announced his departure two months after the 2024 festival, Kelso took over and offered his services to the festival. Boarding completes the transition and can extend the time if needed. There is currently no active search for a new CEO and no plans for a new CEO. “We need consistency,” Kelso said.
Kelso's steady move may be especially welcome in the increasingly uncertain independent film landscape. “I don’t want to be myopic, but I do think it’s important to have a space for diversity of thought and free speech,” Kelso said of being willing to take on such a difficult job. "Maybe I was too crazy (to take the job), but I was ready."
This story appears in the Jan. 17 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.