Sundance Postcard from the Edge; Thinking About Netflix
And why do we think Disney has hung a shingle on Main Street?
Greetings from Park City, where I am writing this on the eve of the festival. As always, Wednesday night is the calm before the storm. Main Street is nearly empty. You can still walk into one of the many ski bistros and get a $30 grilled cheese sandwich without waiting two hours to get a table, which makes it a bargain.
Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the Chase Sapphire Lounge, the Acura House of Energy, the Canon Creative Studio and the Dropbox Piazza — or whatever they are calling it. But why do all they all look this fake?
Media inboxes fill up with so many invitations for roundtables, discussions, “In Conversation” events, symposiums and live considerations of the power of storytelling that you might think the festival is going for some kind of record. (We’re helping set that record: request an invite to join The Ankler on Jan. 25 for a conversation led by Natalie Jarvey, author of our new sister creator economy newsletter, Like & Subscribe, about Hollywood, creators and brands.)
I would hate to be in need of an AI expert anywhere else on the planet this weekend because seemingly everyone who has ever logged into ChatGPT is taking part in a panel in Park City.
Meanwhile, the World of Hyatt house — near the top of Main — is planning a symposium considering the “Scents of Sundance Experience”:
Join Jess Mennella, a trained perfumer, for a one-of-a-kind scent experience designed to deepen your sensory connection to the Sundance Film Festival . . . During this hands-on experience, you’ll craft a bespoke mist to take home — a personal and unforgettable memento of your time in Park City.
While you ponder exactly what Sundance smells like, my eyes wandered over to this other event at the World of Hyatt: “The High Chocolate Experience Inspired by Grand Hyatt Deer Valley.” Thanks to the internet, I see this is like high tea but with “rich artisanal hot chocolate” and “tiered trays of savory and sweet delights.”
Okay, maybe not every brand glomming onto Sundance for cool points is silly. I will be providing reporting from the scene. Stay tuned to this space for blanket coverage of all chocolate-related developments in the independent film world. (Buffet and hors d’oeuvres-related reporting may also be provided, as will any breaking news on the eclair front.)
In the middle of it all, however, there’s a new face on the block, muscling its way into the Main Street Scene:
TA-DA! A New Disney Store on Main
No less than Disney is taking a place at the center of the fray. Why should United Airlines have all the fun? Perhaps the independent film world isn’t as dead as you might think.
But hanging over all the fun Corporate America has to offer Sundance is the bigger-picture question: What is all this about?