Brandstorytelling 2026
BrandStorytelling 2026 continued its legacy of core programming while also examining some international expressions of brand entertainment. Building on prior years, the program deepens its focus on creators and emerging formats, exploring how brands, filmmakers, and platforms are adapting storytelling for a rapidly evolving, borderless media landscape.
BrandStorytelling 2025
BrandStorytelling 2025 marked a pivotal evolution of the conference with the introduction of dedicated creator conversations. Alongside brand and filmmaker perspectives, the program brought creators onto the stage to unpack authorship, collaboration, and the realities of working across platforms, broadening the dialogue around how modern brand stories are conceived, produced, and experienced.
Elevate 2025
Elevate 2025 returned to Sundance with an immersive program shaped by a challenging moment for entertainment and commerce. Through pre-event conversations and on-site exchanges, brands, creators, and creative partners came together for focused screenings, workshops, and discussions that emphasized adaptability, collaboration, and pragmatic optimism, exploring how storytelling can continue to create value, alignment, and connection in uncertain times.
BrandStorytelling at MIPCOM 2025
BrandStorytelling made its international debut at MIPCOM Cannes, bringing brand-funded storytelling into the world’s largest television and streaming marketplace. Through two half-day summits, brands, studios, agencies, and creators connected around showcases and deal-focused conversations, reflecting a growing alignment between brand storytelling and the global content economy.
BrandStorytelling 2024
Brand Storytelling 2024 marked a shift in storytelling acknowledgment as brand-funded podcasts were introduced into the conversation. Purpose and passion were front and center across panels, screenings, fireside chats, and in conversation amongst the convened community.
Elevate 2024
Elevate 2024 returned to Sundance Mountain Resort and the storied Robert Redford Screening Theater with projects that ran the gamut from web series to feature length films. The curated group of participants participated in workshops and activities that strengthened storytelling foundations.
BrandStorytelling 2023
Brand Storytelling 2023 expanded its physical footprint at The Lodges Deer Valley with the addition of the Brand Storytelling Pavilion. The new dining and networking space empowered community members to network and engage even further, strengthening shared learnings and community bonds.
Elevate 2023
Elevate 2023 unfolded at Sundance Mountain Resort as a focused summit for creators and marketers committed to story-driven work. With screenings hosted in the Robert Redford Screening Theater and workshops set against the alpine backdrop, participants examined projects across formats and left with sharper creative frameworks and stronger strategic alignment.
Elevate 2022
Elevate 2022 was the inaugural gathering of the Brand Storytelling Summer Retreat at the historic Sundance Mountain Resort, the birthplace of Robert Redford’s vision for the Sundance Film Festival and home to the Sundance Institute. The inspirational setting made for the ideal place for brand storytellers to unplug and focus on the advancement of brand-funded content and entertainment.
BrandStorytelling 2020
BrandStorytelling 2020 brought the community together across Stein Eriksen Lodge, The Lodges Deer Valley, and Silver Lake Lodge for an immersive, multi-venue program dedicated to advancing the craft. The Brand Storytelling Honor Roll created a formal moment of recognition, honoring practitioners whose work set new standards for creativity, collaboration, and impact.
BrandStorytelling 2019
BrandStorytelling 2019 convened a cross-section of marketers, creatives, and production partners for an immersive gathering set across Stein Eriksen Lodge, The Lodges Deer Valley, and Silver Lake Lodge. The multi-venue format fostered both formal programming and informal connection, strengthening alignment between brands and storytellers navigating an increasingly content-saturated landscape.
Elevate 2019
Elevate 2019 returned to Stein Eriksen Lodge, building on the momentum established the year prior and deepening its retreat-style format. Education and interactivity remained central to the experience, with workshop-led sessions and collaborative discussions designed to strengthen creative alignment and sharpen participants’ storytelling foundations.
BrandStorytelling 2018
BrandStorytelling 2018 built on the foundation of its inaugural year, expanding its footprint across Stein Eriksen Lodge, The Lodges Deer Valley, and Silver Lake Lodge. The growing community of marketers and filmmakers gathered for candid conversations, screenings, and case studies that clarified a shared ambition: to elevate brand-funded work beyond advertising and toward culturally resonant storytelling.
Elevate 2018
In 2018, Elevate relocated to Stein Eriksen Lodge, carrying forward its commitment to education and interactivity in a refined retreat setting. The move reinforced the event’s identity as a focused forum for collaboration, where marketers and creators engaged deeply with evolving storytelling challenges through workshops, discussion-based sessions, and shared creative exploration.
BrandStorytelling 2017
BrandStorytelling 2017 marked the conference’s debut, convening an emerging community of brands, agencies, and filmmakers committed to a story-first approach. Set against the backdrop of Park City, the inaugural gathering established the core ethos of the event — fostering thoughtful dialogue, creative partnership, and the belief that brands could participate meaningfully in culture through cinematic craft.
Elevate 2017
Elevate 2017 debuted at the Montage Deer Valley as the inaugural edition of the retreat, introducing a more intimate, workshop-driven complement to the larger conference environment. Designed around education and active participation, the program emphasized hands-on learning, peer exchange, and practical frameworks that participants could immediately apply to their storytelling work.
Digital Storytelling 2016
Digital Storytelling: A Sanctioned Event of the Sundance Film Festival debuted at Stein Eriksen Lodge as a focused gathering of brands, agencies, and filmmakers exploring the emerging intersection of digital media and cinematic craft. The single-venue event established the philosophical and community foundations for what would later evolve into BrandStorytelling — advancing the idea that brands could move beyond messaging and into meaningful, story-driven cultural participation.