A Decade of BrandStorytelling: What to Expect at the 2025 Event in Park City

Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, BrandStorytelling

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Celebrating its 10th anniversary, BrandStorytelling 2025 returns to Park City, Utah, bringing together top industry minds, innovative brands, and creative storytellers for an immersive, three-day experience. This year’s milestone event promises to be the most dynamic yet, showcasing an Official Selections segment that highlights exceptional brand storytelling projects chosen by a dedicated committee. For the first time, the event also introduces Creator Day, a day focused on the thriving world of content creators and their collaborations with brands—a segment curated and hosted by Gabe Gordon, Founder & CEO of Reach Agency, and Pilaar Terry, Managing Partner & COO of POV Agency. Here, BrandStorytelling Co-Founder and Director Rick Parkhill alongside Gordon and Terry, discuss what’s in store for attendees, the evolution of brand storytelling, and the significance of this landmark year for the event:

BrandStorytelling has reached its 10th anniversary—a big milestone! How has the event evolved over the years, and what are some of the most notable ways it’s impacted the brand storytelling industry? 

Rick Parkhill: Ten years ago when we launched the first event, brand-funded productions were mostly focused on the next “viral sensation.” The Pepsi YouTube videos featuring “Uncle Drew” and Jeff Gordon going undercover as a car salesmen were kind of the envy of many brands.  Few, if any, were talking about brand films at that point. 

I recall interviewing the content lead for Mondelez who told us they had been hired to produce content that would make money itself, not just sell product. At the time, nobody quite understood that - in fact, that person didn’t last in the role six months later. 

Fast forward ten years and so much has changed in the way brands are approaching films, series and podcasting.  This annual event held alongside the Sundance Film Festival has brought so many brands together, where they have found inspiration and reinforcement that investing in programming that attracts an audience is a smart direction to take. 

What makes this year’s event especially relevant for attendees, and how does BrandStorytelling 2025 stand out from previous years?

Rick: Well, it doesn’t escape many people in the media and marketing world that 2024 was the year a brand film won the box office. This “Barbie Moment” seems pretty real from our perspective. Not all brands have a blockbuster film in their future, but there sure are many, many brands asking themselves how they can leverage their customer base and what IP they have to develop. Case(s) in point: Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A, LVMH, AB InBev, REI, Crayola, Radio Flyer… there seems to be a new brand studio announcement every week.

Pilaar Terry: I think BrandStorytelling 2025 stands out from previous years because, 10 years in, brand content and entertainment marketing have evolved to an incredible degree over the last decade. Smart, intrepid brand marketers realize that moving at the speed of culture and being a part of the conversation - and therefore part of culture - is no longer a nice-to-have but is a must-have for brands. If brand marketers are looking to reach and resonate with their target audiences, Creator and brand partnership and collaboration are now more important than ever.

BrandStorytelling is a sanctioned event of Sundance Film Festival and runs parallel to its opening. What role does this parallel play in creating the environment and experience of BrandStorytelling?

Rick: More and more directors, producers, showrunners and media are making their way to BrandStorytelling to see just where things are heading in the brand entertainment genre. Independent filmmakers are hard pressed to get their films funded and bought these days and are more open than ever to partnering with brands. In the past, brand-funded films were pretty much frowned on by the creative community that perceived their art would be diluted with commercialism and product placement. They feared a brand film would only be a long commercial. That perception is changing quickly as progressive brands embrace quality filmmaking and are proving to filmmakers that their art will be honored.  

Creator Day is a new addition to BrandStorytelling this year. What was the vision behind its inclusion, and how does it complement the event’s established focus?

Gabe Gordon: There’s an incredible creative asset with Creators that’s being leveraged constantly by brands. We’re spotlighting that critical relationship at BrandStorytelling against the iconic, entertainment-driven backdrop that only Sundance can provide. From the Creators who have become successful filmmakers, to the Creators redefining what brand storytelling is, advertising and marketing their own brands, we’re highlighting talent and having real conversations with CMO’s to reinforce the benefits of the Creator role in brand storytelling for some of the top brands in the world.

Pilaar: The vision behind the addition of Creator Day to the BrandStorytelling programming lineup is simple - to create the opportunity for dialogue and provide unfettered access between brands and Creators alike. Creators have slowly and steadily become integral to the brand storytelling process, so we thought it was time that the Creator community had a seat at the table. And not just the top tier Creators that everyone knows and is chasing, we’re focused on up-and-comers and emerging, diverse talent, too. 

What can attendees expect from Creator Day in terms of content and interactive opportunities with Creators and brands?

Gabe: While Creators have attended Sundance in the past as part of brand, studio or platform activations, our goal was to create a home base for all Creators and CMO’s to be able to have meaningful 1:1 conversations in an informal setting to be expected at an event like Sundance.

Creator Day will also feature a Creator Lounge which will immerse attendees in the full brand experience of Creator-led brands. There will be robust programming from top social platforms, panels with top Creators and a dedicated apres ski happy hour. 

Pilaar: From a programming standpoint, attendees can expect to be educated and informed without the pressure of the hard sell. Want to hear from Creators that have transcended the small screen and are landing on the big screen? Want to know best practices for working with Creators if your brand hasn’t ventured beyond the single post sponsorship? Want to learn how Creators are developing their own brands or becoming media titans in their own right? Attendees will learn about all of these and more from the Creators, creatives and execs on the front lines.

Given your roles working closely with brands and creators, what do you see as the next big trends in brand-led content creation, and how does Creator Day help address or explore these?

Gabe: BrandStorytelling has always been about pushing the limits of creativity for brands to create story-driven content in a traditional entertainment context. We see this as a catalyst to move beyond the programming you see at other Creator-centric conferences and discuss progressive trends that can inspire marketing leaders to move the industry forward. 

Pilaar: I’m hoping that the next big trend in brand-led content creation is equitable representation across campaigns and collabs. Instead of creating siloed, demo-specific campaigns customized only towards X-audience or Y-audience, marketers do the legwork to ensure content that’s produced via brand & Creator partnerships truly reflects the nuanced and diverse audiences that a: brands are trying to reach, and b: Creators are organically a part of. Creator Day will help address this simply by providing access to both sides of the aisle and facilitating the much-needed dialogue between the two.

What do you hope attendees will take away from BrandStorytelling 2025 that will influence their own work in the coming years?

Rick: Brands and their storytelling partners will spend 3 and ½ days attending screenings, keynotes and panels that will shine a bright light on the possibilities and opportunities that attract an audience rather than interrupting an audience. They will leave inspired and enthused to go create great work!

Gabe: We hope to inspire marketers and Creators alike. Ultimately we hope that Creators leave with new Brand relationships, and Marketers leave with newfound perspective on how they can help push the Creator Marketing industry forward through storytelling. 

Pilaar: This may sound crazy, but go with me on this one. I hope that attendees leave with FOMO, I really do. My goal is that they see the exciting things that are happening in the space, meet like-minded partners, and go home with the burning desire to pull off something bigger, better and even more mind-blowing. 

Make your friends and colleagues jealous, confuse your parents even more about what you do, but whatever it is, start it right here at BrandStorytelling 2025.

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Want to attend BrandStorytelling 2025? Request your invitation here.

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