Behind the cameras with YouTube at Sundance Film Festival 2025

Thursday, January 23rd

11:00AM - Although Sundance planning was months in the making with teams across YouTube and Google, hopping on the plane from LAX to SLC made all the planning seem like a distant memory. It was time to execute our vision! With our 10-page schedule in hand and two obnoxiously large suitcases packed with boots and winter coats, these two Angelenos made their way to downtown Park City, UT!

4:00PM - As PR professionals, we’re always thinking ahead. That’s why it’s important to plan for your next big thing, even when you’re currently doing a big thing! As soon as we got situated in our hotel (if you’re wondering, yes we shared a 2-bedroom suite), we set up a few meetings to discuss Sundance and future festivals like SXSW and Cannes Lions. The homemade pretzels and drinks at Alpine Distillery also were a nice treat! We didn’t let the altitude bring us down ;)

5:00PM - While both of us have been to Sundance before, we made sure to scope out the scenery and locations so everything would flow smoothly when we’re running to and from events. We learned quickly to plan ahead for traffic, road closures and slippery sidewalks!

1:30PM - Definitely one of the coolest interview formats with a Deadline On the Go shoot for Michelle Khare and Kinigra Deon riding up the ski slope’s funicular (worth the watch)!

2:30PM - From the mountain we headed straight to The Impact Lounge with Sean who joined Rhett & Link, Sundance correspondents for LA Wildfire Relief LIVE hosted by The Try Guys. The stream raised money to support those impacted by the fires.

3:45PM - Then it was onto our next stop, the IMDb Studio with Sean and Chris for a rapid fire round of interview questions (watch here) and where we snapped a great team photo.

5:00PM - After back-to-back interviews, it was time to get ready for one of the weekend’s main events - The Sundance Institute Gala. Attire was “mountain chic” so that was one of the most challenging tasks… but being PR pros, we couldn’t go wrong with all black attire.

6:30PM - We arrived at the Gala with all the creators, where we escorted them down the red carpet - complete with photos and press line interviews. The night was filled with food, drinks, performances, and mingling with today's most celebrated actors, writers, directors, producers, and studio execs.

10:00AM - Meanwhile Shana was back at the hotel getting our makeshift podcast studio (in our living room) ready for a big crew arriving. Here we had Natalie Jarvey from The Ankler moderate a hysterical and insightful podcast conversation with Sean and Rhett & Link, where they discussed building creator businesses, working with brands and why they deserve a Primetime Emmy! Be sure to give it a listen. Thank you The Ankler CEO, Janice Min for stopping by for the shoot!

11:30AM - Creator Day at BrandStorytelling officially kicked off at The Lodges at Deer Valley, so it was time for us to implement our divide and conquer strategy. With 7 creators and multiple events all over the city happening at the same time, we had to be nimble and strategic. During this day-long event, advertisers and creatives participated in programming that included speaking engagements, panels, and networking.

Noon - Back to Main St. with Sean and Rhett & Link for portraits and interviews at TheWrap Studio. Check out the full set of photos or find out who Sean said he would eat wings with every day as a permanent Hot Ones co-host, here.

1:00PM - And we’re back to Deadline On the Go, now with Sean and Rhett & Link… But did we forget to mention the snow storm today?! And that it knocked out the power to the funicular and St. Regis?! However, that didn’t stop us from climbing up the mountain and finishing the shoot. AND don’t worry we ate a delicious buffet lunch at the hotel!

2:30PM - Trudging through the foot of fresh powder and traffic, we traveled across the city to The Hollywood Reporter Studio for an incredible photoshoot with Sean, Rhett & Link and Kinigra. And we were treated with the most luxurious swag thanks to Bogner!

3:30PM - We traveled back to our incredibly cool YouTube Creator Lounge, where we had brands and partners connect with creators like Ashley and Nick who hosted a matcha and mac and cheese demo, respectively. Delish!

5:00PM - We closed out Creator Day by coordinating a fireside chat with Sean and Rhett & Link with Deadline's Senior Awards Editor, Antonia Blyth, moderating a conversation about creator-led media companies - specifically First We Feast and Mythical Entertainment - and Primetime Emmy Awards ambitions.

6:00PM - Then it was time for our evening mixer where YouTube VP of Americas, Tara Walpert Levy, Michelle Khare, Kinigra Deon, and actor DeWanda Wise, discussed the power of YouTube and the future of content creation. Sandwiched between two cocktail hours, we made sure to capture shots of all the creators and the VIP attendees including Marlee Matlin, Harry Hamlin, and Access Hollywood host, Scott Evans.

8:30PM - The evening and weekend with creators was coming to a close so we celebrated with a toast with the most decorated botanical distiller in America, Sara Sergent. She walked creators and the YouTube team through a tasting of various spirits to celebrate after the busy day - cheers to that!

9:30PM - We closed the night by taking all the creators to the Bloomberg Screentime party, where we chatted with some of the most influential reporters in the game (thanks Lucas Shaw)!

Sunday, January 26th

10:30AM - Sunday funday for Michael and Shana begins, but not before a little work! Michael took Michelle Khare and Ashley Alexander to The Hollywood Reporter Studio for their last Sundance press stop.

11:00AM - Meanwhile, Shana and the YouTube Sundance team met with our friends at Variety, where they gave us a tour of their impressive Sundance studio.

Noon - The core YouTube communications team debriefed over sushi - talking through the wins and key learnings over the last 2-3 days. Conclusion… a huge success!

1:00PM - We couldn’t leave Sundance without a little shopping and stopping by the iconic Kemo Sabe store for western hat fitting. We clearly had way too much fun (and took too many mirror selfies)!