BrandStorytelling Celebrates 10th Anniversary, Showcases Innovation in Branded Content

Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, BrandStorytelling

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Park City, Utah – BrandStorytelling celebrated its 10th annual gathering from January 22nd to January 25th, coinciding with the opening days of the Sundance Film Festival. This milestone event brought together over 350 industry professionals, including brand representatives, agencies, content studios, filmmakers, and creators, for a three-day exploration of brand storytelling through film screenings, panels, Q&As, town halls, and networking.

This year’s event highlighted the evolving intersection of storytelling and brand, with premier brands and entertainment companies presenting their latest ventures into audience-driven narratives. The event hosted an impressive roster of presenting brands and partners, including:

Amazon

Ancestry

Forbes

Meta

Pepsico

PMC

Sephora

Shutterstock Studios

SiriusXM

Southwest Airlines

Traverse32

Variety

Vizio

Warner Bros. Discovery

Whalar

YouTube

These organizations underscored the significance of storytelling as a powerful tool for connecting with audiences, building brand affinity, educating and informing around brand values, and fostering meaningful engagement.

Official Selections: Celebrating Excellence in Branded Entertainment

January's event marked the fourth year of programming a slate of Official Selections for acknowledgement and celebration at BrandStorytelling. The 2025 event opened with a call for submissions in August 2024, attracting over 100 entries spanning features, shorts, series episodes, and podcasts. An expert panel of C-suite executives, professional storytellers, and award-winning filmmakers selected 13 standout projects as this year’s Official Selections, representing innovation and creativity in branded content.

Brands featured in the 2025 Official Selections included:

Charles Schwab

Dramamine

Haleon

Human Rights Campaign

John Deere

Juniper Networks

L’Oréal Paris

Nike

P&G

REI

Sensodyne

The George & Fay Young Foundation

The North Face

The BrandStorytelling Official Selection Committee recognized several films for their exceptional contributions to the branded storytelling space:

Director Award: Ben Proudfoot for The Final Copy of Ilon Specht (L’Oréal Paris)

Brand Award: The Last Barf Bag (Dramamine)

Impact Award: Black CEOs, In Their Own Words – “Technicolor” (The George & Fay Young Foundation)

Producer Award & Jury Award: A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery (P&G)

These selections and accolades underscored the breadth of storytelling formats and themes resonating with audiences today.

Creator Day: Elevating Social Media Storytelling

A major addition to this year’s program was the debut of Creator Day, a platform dedicated to exploring the intersection of social media storytelling and brand partnerships. The event featured prominent creators and their brand collaborators sharing insights into crafting modern narratives for digital audiences. Creators in attendance included Jordan Howlett, Ashley Alexander, Nick Digiovanni, Reesa Teesa, Joe Penna, Michelle Khare, Colin Rosenblum, Kinigra Deon, and Jaeki Cho.

The day concluded with a lively panel featuring Sean Evans, host of Hot Ones, and Rhett and Link from Good Mythical Morning, who offered perspectives on their journeys as top-tier creators. Their discussions highlighted the importance of authenticity, consistency, and innovation in maintaining audience engagement across platforms.

Emerging Themes in Brand Storytelling

Throughout the event, several key themes emerged, offering valuable insights into the current state and future of branded storytelling:

Content Diversity is Key:

Today’s audiences consume content in a multitude of formats—from films, shorts, and podcasts to vertical videos, TikTok stories, and vlogs. Despite the diversity of formats, the common denominator is storytelling that fosters intimacy and connection. Audiences crave content that entertains, moves, and inspires, and brands are leveraging this by creating narratives that cultivate closeness between subjects and viewers. Innovative approaches, such as content captured with wearable tech like Ray-Ban Meta glasses, illustrate how technology can enhance the storytelling experience.

Measuring Success Remains a Work in Progress:

While branded storytelling continues to yield impressive results in terms of engagement and brand affinity, establishing standardized metrics for success remains a challenge. Industry professionals discussed various methods being tested—including A/B testing, eye-tracking studies, and even monitoring biorhythms to gauge attention—to prove storytelling’s impact to the C-suite. As these methods evolve, the industry is optimistic about identifying consistent and reliable KPIs for measuring branded content’s efficacy.

Creative Control Drives Results:

A recurring sentiment throughout the event was the value of relinquishing creative control to skilled filmmakers and creators. The best storytelling often emerges when brands act as producers, allowing creatives to craft narratives that resonate authentically with audiences. Whether through internal brand studios, agencies, or direct partnerships with creators, successful collaborations are built on a shared understanding of values and trust in the creative process.

A Decade of Storytelling Excellence

As BrandStorytelling marked its 10th anniversary, the event underscored its role as a pivotal platform for fostering dialogue, innovation, and collaboration in the branded content space. With a growing emphasis on authenticity, creativity, and audience connection, the future of branded storytelling looks bright.

From the audience engaged screenings of Official Selections to the thought-provoking discussions on Creator Day, this year’s event set a high bar for the industry. As the community continues to evolve, BrandStorytelling remains a cornerstone for showcasing the art and impact of brand-funded narratives.

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About Jordan P. Kelley

Jordan P. Kelley is a branded content thought leader, serving as Content Director and curating the festival portion of BrandStorytelling: a Sanctioned Event of Sundance Film Festival. A Forbes contributor, Kelley co-produces The BrandStorytelling Podcast 'Content That Moves'. With a degree from UCLA in African American Studies and Film, Kelley is committed to storytelling efforts that champion worthy causes.