BrandStorytelling Hosts 8th Annual Event in Park City
by Jordan P. Kelley, Content Director, BrandStorytelling
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BrandStorytelling returned to host its 8th annual event in Park City, Utah from Wednesday, January 17th through Saturday, January 20th. The event was attended by over 350+ brand representatives, agencies, content studios, and platform representatives who took part in viewing brand films, panels, Q&A, town halls, and networking alongside the opening days of Sundance Film Festival.
"The event and its impact have grown year over year, but 2024 it took a quantum leap forward with a record turnout of brands, production companies, agencies and talent,” said BrandStorytelling Co-Founder and Director Rick Parkhill. “If BrandStorytelling 2024 is any indication of how brands are focusing on engaging audiences rather than interrupting, then the media environment is due for some big changes.”
This year’s event saw a robust turnout from premiere brands and entertainment companies looking to update the community on their various forays into storytelling for audience entertainment. Presenting brands and partners included:
Amazon
Digitas
göt2b
H&R Block
Hartbeat
Lumix
Meta
MoviePass
PepsiCo
PMC
Team One
Televisa Univision
The Chosen
Traverse32
Wondery
The sanctioned event of Sundance Film Festival also featured media partners Variety and Forbes.
"As brands and advertising move to take the centerstage, BrandStorytelling is the epicenter of this transformation and the place to get things done,” said Stacy Spikes, Co-Founder and CEO of MoviePass.
BrandStorytelling has cultivated a strong reputation for attracting major players in brand-funded content space, including those interested in having their work showcased as part of the BrandStorytelling Official Selections. BrandStorytelling 2024 began with an open call for brand film submissions in August of 2023. An expert panel of C-suite executives, professional brand storytellers, award-winning directors and producers narrowed a list of over 100+ submissions to just 10 films. This year, podcasts were invited to submit work, two of which were accepted and discussed on stage at the event. Brands invited to present as part of this year’s official selections included:
Arc’teryx
Ben & Jerry’s
HP
Huckberry
Indeed
John Deere
Logitech
Mamelodi Sundowns FC
Meta
MIT Solve
The North Face
Tourism Ireland
Wine Enthusiast
Several films were awarded for outstanding work by the BrandStorytelling Official Selection Committee:
Director Award: Amber Fares, We Are Ayenda (WhatsApp)
Producer Award: Stept Studios, 109 Below (Arc'teryx)
Brand Award: Rising Voices: The Ballad of Tita and the Machines (Indeed)
Impact Award: The North Face Presents Groundwork: A Family Journey into Regenerative Cotton (The North Face)
Jury Award: Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land (John Deere)
“It is an honor to accept the brand award on behalf of Indeed at BrandStorytelling 2024,” said Aidan McLaughlin, Director ESG Brand at Indeed. “This conference is an important platform for brands to showcase their storytelling abilities, share insights and further connect with their audience. We are thrilled to be a part of this event and look forward to continuing our journey of creating meaningful content that helps people get jobs all over the world.”
Visit brandstorytelling.tv to learn more about BrandStorytelling events. Subscribe to the BrandStorytelling YouTube Channel and Newsletter to gain more insights into the future of non-interruptive advertising.
About Brand Storytelling:
Brand Storytelling is a privately-owned organization with the mission to support, educate and inspire brand-funded content. Brand Storytelling hosts events focused on bringing together a community of brands, directors, agencies, content studios and platforms to celebrate innovative content approaches and inspire the next generation of brand storytellers.
