Tracy Brady has been appointed to the role of Chief Marketing, Brand and Communications Officer at the Sundance Institute.
Brady will lead marketing and communications strategy for the organization across all of its initiatives. Based in Boulder, she’ll be tasked with unifying its messaging and public presence during times of change and ensuring that Sundance’s brand reputation, media relations and digital strategy continues to align with a rapidly evolving industry.
News of Brady’s appointment comes ahead of the first Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, CO, whose in-person component is taking place from January 21-31. The festival had previously been based in Utah since inception — for nearly five decades in total — with most of the action taking place in Park City.
Brady reports to Sundance Institute CEO David Linde, who called his new hire “a visionary, strategic and results-oriented marketing and communications leader.”
Linde continued, “As we transition to our new home in Boulder and embrace the evolving future of independent cinema, we need a trusted voice to bring our community, artists and global audience together. Tracy’s understanding of storytelling, brand marketing and strategic communications, coupled with her lifelong passion and dedication to the arts, makes her the perfect executive to guide our brand forward.”
A longtime advocate for independent filmmakers and artists, Brady’s professional experience spans publicity, awards and marketing strategy, including roles at Fox Searchlight Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Turner Broadcasting. She’s intersected with the Sundance Film Festival multiple times in the past — as SVP of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Hill Holliday, where she directed sponsorship and experiential marketing strategies for the fest, and before that, as VP at Arnold Entertainment/Arnold Brand Promotions.
Most recently, Brady served as SVP of Communications and Social Impact at cannabis company Green Thumb Industries. Prior to that, she built and scaled the global communications teams and efforts for Curaleaf, another company in that space.
Brady is also a published novelist, essayist, an award-winning humorist, and the founder of Wit & Word, a live event series spotlighting independent artists and writers. She holds a B.A. in Communications, Magna Cum Laude, from Fordham University and studied French Language and Civilization at Sorbonne University.
In a statement on her appointment, Brady said: “I am thrilled and honored to join the Sundance Institute during a transformative moment. As a lifelong fan of independent filmmaking and a dedicated storyteller, I have always believed in the power of artistic expression to shape culture and forge connection. As we move toward the 2027 Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, my focus will be on bringing our entire community together, both inside the Institute and out. My aim is to continue to align our communications and marketing efforts under a unified mission so we can better support artists, adapt to the dynamic changes in the entertainment industry, and ensure the Sundance Institute remains the premiere champion for independent filmmakers worldwide.”
