Meet the 2018 Salt Lake Magazine Sundance Team

Lights! Camera! Action!

Salt Lake magazine is ready to provide you with all the Sundance coverage fit to print… er… blog. Make sure you check back here often, and in the meantime, here’s some faces you can put to the names you’ll see on Sundance bylines all festival long.

Jaime Winston

Born at LDS Hospital and growing up in West Valley City, Jaime Winston and his older brother were the only Jewish kids at Hunter Elementary (that they knew of). While the other families at his Hebrew school across the valley could afford fancy things like ski passes and the kids on his street played church ball, he developed a love for graphic literature and film. Today, he still enjoys those things, preferably with a can of beer in his hand. A few years ago, Winston wrote for Salt Lake magazine full-time, but he left us for Weber State University in Ogden when he heard the song “Go North” by Richard Barnes. Luckily, he comes back to write for us every now and then, especially when the Sundance Film Festival comes around.

Look for him scribbling notes at Salt Lake City theaters during this year’s fest.

What he’s most looking forward to: “Checking out Salt Lake’s bar scene while reflecting on a great film seen at Broadway Centre… or to drink away the memory of the dreck they just had on their screen.”

Michael Mejia

Michael Mejia is the author of two novels, Forgetfulness and TOKYO (forthcoming 2018), and his writing has been published in many journals and anthologies. He teaches creative writing at the University of Utah. He will return to the Sundance team this year as a film critic.

What he’s most looking forward to: “My Saturday lineup: What sounds like a unique approach to documentary in Hale County, This Morning, This Evening; Chloë Sevigny reinventing and hopefully deepening the narrative of Lizzie Borden; Nicholas Cage raging as only he can in Mandy; and finally coming back down with the promising-looking Western melancholy of The Rider. “

Natalie Simpson

Natalie Simpson is a Salt Lake City-based photographer of 18 years and a regular contributor to Salt Lake Magazine. She lives with her two sons, pretend husband, and her funny-looking Rottweiler/Corgi mix. When she isn’t shooting, you can find her hiking in Millcreek Canyon, at a show at The State Room, or laying in bed with a good book.

What she’s most looking forward to: “At Sundance this year I’m most looking forward to seeing two of my heroes from my favorite television show of all time, MTV’s The State. David Wain directed and Thomas Lennon stars in A Futile and Stupid Gesture and I plan to photograph at the red carpet. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll win a set of tickets from Wain by saying “Hey baby, how about some of them tickets?” like I did in 2014. Cross your fingers for me.”

Christie Marcy

Christie Marcy, Salt Lake magazine associate editor and resident music snob, once literally fell down in front of Robert Redford. It was mortifying at the time but now, a couple years later, she feels this clumsy move makes her uniquely qualified to cover the glitz and glamour of Sundance—including celebrities, lounges and letting you know where you can score the best swag, free drinks and other things you-know-you-want- to-know.

She looks forward to being clumsy and awkward in front of a brand-new batch of celebrities this year—and if you spot Idris Elba on Main Street, she asks you tweet her at @WhyNotBoth immediately.

What she’s most looking forward to: “Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is speaking to NPR’s Nina Totenberg on Sunday morning . That’s two of my favorite celebrities in one place. I’m so there.”

Stuart Graves

Stuart, an avid traveler, music and movie aficionado, will be Salt Lake magazine’s celebrity correspondent. He’s traveled the world to run marathons and climb mountains, but, he says, Nepal is his favorite spot.  He’s been going to Sundance for several years, not to see the films, but in hopes of getting photos with each and every “star.” Watch the blog for his #stuartselfies.

What he’s most looking forward to: “At the top of my Sundance wish list for 2018 is a photo with rock legend, Joan Jett.”

Andrea Peterson

Andrea Peterson is a storyteller–be it as a filmmaker, writer or actor. She has a Bachelor’s in Literature and a Masters’ in Broadcast Journalism from Boston University. Her life is driven by an unassailable curiosity and a mantra of “why not?” Her wanderlust and work have taken her from New York to Miami and all over Europe and Latin America. When not working on videos, she can be chatting up bartenders discussing the intricacies of whiskey, acting onstage or in the mountains hiking or skiing.

What she’s most looking forward to: “I’m looking forward to all the new technologies and innovative ways to tell stories and, of course, all the amazing women filmmakers!”

Ashley Szanter

Ashley Szanter is the associate editor of Salt Lake magazine and is excited to cover her first Sundance with the mag. She earned her MA in 2015 and has been with SL mag for almost a year. Covering Arts and Entertainment, specifically the music scene in SLC through the Small Lake City features in each issue, she also writes television reviews and is the primary reporter on all things Ogden and Northern Utah.

What she’s most looking forward to:  “I’m most excited to experience all that Park City has to offer and get a feel for Utah’s evolving role in the film industry. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of my favorite stars either.”

David Shuff

David Shuff spent years running around the world, most specifically Japan, Utah and the L.A. film industry before finally settling down a bit in his almost-native Florida, with occasional stints back in Utah as needed.