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 wereΒ theΒ only Jewish kids at Hunter Elementary (that they knew of). WhileΒ theΒ other families at his Hebrew school acrossΒ theΒ valley could afford fancy things like ski passes andΒ theΒ 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 heardΒ theΒ song βGo Northβ by Richard Barnes. Luckily, he comes back to write for us every now and then, especially whenΒ theΒ Sundance Film Festival comes around.
Look for him scribbling notes at Salt Lake City theaters during this yearβs fest.
What he’s most looking forward to:Β “Checking out Salt Lake’s bar scene while reflecting on a great film seen at Broadway Centreβ¦ or to drink awayΒ theΒ memory ofΒ theΒ dreck they just had on their screen.”
Michael Mejia
Michael Mejia is the author of two novels,Β ForgetfulnessΒ andΒ TOKYOΒ (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: “MyΒ SaturdayΒ lineup: What sounds like a unique approach to documentary inΒ Hale County, This Morning, This Evening; ChloΓ« Sevigny reinventing and hopefully deepening the narrative ofΒ Lizzie Borden; Nicholas Cage raging as only he can inΒ Mandy; and finally coming back down with the promising-looking Western melancholy ofΒ 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 atΒ TheΒ State Room, or laying in bed with a good book.
What she’s most looking forward to:Β “At Sundance this year I’m most looking forward to seeing two of my heroes from my favorite television show of all time, MTV’sΒ TheΒ State. David Wain directed and Thomas Lennon stars in A Futile and Stupid Gesture and I plan to photograph atΒ theΒ 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 Sundanceβincluding 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 yearβand 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 magazineβs celebrity correspondent. Heβs traveledΒ theΒ world to run marathons and climb mountains, but, he says, Nepal is his favorite spot.Β He’s been going to Sundance for several years, not to seeΒ theΒ 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: “AtΒ theΒ top of my Sundance wish list for 2018 is a photo with rock legend, Joan Jett.”
Andrea Peterson
Andrea PetersonΒ is a storyteller–be it as a filmmaker, writer or actor. She has a Bachelorβs in Literature and a Mastersβ 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.Β When not working on videos, she can be chatting up bartenders discussingΒ theΒ intricacies of whiskey, acting onstage or inΒ theΒ mountains hiking or skiing.
What she’s most looking forward to: “I’m looking forward to allΒ theΒ new technologies and innovative ways to tell stories and, of course, allΒ theΒ amazing women filmmakers!”
Ashley Szanter
Ashley Szanter is theΒ 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:Β “I’m most excited to experience all that Park City has to offer and get a feel for Utahβs evolving role in the film industry. I wouldnβt 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.