Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute announced today that Charles D. King and Donna Gruneich will join the Institute’s Board of Trustees. Under the guidance of President & Founder Robert Redford and in close collaboration with Board Chair Pat Mitchell and Executive Director Keri Putnam, the new Trustees will bring deep experience in philanthropy, media strategy, finance and film production to the Institute’s governance.
As prior chair of the Institute’s Utah Advisory Board, Donna Gruneich brings decades of expertise supporting the long-term sustainability and finances of arts and education organizations. In addition to her involvement with Impact Partners and Gamechanger Films, which aims to shift the gender disparity in films through financing work from women directors, Donna executive produced The Bad Kids, and co-executive produced the Academy Award®-nominated film Cartel Land. She is a past board chairman of the Park City Academy, a founding trustee of the Park City Day School Board and a past member of the Park City Institute board.
Charles D. King is the founder & CEO of MACRO, a leading authoritative media company representing the perspectives of people of color that creates and invests in theatrical features, premium television and digital content that encompasses universal themes including projects such as Fences and the upcoming Mudbound and Gente-fied. Previously a partner/agent at WME, Charles lends a visionary perspective on cultivating talent and building diverse media spaces. In addition to Sundance Institute, he sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations including College Track, UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, NYU Production Lab and Howard University School of Law.
“Charles and Donna each have their own incredible wealth of knowledge of our current entertainment landscape, and visionary perspectives on how to shape the work we do. We are so grateful to have them bring their unique experience and expertise to the table,” said Pat Mitchell. “We are thrilled that they will join our Board at such a critical time for the Institute, as we work to support emerging artists around the world and connect audiences to their work.”
The other business, cultural and philanthropic leaders on the Institute’s Board are: Robert Redford, President & Founder; Pat Mitchell, Board Chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher and Geoffrey Sands, Vice Chairs; Sean Bailey; Kenneth Cole; Pascal Desroches; Fred Dust; Philipp Engelhorn; Caterina Fake; Bob Frankenberg; Cindy Horn; Lyn Lear; Gigi Pritzker; Alejandro Ramirez Magana; Amy Redford; Nadine Schiff; Jim Swartz; Jacki Zehner; Wally Weisman, Chair Emeritus; and Artist Trustees Ritesh Batra, Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay and Lisa Kron.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Boyhood, Swiss Army Man, Manchester By the Sea, Brooklyn, Little Miss Sunshine, Life, Animated, Sonita, 20 Feet From Stardom, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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