Sundance Institute CEO Keri Putnam has informed staff and the Board of Trustees that she will be stepping down later this year. Photo: Sundance Institute

LOS ANGELES, California. — The Sundance Institute announced today that CEO Kari Putnam will step down later this year.

Putnam notified the Board of Trustees and the staff of her decision. She has spent the last 10+ years helping create the world-renowned brand that has, in many ways, put the Park City cultural scene on the international map via the Sundance Film Festival.

“After an incredibly rewarding decade, and following the success of our first-ever online Festival, I have decided it’s the right time for me to step down as CEO of Sundance Institute. Leading Sundance through this volatile era in media together with such an impassioned team has been one of my greatest joys. The remarkable growth of our community of artists, audiences, and partners over the last ten years is a testament to the vitality and urgency of the independent storytelling Sundance supports. The Institute stands today as an innovative and resilient organization at the intersection of arts and media, supporting more artists and reaching a bigger audience than ever before. I look forward to exploring new challenges and opportunities in my next chapter, and can’t wait to see the extraordinary Sundance team break new ground in the years ahead while maintaining their renegade, independent spirit.” – Kari Putnam

A search committee is being assembled to find her replacement.