FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wasatch Mountain Arts Reimagines the Mountain Film Experience with New Executive Director, Board Members & Storytellers Event Series.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT (April 23, 2025)—Eleven years ago, the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival (WMFF) began with a simple idea: harness the transformative power of storytelling. Now, as the festival enters its second decade, three influential filmmakers – Phil Hessler, Shandi Kano, and Aimee Tetreault—have joined the Wasatch Mountain Arts (WMA) Board of Directors to help shape its next chapter. This addition to the Board builds on WMA’s mission to give filmmakers a bigger voice, by crafting events, programming, and experiences that support the talented creative communities WMA serves.
Currently serving as Interim Executive Director, Aimee Tetreault (she/her) has spent her career dispatching film crews to the world’s most remote locations. She is an Executive Producer, Content Director and founder of AKTN Media, a full-service production outfit based in Salt Lake City. Tetreault also champions equity in the industry and sees WMA playing a key role in shaping what’s next for filmmaking. She said, “Adventure filmmaking was born in Utah and has sustained it for the last 100 years. We have the opportunity to share honest, compelling stories from diverse voices and I’m looking forward to partnering with the incredible community here in Salt Lake for this next chapter at Wasatch Mountain Film Festival. The possibilities feel limitless.”
Phil Hessler (He/Him), a director and producer for brands like Spotify, REI, and Ford, joins the Board following his recent Sundance success with The Crux, which was acquired by National Geographic. The Executive Producer at Think Less Studios aims to deepen community connections through storytelling.
For Shandi Kano (She/Her), this is a full circle moment: “My first film was featured in WMFF’s first festival and from there I was hooked.” With 18 years of production experience, her portfolio spans broadcast, event, documentary, and commercial work. She sees unique potential for WMFF and champions hosting the festival in a city like Salt Lake with its unmatched outdoor access.
Continuing to serve as Executive Chairman is Co-founder Stuart Derman. Shane Baldwin, Jacob Oster and Heather Archuleta complete the remainder of the team. Derman says “I’m most excited for the future of the festival to be in the hands of the film community. I started this organization to serve filmmakers and enable them to share impactful stories while expressing their creativity. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved over the past decade but love that the next phase will be led by those for whom we built the WMFF Platform.”
In light of Sundance’s recent decision to relocate to Boulder, CO, the WMFF Board came together to rethink how to best support the creative community still rooted in Utah. They’ve focused on a refreshed Festival format for 2026 and the upcoming STORYTELLERS series hosted by The Midnight Corner. The first event will be on May 31, 2025, and feature an interactive retrospective of the work of Sweetgrass Productions.
Since 2015, the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival has been a can’t-miss event for filmmakers and outdoor enthusiasts. With these fresh, creative minds on board, WMFF is gearing up for an exciting future. Their unique perspectives and shared passion for storytelling will help open new doors for expression, connection, and creativity in our mountain community.
For more information about the Storytellers Series visit wasatchfilmfestival.org/local-events/storytellers/
For more information about the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival visit wasatchfilmfestival.org
