(Curtiss Cook and Rob Morgan at the IndieLounge. Photo courtesy of Jade Gem, Tina Mahler Curtis)
Park City – Utah, home of the Sundance Film Festival. Also home of Power and Industry’s IndieLounge. The IndieLounge is what brought me to my first visit to Park City. I want to write about how this trip was more like a retreat – a spiritual experience that I cannot fully describe. We were there to work but we ate, slept and did everything with each other this week.
The first thing I did was over pack, and by over pack I mean I brought too many shoes and coats because I was expecting a blizzard. I also took my laptop and some other electronics that inexperience helped me decide to take. The TSA at the Burbank Airport was suspicious. Not only was my suitcase 5 pounds heavier than it should be but my laptop was inspected. Did I mention that we were in the wrong terminal?! So we had to go through TSA again. Thankfully I was not inspected a second time. After getting on the plane, we were hungry but had to wait till our layover. When we got to our layover, again we found ourselves ten minutes too short and we needed to go to a terminal in the opposite direction.
At last, we finally arrived at Salt Lake City Airport. From here we took an Uber to go shopping for some essentials for the rental house we were staying at. This first night we ate pizza and beer and enjoyed each others company. Every night we would discuss work and how we would make things smoother for the next day, and then get in full on girl mode watching movies and talking. We could have gone to sleep or ventured out to the city, but this was our time to really bond. Besides, you really get to know someone while watching Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet running all over a cruise ship that is sinking.
(Photo courtesy of Jade Gem, Tina Mahler Curtis)
Maybe next year we will go out, but this was my first year and spending it with a group of strong diverse women was just the pow-wow I needed. While this was for me a week with the ladies, we also had some great men surrounding us too. These men are motivational and did not feel the need to typecast us. I’m talking about you Max Tucci and Zachary Jaydon! Each morning, we had coffee and bagels while getting ready for the day. I was taking pictures in the gifting suite of the Indie Lounge and posting on social media. I met with great people with great products while talented guests came and left.
(Photo courtesy of Jade Gem, Tina Mahler Curtis)
At different times, there were documentary shorts, movies, and book signings in the theater room. At one point, Jade Gem Bethlehem, AKA Baby Jade, let me go to the Indie Lounge theater to see Severus Snape and the Marauders where I not only got to enjoy the film but got the opportunity to record the cast Q and A for social media. This is, after all, is what Sundance was all about – independent movies and what game changer they are for storytellers, actors, writers, directors, and artists. The Indie Lounge had great movies too! Stronger Than Pretty and In His Own Words were two movies that everyone should see.
(Photo courtesy of Jade Gem, Tina Mahler Curtis)
Once the gifting suite was closed and the movies were finished, Jade Gem Tina and I went out in inflatable T-Rex outfits and had a snowball fight. This was probably one of the best ways to blow off steam from the chaos of business. The last day was a little melancholy. We do not get to run around together often as we all live in different cities, but we should.
Thanks for reading ~
La Vida Verde
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