Sundance sparks entrepreneurial spirit

PARK CITY — Spread love, not germs.

That was the message from two people on a transit bus as they handed out bottles of hand sanitizer. A little something to keep the swine flu from spreading throughout the Sundance Film Festival, one of them said.

That was just one item among many the average Joe can get for free on the street here during the annual 10 days of Sundance.

There's also the people who show up each year at this time to rent out local businesses along Main Street to advertise a product or service that has nothing to do with any of the independent films being featured during Sundance.

Festival founder Robert Redford has a name or two for those types of people, who each year crop up to advertise their products and services on Main Street.

Redford calls some of them "ambush marketers."

He lumps others into a group with the Paris Hiltons of the world, the posers (not Redford's word), albeit famous and recognizable, who only detract from the festival's original intent of focusing on independent filmmaking.

These people, the ambush marketers, posers and celebrity gifting suite organizers, are not necessarily doing anything illegal.

They're not necessarily connected to the festival in any way, either, unlike the 18 sponsors who support Sundance Institute and the festival — including official sponsors Honda, bing, YouTube, Brita and Blockbuster.

In fact, that sideshow of people operating on the Sundance periphery is not necessarily even wanted or needed at the festival, according to Redford. In some respects, he'd be glad if they just went away and let the focus be only on film.

"I don't have much regard for that," Redford said. "There's nothing I can do about it. I don't like it … but it's a free country."

But the festival has grown over the years. And Redford appreciates and welcomes the growth.

Sundance is far more popular than it was when Redford signed on in the 1980s. An estimated 40,000 people now attend Sundance screenings and events in Park City and other Utah cities with festival venues.

That many people are bound to attract an entrepreneurial element.

Hand sanitizer manufacturers need to sell their product. Gifting suite organizers want celebrities to be seen with the swag they hand out.