It’s not always easy to get high-profile industry professionals on the record, especially when it comes to stories about parties of all things.
However, it required minimal effort to secure interviews with four film insiders because the subject was Brilliant Consulting and the firm’s founder Danielle Pelland. As the head of the full-service event production company specializing in the entertainment industry, Pelland is responsible for throwing more than 300 events in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival over 21 years.
“Danielle is so great at planning festival parties — and many other events — because of her dedication to ensuring true personalization. When she takes on an event for a film she wants to ensure that it is a reflection of the work of the filmmaking team and adapts the environment to make that so. She is completely on top of everything in a way that has the client at ease for the whole night,” says veteran producer and Academy president Lynette Howell-Taylor. “Danielle is my first call every single time.”
Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman said he’s worked with Pelland since they started the company 15 years ago. “Danielle is without a doubt the hardest working person in show business. I don’t know how she does it. She curates singular events across all budget ranges, is beyond creative, and makes sure filmmakers, talent and brands are taken care of. She does all the little things right.”
“Nothing phases her,” says indie film guru Cassian Elwes. “Unlike most people doing events at the festivals she understands what makes a great party and who should and could be there to make it better. We started with one small movie in Sundance called Dirty Love with Jenny McCarthy. Unlike the title, it was a classy affair and after that I wanted no one else working on my movies.”
David Hinojosa worked with Pelland and Brilliant Consulting at last month’s festival for an event following the world premiere of A24’s The Moment starring Charli xcx. “At the risk of dating us both, I’ve been working with Danielle for over a decade. Danielle knows that the event following a world premiere is an extension of that film’s identity and vibe. Time and again she has brought that vision to life with impeccable execution, as well as a warmth that makes the celebration memorable for the film team.”
As the Sundance Film Festival made its final bow in Park City, Utah last month before moving on to Boulder, Colorado, The Hollywood Reporter checked in with Pelland to get her to open up on her long history of throwing some of the festival’s wildest nights, the secret sauce for hosting a great Sundance hang, and the most memorable performances from years past (including Selena Gomez rocking out in a furniture store).
When was your first Sundance?
It was 2005. The first event I ever did was for a movie called Dirty Love, which was being sold by [William Morris agent] Cassian Elwes. A commodities trader friend of mine from Chicago was involved in th4e film and he called to ask if I would come to Sundance to throw a party for them. I am entrepreneurial so I agreed and went out to find sponsors for it. I secured Joe’s Jeans, Smashbox Cosmetics and Maxim. I raised all this money and my friend told me to keep it. I was, like, wait, this is a business?
How much did you raise?
Around $80,000, and the event cost $25,000. It was such a random way to get into the business but that’s how it happened. I now have some studio clients but consistently, since day one, I have been curating sponsored events. I have built relationships with so many independent producers and what I do helps support them. I’ve gone back year after year, and I counted the total — 323 events over 21 years.
That’s a huge number. It’s probably hard to remember each and every one but can you tell me about some of the more memorable events?
One of the most fun events that we did was a karaoke party, and Elle Fanning and Peter Dinklage sang together. That was so cute and fun. A lot of the memorable events featured performances. We had John Legend perform for Monster, A$AP Rocky performed for Dope, and MGK, Erykah Badu and Nas performed for The Land. One of the best ones was a party for the movie Rudderless, and Selena Gomez performed for 75 people in the top floor of a furniture store. We had all these scenarios that are so hard to imagine today. Another event that I really loved doing was for Patti Cake$ starring Danielle Macdonald. It was such a hot title at the festival, and everyone was trying to sign her. Agents and buyers were texting me trying to get in to the party, which had a really good energy to it.
What is the key to good energy and throwing a great party at Sundance?
It depends. One of the reasons we work so well with Chase is because they really respect what we’re trying to create together. It’s about creating the right environment with a full premium bar, plenty of food, enough capacity so that you can get everybody in, and making it an all around great experience. Obviously, every event tries to stand out in some way so if you can get someone to perform, like John Legend, it can be fun and memorable. We did the party for Goat starring Nick Jonas, and he really wanted Craig’s to cater so I helped coordinate the whole thing. Can you imagine trying to find a restaurant on Main Street during Sundance that would let us take over their restaurant so that Craig’s chefs could come in? It was not easy, but we found one and were able to flip this restaurant in one day so that Nick could have Craig’s there to cater the party for his movie.
Any other wild requests from talent?
Not necessarily wild requests, but we’re always trying to think outside the box. For this year, we worked with Netflix for an event they did in honor of Guillermo del Toro and we were able to work with Holbox and chef Gilbert Cetina to come in and do the catering. Everyone tries to put a fun twist on events and create a memorable event for guests.
You must encounter some big names early in their careers?
Yes, so many breakout directors. I’ve gotten to work with them for the first time when their movies come to Sundance. One that stands out is the party I did for Ryan Coogler and Fruitvale Station starring Michael B. Jordan. He really started at Sundance and now he’s a huge filmmaker. I remember that they were so humble and nice guys. The party was so fun. We did it at the Grey Goose Blue Door, which hosted a lot of parties.
You worked on the CAA party this year, which became a topic of conversation for obvious reasons (after Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost was allegedly assaulted by a party crasher). Any fallout?
We handled it professionally. When the congressman released a statement, he thanked the security and Park City police. It was an unfortunate situation involving a man who snuck in through the back somehow, but it was dealt with swiftly in the best way possible. There’s no rift with CAA, and they’ve been very supportive.
How hard is it to manage an event that everyone wants to get into? Have you ever walked out to a hundred people lined up trying to get into one of your events?
I don’t work the door anymore because the demand can be so high and I know so many people so it is too challenging. Once I walked out and had five different groups of people coming at me trying to get in. Obviously, there are capacity issues and we never want to go over capacity in case talent arrives or there’s someone you need to get in quickly. It’s magic. Somehow we don’t hit capacity and everyone that needs to get in gets in somehow.
You’ve been going to Park City and see the party landscape change with the times. I remember the early days when there were no brand parties, then it became an explosion of activations, brand parties and swag houses, etc. Is there more of a meaningful relationship today with the festival?
When I first started doing events during Sundance, I wasn’t working with the festival in any capacity. I was just working on events that needed sponsors and I would go find them. Then over the last 10 to 15 years or so, a lot of brands would show up and activate that weren’t official festival sponsors. They were doing pop-ups or celebrity seeding, and there was a lot of action on Main Street. But then Sundance’s corporate development team really worked hard to realize the power of aligning with official corporate sponsors. For me, it didn’t feel right to not work in an official capacity with them and only work with the official brands that are partners of the festival. That’s why we work so closely with Chase and Acura and brands that are really there to support filmmakers. I rarely work with a brand that’s not an official sponsor now.
So you were busy this year at the Chase Sapphire Lounge. Any other events in 2026 that were highlights for you?
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Searchlight’s Little Miss Sunshine, we did a pop-up that was very successful. People were really excited about that one. Similarly, a couple of years ago, we worked on Napoleon Dynamite for that film’s anniversary by having a flash mob on Main Street. Such a fun moment, and a way to bring these films back and celebrate them. We also did a party after the screening of Little Miss Sunshine, and the talent stayed until very late just hanging out with one another and enjoying the opportunity to be back in Park City.
What’s the latest talent has ever stayed at a party?
It’s interesting but actors often stay until the end, and that’s part of the magic of Sundance parties. When you have the right environment, the right room, the right premium bar and great food, everyone is comfortable and they stay quite late. It’s more rare that they leave early.
You do events all over the world. How does Sundance compare to say, Cannes?
At Sundance, you’re always dealing with a huge volume of events. I think we did 35 events this year, and so there’s a lot of juggling that goes on when you’re doing events for films that are sales titles compared to other films with distributors. We did a party for The Moment this year which was very fun. Poppi sponsored it, and Charli xcx’s team was very involved. That party stood out to me because Chase became more of a nightclub for the night. Charli brought in two DJs that she wanted, and the crowd was so great. Poppi made it very fun with their involvement.
But Cannes is a different landscape. I will say that we did a party for Splitsville last year that was one of the most fun parties I’ve ever put together. The energy in the room was insane, everyone was dancing on the furniture, the DJ was amazing and we had sparklers in champagne bottles — it was unbelievable. Talent came over from their own parties because they were hearing about how fun it was. Alexander Skarsgard came with his dad. It was the best party I’ve thrown in a long time.
Back to Sundance. What was it like to get on the plane to come home this year wrapping up these 21 years at the festival and leaving Park City for the last time?
It was emotional. I called my friend, the commodities trader in Chicago who hired me for that first event to tell him about the moment. But I think I’ll always go back to Park City. I go every year with my kids for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We ski for the weekend, and then I send them home so I can prep for Sundance. We will still have that tradition because it’s such a part of their lives. But there’s always Boulder, so we’ll see about that for next year.
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