BEL at 2026 Sundance Film Festival: “Reimagining Rural America Through Storytelling”
(Recording of the full panel discussion)
How can storytelling reshape perceptions of rural America? Join us in exploring and celebrating the whole story of the people and land that nourish this country; their communities and places; and the rural storytellers who lead by example. In an engaging conversation with entertainment executives, marketing leads, creative storytellers, and bridge-building practitioners, we will explore the importance of nuanced portrayals and the power of stories to bridge divides. We will also share resources from the Modern Rural Collective to improve onscreen rural representation and will engage the audience in a Q&A.
Bridge Entertainment Labs (BEL) is the entertainment office for the national movement to combat toxic polarization and build social cohesion in America.
PARTICIPANTS
- Steven Olikara (CEO – Bridge Entertainment Labs)
- Amanda Farrand ( EVP of Business & Brand Development – Imagine Entertainment)
- Heather Malenshek (Modern Rural Collective, Convener / Land O’Lakes CMO)
- Nick Barnes (Agent, Heartland at United Talent Agency)
- Ai-jen Poo (Executive Director of Caring Across Generations, President of National Domestic Workers Alliance, Executive Producer, Take Me Home)
When: January 23, 11:30 am – 1:00pm MST
Where: The Box at the Ray, 1768 Park Avenue, Park City, UT
Recap of the Panel:
The panel discussion went beautifully. This full-house conversation explored how nuanced, human storytelling can help reshape perceptions of rural America and bridge divides.
Throughout the panel, our speakers shared powerful insights on how stories shape culture and belonging:
Amanda Farrand (EVP of Business & Brand Development, Imagine Entertainment) reflected on how authentic rural stories require real immersion and relationship-building with communities — not just good intentions.
Heather Malenshek (Convener, Modern Rural Collective; CMO, Land O’Lakes) challenged narrow definitions of rural America, emphasizing that rural is not just geography or agriculture, but people, culture, and values — and that representation is shaped by visual, written, and even “sonic” narratives.
Nick Barnes (Agent, Heartland, United Talent Agency) reframed the idea of “heartland” as an ethos rather than a geography, and spoke about how industry bubbles influence which rural stories get told.
Ai-jen Poo (Executive Director, Caring Across Generations; President, National Domestic Workers Alliance; President, Give Not Take Media Executive Producer, Take Me Home) highlighted how rural communities are often on the frontlines of the care economy, relying on neighbor-to-neighbor support and informal systems of care that are rarely reflected onscreen.
Steven Olikara (CEO, Bridge Entertainment Labs) shared how storytelling can serve as a counterforce to polarization by helping us see and humanize one another across lines of difference.
Resources:
Here are a few resources we discussed and encourage you to explore:
Modern Rural Collective Toolkit
Developed by Imagine Entertainment and Land O’Lakes, Inc. this toolkit offers credible context and practical guidance for storytellers looking to improve onscreen representations of rural life.
Bridge Entertainment Labs Storytelling Principles
Our document, “Storytelling Principles for Creating New American Stories of Us,” introduces The 4 C’s — Curiosity, Contact, Complexity, and Good Conflict — to help storytellers counter the “division industrial complex” and create stories that foster social cohesion.
