Erica Elson
Digital Course Producer - Sundance Collab
Crestline, California, United States
Erica Elson is a Producer, Writer and Educator based in the mountains outside Los Angeles. Her short film, WING NIGHT, premiered at Method Fest in Los Angeles. She is the co-author of the book THE AWKWARD HUMAN SURVIVAL GUIDE and co-hosted a podcast by the same name on the 5by5 network for five years. Elson's articles have been published by HuffPost, Lifehacker, and Reader's Digest. Prior to working in education, she worked in television development and writers’ rooms such as VH1’s HINDSIGHT, where she had the chance to write for the spinoff web series PLANET SEBASTIAN.
Elson joined the Sundance Collab team in October 2021 and produces courses, Master Classes, and events in the areas of screenwriting, television writing, directing, producing, and documentary filmmaking. She has moderated conversations with Sofia Coppola, Richard Linklater, Alexander Payne, and Susannah Grant, among others.
Prior to Sundance, Elson was the Thesis Production Supervisor at the American Film Institute for five years. She oversaw several award-winning graduate thesis films, notably the 2021 BAFTA student film winner APART, TOGETHER and the 2023 Sundance Film Festival short WE WERE MEANT TO. While at AFI, Elson developed a passion for sustainable production and created the Green Film School Alliance, which includes forty schools on four continents. She holds a BA in Communication and Film Studies from Concordia University and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute.
Courses and Content
Advisor Studio: Navigating the Independent Film Landscape with Barbara Twist, Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance
Barbara Twist
Advisor Studio: Pitching Your Documentary for Production Funding
Kavery Kaul
Filmmaker
Advisor Studio: Preparing Your Film for a Festival Premiere
Carolyn Kaylor
Advisor Studio: Unleashing the Power of Performance with Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, Directors of Sundance Film Festival Hit GHOSTLIGHT
Alex Thompson
Creative Approaches to Editing with Carla Gutierrez and David Teague (FRIDA) | Presented by Adobe
Carla Gutierrez
15
Nov
Insider Session: Applying to the Ignite Challenge
Toby Brooks
Assistant Director, Ignite Program
6
Dec
Insider Session: Applying to the Sundance Native Lab
Adam Piron
Director, Indigenous Program
Master Class: Creating a Successful Limited Series with Ron Nyswaner
Ron Nyswaner
Spotlight: A Conversation with Will Ferrell, Harper Steele & Josh Greenbaum on WILL & HARPER
Josh Greenbaum
Director/Producer
Spotlight: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck on Building a Successful Career as Writer/Directors in Film and TV
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Panelist
Spotlight: Crafting Complex Characters with the Creators of HACKS
Jen Statsky
Spotlight: Creating Magic in Cinema with Mira Nair
Mira Nair
Panelist
Spotlight: Jeff Nichols on THE BIKERIDERS
Jeff Nichols
Spotlight: Megan Park on MY OLD ASS
Megan Park