CU real estate forum March 5 to feature Sundance Institute board chair

When the 2027 Sundance Film Festival arrives in Boulder, it won’t just bring films. It will bring thousands of filmmakers, executives, artists, visitors and global attention. For Boulder, that could shape everything from hotel occupancy and commercial space to housing and long-term development.

Those ripple effects will take center stage at the 29th annual CU Boulder Real Estate Forum on March 5, hosted by the Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate.

This year’s event will feature a fireside chat, “Sundance Film Festival in the Rockies: Vision, Impact and Opportunity,” with Ebs Burnough, chair of the Sundance Institute’s board of trustees, and Paula DuPré Pesmen, managing director of Sundance Film Festival Relocation. John Tayer, president and CEO of the Boulder Chamber, will moderate the chat.

For Burnough, the connection between culture and development is longstanding.

“Culture has always been a bellwether of growth—economic, artistic and intellectual,” Burnough said. “As it flourishes, it brings people together and builds a sense of community.”

As chair of the Sundance Institute’s board, Burnough describes himself as the organization’s “cheerleader-in-chief,” advocating for artists, audiences and the communities that host the festival. His career, which spans government, media and education, includes serving as managing director of Hatch House Media, a production company focused on film, television and theater. He has also served on the board of a publicly traded real estate investment trust, giving him insight into how cultural events can drive economic growth, and previously held roles as White House deputy social secretary and senior advisor to First Lady Michelle Obama.

“People often don’t think about how events like the Sundance Film Festival have a knock-on effect,” Burnough said. “Yes, they’re about arts and culture, but they’re also about business, development, commercial real estate, housing and homes. Being invited to speak at the forum was a compelling opportunity to show how the institute—and the festival—can engage with Boulder and bring everything we can for the benefit of the city.”

The forum, held March 5 from 1 to 6:30 p.m. at Limelight Boulder, will also include panel discussions on the future of office spaces and the role of AI in real estate, followed by a networking reception. Register for the real estate forum here.

“We’re excited to bring together students, industry leaders and the broader community to explore the trends shaping Boulder’s future,” said Julie Gibson, the Sherman R. Miller executive director of the Klump Center. “Sundance presents an extraordinary opportunity for our students to learn firsthand how culture and real estate intersect, while also creating meaningful opportunities to connect with industry leaders and the real estate community.”

Sundance is “a convener of the greatest storytellers from around the world,” Burnough said. That gathering of talent and ideas creates opportunities far beyond the screen.

“It often brings together groups that wouldn't necessarily always come together,” Burnough said. “When you get a group of really interesting people together, there are bound to be incredible synergies that occur.”

Even unexpected encounters are part of the festival’s unique impact. “You think, ‘Oh, what's that captain of industry doing here? Or why is that leader in health care here?’ It's because the through-line for everything is storytelling—the ability to actively, creatively and beautifully tell a story.”

The festival will be held in Boulder in early 2027 for the first time since moving from Utah. For Burnough, Boulder is already proving to be a receptive partner.

“To encounter people who have such an appetite and such an appreciation for taking artistic risk and believing in the artistic process has been a real pleasure,” he said.

Looking ahead, Burnough said he hopes the 2027 Sundance Film Festival inspires more people from diverse backgrounds to come to Boulder and to stay by shining “a brighter light on what makes this such a rich and interesting and eclectic city.”