Sundance 2026 for creators: TikTok ads, Adobe grants

If you're still treating film festivals like "old media" cosplay... you're about to miss a very real land grab.

Sundance is entering its last lap in Park City, and the platforms are using the moment to wedge themselves deeper into how movies get marketed, funded, and (quietly) decided.

Creators don't get invited to these rooms because they're "cool." They get invited because they move tickets, subscriptions, and headlines. That's the job.

What happened

The Sundance Film Festival is set to wrap its Park City era with the 2026 edition. Starting in 2027, the festival is moving to Boulder, Colorado. New city, new relationships, new gatekeepers. Same game.

At the 2026 festival, the creator economy thread isn't subtle anymore:

TikTok is leaning harder into movie-and-TV marketing. Beyond flying in a curated group of creators to network with industry execs, TikTok is also rolling out new ad formats aimed at "lean-back" viewing (think living room screens) and a product built for promoting new titles to likely fans.

Adobe is putting serious money on the table: $10 million in creator grants and donated products through its Film & TV Fund in 2026, focused on supporting underrepresented creators. Adobe's also partnering with Amelia Dimoldenberg's Dimz Inc. Academy to help 18-24-year-olds train for digital media careers. And yes, Adobe is still flexing its footprint in film: it says 85% of Sundance filmmakers use its tools in some capacity.

Amazon's showing up in classic Amazon fashion: not with a creator feature drop, but with presence. It's co-hosting a Park City party with UTA and Gymnasium on January 24. That sounds fluffy until you remember where deals and introductions actually happen. (Spoiler: not in your inbox.)

YouTube isn't making the loudest on-the-ground play this year, but it remains the default distribution hub for Sundance coverage if you're not physically there. The festival's official channel is stocked with recurring segments featuring the filmmakers behind the selections.

Why creators should care

Attention: TikTok wants "the For You Page" to be a stop on the official Hollywood promo route, not just a bonus channel. Their new ad formats are a signal: studios are being trained to buy reach where creators already live, including on bigger screens.

Distribution: YouTube continues to be the archive and the amplifier for festival coverage. If you're building a film-adjacent brand - reviews, commentary, behind-the-scenes, interviews - YouTube is still the place where that work compounds over time instead of evaporating in 48 hours.

Monetization: Adobe's $10M fund is not "free money" in a vacuum. It's a pipeline. Grants, gear, training, and credibility - those are leverage points when you're pitching collaborators, brands, or a first long-form project.

Workflow: The tools and ad products are converging around one thing: speed. Studios want creators who can ship on a deadline without looking cheap. Platforms want creators who can carry a launch week. If you can do both, you become hard to replace.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: festivals used to discover films. Now they also discover distribution partners - sometimes that's you.

What to do next

Pick your lane before the festival starts. "I cover Sundance" is vague. "I translate Sundance movies for normal people in 60 seconds" or "I interview first-time directors and pull 3 creator lessons" is a lane. Lanes get remembered. Vague gets scrolled.
Build a launch-week kit. A few reusable templates: a 20-second cold open, a thumbnail style, a short review format, a 5-question interview structure. When everyone else is improvising, you'll be publishing.
Turn TikTok into your trailer, not your home. Use it to spike attention, then route the serious audience somewhere you own more - YouTube, a newsletter, a podcast feed. (Platforms change moods. Your catalog shouldn't.)
If you're eligible, treat Adobe's fund like a real application - because it is. A tight project idea, a clear audience, and proof you can finish. Grants don't go to "potential." They go to momentum.
Network like an adult. If you're attending anything adjacent - events, panels, parties - don't pitch people like they're vending machines. Make one useful intro, ask one smart question, follow up once. That's it. You'd be shocked how far "normal human behavior" goes in entertainment.