I’ve been a fan of Robert Redford since 1969 and his breakout film, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” But Bob, as he asked me to call him, had been a fan of Utah for even longer. On his drives between Colorado and Hollywood, Bob discovered the jewel of the Wasatch Back, and in 1961, he purchased two acres in Provo Canyon to call home.
Others told him he was crazy for wanting to put down roots in Utah, but he could see it for more than it was. He fell in love with the land, in love with the mountains and canyons, and in love with the natural beauty of our great state. And he had a vision for those two little acres far beyond what others imagined.
Bob began envisioning something no one had ever seen before — a place for aspiring artists to showcase their talents in cinema and storytelling. His institute committed itself to opening doors for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and composers that were otherwise closed to them through traditional means.
With a nod to his Hollywood breakout hit, he called the place and the independent film festival it would later sport “Sundance,” and neither Hollywood — nor Utah — were ever the same again.
Supporting the little institute that could, Bob was committed to finding a way to keep the institute and the film festival open and financially solvent. That’s where the brainchild Sundance Catalog (later Sundance Living) was born. The experts in the industry told him it would never work, but Bob was never one to back down from a challenge. His catalog launched and was 2.5 times more successful than the industry average.
He took two acres and an idea and turned it into a beautiful resort, a financially booming retail enterprise and an industry-disrupting, world-changing film showcase. He’s employed thousands of people, invited hundreds of thousands of guests to our great state and brought in approximately $1 billion to our state’s economy. So much of Utah’s success as a tourist destination is thanks to Robert Redford.
He loved Utah and he stood up for it. He championed land and water preservation, clean air, and the Indigenous peoples who first called Utah home. While Bob and I differed at times politically, we shared our love for this special place.
Bob was special because he had vision. Where others saw financial ruin and wild-haired ideas, Bob saw a hole in the industry and knew just how to fill it. He saw potential and possibility — and not just in a few acres. I’m fortunate enough to say that Bob Redford saw potential in me, too.
I was a county commissioner in Utah County working with Bob on getting his Sundance property developed. I’d been a real estate agent and a businessman too, but it was Robert Redford who encouraged me in the mid-90s to run for Congress. Like his first two little acres, he had a vision for what I could be too. Many thought Bob would never support a candidate like me — a right-of-center Republican — but Bob supported people, not parties.
He believed in individuals, not rigid political posturing. He believed that I could stay true to my principles while working with others, being civil, inclusive and moderate in tone. While the congressional run never happened, his friendship and support stayed with me all the way through all four gubernatorial elections.
Robert Redford has done incalculable good for the state of Utah. He was a visionary and an optimist who elevated the arts and Utah to a place we could have never foreseen. He motivated me to be a better person, a better Utahn and a better American. I’ll be forever grateful for the good he has done for me and our state.
Robert Redford, you’ll be missed.