Redford & Sundance
Innovation in Film
Doug Usher
The VIA Company
Ben Mozer
The Lyric (Fort Collins)
Matt Schultz
Mass FX Media
Elizabeth Mihelich
Northern Colorado
Film Commission
Scene 1- The Robert Redford story
Scene 2- Sundance Film Festival
Scene 3- 2027 Move to Boulder, CO
Bring your friends for a fun, informative night full of remembrance, innovation, and little-known film industry secrets. Learn behind-the-scenes details of Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, discover how a classic “sting” really works, and get the latest scoop on the Sundance Film Festival’s move from Utah to Boulder.
Presenters
Doug Usher
The VIA Company
Doug Usher is the founder of The VIA Company, a creative studio in Fort Collins specializing in all things motion. He has worked on everything from network television shows, to international commercial campaigns, to feature films with A-list directors like David Fincher. Select commercial clients include T-mobile, Samsung, Phillips66, Burton Snowboards, New Belgium Brewing, UCHealth, and the Pinkerton Detective Agency. In addition he is the founder of the 53:14 Music Video Experiment in Fort Collins. Doug especially loves working closely with non-profits, musicians and music-related industries, and organizations that uplift and provide arts opportunities to youth.
Some unique things about Doug:
He had an apprenticeship with David Fincher during his last year of college at Loyola Marymount University where he worked on projects like Zodiac and the Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, along with commercials for clients like Heineken.
His first feature film, Whensday, debuted at #6 highest sales per screen in the country – due to the fact that they did an outdoor, bike-in premiere in Downton Fort Collins, CO.
When not working in film, he’s usually in a kitchen or walking a vineyard somewhere – wine and food are his biggest passions in life (other than my amazing wife and two daughters)
During the COVID lockdown he decided to start a live Sunday morning talkshow with his daughters (3 and 5 years old) to “Spread Joy Not Germs” – The show was live-streamed to Facebook and included call in guests (including Santa), cooking segments, and a lot of ridiculous moments. They ended up going mildly viral and he looks back on it as one of the best parts of a very challenging time.
Ben Mozer
The Lyric (Fort Collins)
Ben Mozer was born and raised in Fort Collins and developed an early love of film. After graduating from Montana State Film School in Bozeman he moved back to Fort Collins to start an independent theater, like he had always wished existed when he was a child. Little did he know this endeavour would devour his entire life. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth and two sons, who don’t yet realize The Lyric will consume their lives as well.
Matt Schultz
Mass FX Media
Matt Schultz is the Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director at Mass FX Media, a motion design and visual effects studio based in Denver, Colorado. Over the past 20 years, Matt has built a career at the intersection of filmmaking and design. He began behind the camera, traveling the world to shoot documentaries including Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral for Netflix—filming everywhere from underwater reefs to the tops of volcanoes.
Fifteen years ago, Matt and his wife, Shawna, founded Mass FX Media with a shared vision to craft meaningful, visually striking stories. He’s known for translating the needs of filmmakers and editors into elegant, purposeful motion design solutions.
The studio’s work has appeared on major streaming platforms and in acclaimed titles such as The Social Dilemma, Q: Into the Storm, The Invisible Pilot, Money Electric, and The Jewel Thief. Their client list includes Meta Platforms, Google, Adobe, IBM, National Geographic, Elastic, and Keysight Technologies.
Matt’s passion is bringing clarity to complex stories and elevating visual design to create work that resonates and endures.
Elizabeth Mihelich
Northern Colorado Film Commission
She’s a producer, line producer, writer and actress. An intuitive and empathetic leader, Elizabeth strives to embolden, empower, and ignite passion through the art of storytelling and higher consciousness. She’s a rare breed, a type A AND a creative mind that can bring organization, structure, and stellar problem-solving skills to any project while tapping into her creative genius. A true lover of collaboration, honed at the best long-form improv schools, Elizabeth thrives when she can connect with others, be inspired by incredible conversations, and help others bring their stories and dreams to life. Her expertise is in indie feature and short films that deliver incredible production value while not breaking the bank.
Elizabeth co-produced the feature film, “Aporia” starring Judy Greer and Edi Gathegi which had its world premiere at Fantasia Fest 2023, was nominated for Best Independent Feature Film at the 51st Gotham Awards and is currently streaming on Hulu. She was thrilled to line produce “Welcome to the Fishbowl” filmed in Denver, CO in 2024 and can’t wait for the audiences to experience Jeremy Swift and Natalie Gold in this funny screwball, roadtrip comedy. In 2025 she co-produced, “The Silence Game” writer/ director John Rosman’s second feature film that filmed in New Mexico and “Go Love Go”, a queer romantic comedy directed by Nell Teare, in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth is the programming chair for Women in Film and Media Colorado, as well as the Regional Film Liaison in Northern Colorado for the Colorado Office of Film TV & Media.She’s written multiple screenplays, Partnering, Tag-A-Longs, Turning Tables, Manifest Destiny, and others.
She loves to make others laugh, connect and flirt with everyone, and is prone to twisting her ankle at a moment’s notice. She’ll do it with grace and when you least expect it so you can be sure to get a good laugh for the day. Elizabeth thinks she’s a Carrie Bradshaw but is definitely more a Bridget Jones.
Exhibitors
Living Her Legacy
Approved by the Fort Collins Historic Preservation Services Department in December 2014, “Living Her Legacy’s” request–to create the first highly visible, public, outdoor, historic art / education exhibit recognizing women’s accomplishments–took root with great anticipation and excitement. In 2015, the selection process of the forty-eight Living Her Legacy Honorees began and was completed in 2018. A dedicated community of over 100 volunteers nominated, judged, and selected the final forty-eight Legacy Honorees–women with ties to Northern Colorado.