Trailblazers of Utah’s Movie Frontier

Utah is lucky to have a vibrant film industry with several filmmakers choosing to tell their stories here in the beehive state. Here are a few of the men that have been the most active in creating the feature films and television series here in Utah over the last 10 years.

Taylor Sheridan

Indisputably the filmmaker with the largest audience is Taylor Sheridan with his incredibly popular TV series “Yellowstone” which kicked off here in Utah. Taylor is an academy award nominated writer and also directed the acclaimed film Wind River (2017) staring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen. When filming in Utah, you could typically find Sheridan setting up basecamp in the Park City area at the Utah Film Studios. Let’s hope we see him back in Utah very soon. 

Jared Hess

As a student at BYU, Jared Hess wrote and directed a short film called Peluca, feating a new actor, Jon Heder. This short film was the precursor to the worldwide hit Napoleon Dynamite (2004). The success of Napoleon Dynamite led to additional quirky films including Nacho Libre (2006) and Gentlemen Broncos (2009). Most recently Jared has been involved in Muscles & Mayhem (2023), Murder Among the Mormons (2021), The Last Man on Earth (2016-2017) and is currently in production on: Minecraft and Shanghai Dawn.

Peter Sullivan

Although Peter does not reside in Utah, Peter is a constant face in Utah’s film industry. On average Peter directs about 4 features a year while producing 10+ productions. With nearly 200 completed productions, Peter has honed his skill to crank out new shows consistently. Some of the films he has produced in Utah include: A Cozy Christmas Inn (2022), The Christmas Edition (2020) and My Christmas Inn (2018).

Maclain Nelson

Maclain Nelson is a director with 15 titles currently listed in his body of work along with 29 producing and 33 acting credits. With a large body of work producing fantasy films such as the Mythic series of films with Arrowstorm Entertainment, Maclain started to shift genres in 2016-2017 with “Little Women” directed by his wife and consistent film partner Clare Niederpruem. The success of the Little Women opened doors with Hallmark with a flood of films including: A Heidelberg Holiday (2023), Haul out the Holly: Lit Up (2023), Haul out the Holy (2022), Hidden Gems (2022) and Presence of Love (2022) just to name a few.

Brian Brough

Brian Brough is the model of what a successful modern filmmaker may strive to be. Not only is he a prolific filmmaker but he is constantly refining methods to ensure his films are exactly what key audiences are looking for. Brian started in the film industry as a Unit Production Manager on the short film “The Good Samaritan” (1998) and over the course of 25 years has cultivated a team of talented professionals to keep making commercially successful films such as “Matchmaker Christmas” (2019), “Romance in the Air” (2020), “Hot Chocolate Holiday” (2021) and A Model Christmas (2023). Currently Brian is directing 4 feature films a year! In 2024 look for his latest films: Passport to Love, Lost in Love, and Cinderella in the Caribbean.

Rob Diamond

Raised in Southern California, Rob currently resides in Utah. He’s known for his passion and commitment to filmmaking and love of teaching. As an avid storyteller Rob has written over 50 screenplays and has directed 25 thus far. Tapping into Robs local network of actors in the Rob Diamond Actors Lounge, Rob is able to scout for potential leads to his films. Those leads went on to be cast in films like: The Last Page (2023), Fighting Chance (2022), Our Father’s Keeper (2020) and Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace (2020). 

Garrett Batty

Garrett Batty is an independent film producer and director known primarily for his involvement in faith-based content. In 2013 Batty directed The Saratov Approach, about two American missionaries kidnapped in Russia. The award-winning thriller grossed 2.1 million at the domestic box office and made Batty an indie director to watch. In 2015 Batty directed Freetown, filmed entirely in Africa. Additional films include The Carpenter (2023) and Out of Liberty (2019) along with episodes of Book of Mormon Videos (2023) and Hello Sunday (2022).

John Lyde

With over 50 directing credits in his body of work, John Lyde is one of Utah’s most beloved directors. John has a reputation of being easy to work with and maintains his enthusiasm of filmmaking with every new production. Kicking off his career in 2002 with the film “The Field is White” John Lyde’s body of work includes dramas, fantasy, action, sci-fi and rom-coms.  Most recent films include: Love in Tahiti (2023), Love’s Portrait (2022), My One True Love (2022) and Love, Lost & Found (2021). John is currently in production on “Love Beneath the Stars. (2024)”

Ryan Little

Ryan Little grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he began working in the film industry as a production assistant. As a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, he has been able to work freely in both countries. In 2003, he directed “Saints and Soldiers”, which won sixteen “Best Picture” awards, including the $50,000 Grand Prize at the Heartland Film Festival and two nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Since then, Ryan has directed numerous features, episodic television, and commercials, including “Age of Dragons”, starring Danny Glover and Vinnie Jones, and “Forever Strong”, starring Sean Astin, Neal McDonough, and Gary Cole. In 2016, he directed “War Pigs”, starring Mickey Rourke, Luke Goss, and Dolph Lundgren. Ryan is currently In pre-production on Capture the Flag and The Promethean.

Utah’s film industry owes much of its vibrancy to these dedicated and talented filmmakers, each contributing their unique storytelling perspective to the state’s cinematic landscape.