Sundance named John Cooper, a respected veteran of its organization, to run the Sundance Film Festival.
Cooper had been deputy to longtime director Geoff Gilmore, who left the festival last month this to help lead Tribeca Enterprises based in New York.
Cooper, formerly the director of programming for Sundance and the director of creative development for the Sundance Institute, had been the obvious choice to take over the Park City event and will provide the festival with a sense of continuity and stability.
Sundance issued an announcement early Wednesday that said, "Effective immediately, Mr. Cooper will serve as the Festival's artistic director leading the Festival's programming and strategic growth, also overseeing activities such as content production, online initiatives and key national and international partnerships."
Robert Redford, Sundance Institute President and Founder said, "When we established the Festival, it was always with two goals in mind: supporting new artists and inspiring new audiences. Cooper has never lost sight of these goals."
