Denver Film has hired a familiar face in its newly created position of Chief Administrative Officer. Most recently, Amy Allison served as Chief Operating Officer for the Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective at the City Auditorium, where she led the planning of a coming public facility that will be used for arts, culture, education, events and community activities.

Before that, Allison was Director of Administration at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, but she is perhaps best-known in the Colorado theatre community as the former Associate Managing Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company. From 2011-13, Allison oversaw the financial management of the largest performing-arts center in the Rocky Mountain region. She graduated from American University and earned her doctorate from the College of William and Mary.

Denver Film produces film events throughout the year, including Film on the Rocks and the Denver Film Festival. Allison will be responsible for all day-to-day operations including Human Resources, Finance, Technology and Logistics.

“The creation of the CAO position helps solidify our internal structure as we continue our focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts across our operations and year-round programming,” said Denver Film CEO James Mejia, who also announced the hiring of Amy Weiner Weiss as Development Manager. Most recently, Weiner Weiss was the Director of Festivals for the Jewish Community Center’s Mizel Arts and Culture Center in Denver.

Mejia called 2020 “a real gut-check,” but said Denver Film has weathered the COVID storm. The 43rd annual Denver Film Festival was a necessarily all-digital event because of the pandemic, and more than 50,000 used the streaming service. The 2021 event is being planned as an in-person event Nov. 3-14.

This summer, the 20-year-old Film on the Rocks series returned with 21 socially distanced drive-in events before heading back inside the Red Rocks amphitheater for three sold-out films featuring live performances by local bands.

“This is a pivotal time in our organization’s history as we are focused on our long-term goals and look to further establish our position in this community and the rapidly changing film industry,” said Denver Film CMO Kevin Smith. “Welcoming aboard Amy Allison and Amy Weiner Weiss will have a notable impact in establishing Denver Film’s future as a cultural institution.”