Christian Gaines

Christian Gaines joined WESTAF as its executive director in January 2019. A film, arts, and technology leader with experience in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Gaines has held leadership positions at the Sundance Film Festival, the Hawai‘i International Film Festival, and the American Film Institute. For five years, he ran business development at Withoutabox, a film festival submissions platform acquired by IMDb, a division of Amazon. In 2013, Gaines became executive director of ArtPrize, a disruptive international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During this time, he served as a council member on the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council. He serves as vice chair of DisArt and on the board of directors of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA). Gaines is passionate about bringing opportunities to artists, creating joyful spaces, and inspiring teams to do their best work.