Reel Teaser
Todd Hartsell
Todd Hartsell is a filmmaker, creative director, and visual storyteller who believes every story—whether told for a global brand or the big screen—deserves the same cinematic care, emotional honesty, and respect for its audience.
With experience spanning broadcast television, enterprise communications, streaming media, and independent film, Todd combines a director's eye, an editor's precision, and a vérité-inspired approach to creating stories that feel authentic, cinematic, and deeply human.
Whether following engineers through manufacturing
facilities, producing content inside fast-moving
operational environments, or directing emotionally grounded narrative films, his approach remains the same: observe first, listen closely, and find the human story others overlook.
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Driven by the same curiosity he shared with his father while watching old movies together, Todd’s passion for storytelling has evolved into a distinct visual voice—intimate, cinematic, and emotionally true. Through his production company, Poor Polly Productions, Todd continues to tell stories that blur the line between commercial filmmaking and cinematic storytelling. Most recently, he collaborated with Jeff LaGrone on the award-winning short narrative film "Sundown," continuing a body of work driven by empathy, curiosity, and the belief that the most memorable stories reveal something true about the people at their center.
Music shapes the rhythm of every film Todd creates. As both a filmmaker and musician, he approaches music videos as visual performances—where editing, movement, and emotion work together to create something audiences don't just watch, but feel.
Narrative
Corporate
