Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Hester.
Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started Storyteller Studios in 2013 in my hometown of Springfield, Illinois. The idea was simple: leverage documentary-style storytelling to help brands and nonprofits connect on a deeper emotional level with their audiences.
Before that, I’d spent years working in video production, creating corporate films, commercials, marketing videos. And I saw a pattern. Most businesses were telling stories about themselves when they should’ve been telling stories about the people they serve. They were making themselves the hero when their customers should be.
That gap between what brands were doing and what actually works became the foundation for everything we do. We position the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide. That’s not just marketing speak, it’s how stories have worked for thousands of years, and it’s how they still work today.
We’ve grown from a one-person operation to a full-time team of Emmy-winning producers, directors, and cinematographers. We serve purpose-driven brands, businesses and nonprofits that value people and the common good. We work with organizations that want to make a real impact, not just noise.
The work has led us everywhere from nonprofit missions to corporate brands, from fundraising campaigns to recruitment videos. Each project is different, but the approach is the same: find the human story, tell it with integrity, and make it compelling enough that people actually care.
That’s what we do. That’s where we are. And we’re just getting started.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting a video production company in the midwest wasn’t exactly stepping into a ready-made market. This isn’t LA or New York. The first challenge was convincing businesses and nonprofits that video was worth the investment. Most were used to DIY solutions or bad corporate videos that looked like they were shot in a public access tv studio.
The bigger challenge was educating clients on what good storytelling actually costs. Everyone wants cinematic quality, but not everyone wants to pay for a full production team, equipment, and the time it takes to craft something that doesn’t look like stock footage. We had to prove that the ROI justified the investment, and that takes time and patience.
Building a team was another hurdle. You can’t just snap your fingers and find Emmy-winning producers and cinematographers in central Illinois. We had to recruit talent, train people who showed promise, and create a culture where excellence wasn’t negotiable. That meant turning down projects that didn’t align with our standards, even when we needed the revenue.
Documentary-style storytelling is hard. You’re dealing with real people, real emotions, sensitive topics. You can’t script authenticity. You have to earn trust, ask the right questions, and sometimes shoot for hours to capture five minutes of gold. Some interviews don’t work. Some stories don’t land. You learn to pivot fast.
The industry changed, too. Social media, algorithms, attention spans, all of it evolved while we were building. We had to stay ahead of those shifts without abandoning what makes storytelling work in the first place.
But here’s the thing: the struggles forced us to get better. They made us sharper, more strategic, more intentional. We didn’t just survive, we built something worth doing. And work worth doing is always hard.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Storyteller Studios?
Storyteller Studios creates documentary-style videos for purpose-driven brands, businesses and nonprofits that care about making a difference in people’s lives. We serve clients who want to tell their story authentically and connect with audiences who share their values.
We’re known for three main offerings: Brand videos tell the story of your business in a way that attracts customers who align with your values, the kind who become long-term champions. These are 2-3 minute cinematic pieces designed to live on your website and welcome visitors to your brand. They last at least two years, sometimes much longer.
Fundraising videos help nonprofits share their mission through compelling stories told with sensitivity and care. We know how to draw out meaningful moments from people who aren’t actors or public speakers, and we edit those interviews in ways that move donors to give.
Custom storytelling covers everything else; documentaries, recruitment videos, training content, event films, testimonials. Whatever your organization needs to fulfill its mission, we can help.
Most video production companies tell you what you want to hear. We tell you what you need to hear. Here’s what makes us different: We position your customer as the hero, not your brand. Your audience doesn’t care how great you are, they want to know how you’re going to make their life better. We use proven storytelling principles to put your customer front and center, with your brand serving as the guide who helps them overcome challenges.
We don’t tolerate mediocrity. Everyone has a camera in their pocket now, which makes it easy to cut corners. But shoddy video cheapens the brands it represents. We’re a full-time team of Emmy-winning producers, directors, and cinematographers who are obsessed with excellence. You’ll never work with outside contractors or freelancers, just our in-house team.
We tell complex, sensitive stories with clarity and compassion. We spend a lot of time interviewing people who aren’t used to being on camera. We’ve gotten very good at making them comfortable, asking the right questions, and editing out the “ums” and pauses. The result is authentic storytelling that feels natural, not staged.
Our work has helped nonprofits break fundraising records, helped brands expand into new markets, and earned multiple Regional Emmy Awards and Telly Awards. But what we’re really proud of is this: our clients routinely tell us that the videos we create are the most effective tools they have for communicating their mission.
We’ve served 700+ clients over the past 12 years across 23 states and two countries. We’ve built a reputation for treating every story with integrity and professionalism, and for making the production process pain-free.
Video isn’t just about looking good. It’s about connection. Messages designed for everyone reach no one. Good stories create an emotional connection that moves people to action, whether that’s purchasing, donating, or championing your brand.
We believe that if you don’t create videos the right way, people will tune them out. That’s why we exist, to stand in the gap and help purpose-driven brands connect with the customers, donors, and clients who will keep them alive.
What’s next?
We’re not chasing growth for growth’s sake. We’re focused on doing better work with better clients.
The plan is to stay hungry, humble, and smart, those are our core values, and they guide everything. We want to keep serving purpose-driven brands that care about making an impact. That means businesses and nonprofits who value people over profit margins, who want to connect authentically with their audiences, and who understand that good storytelling takes time.
We’re continuing to invest in our team. We’ve built something rare, a full-time, in-house group of Emmy-winning producers and directors who are obsessed with the craft. No freelancers, no contractors you’ve never met showing up on shoot day. We want to keep developing that talent and pushing the quality of our work higher.
And we’re deepening our focus on storytelling education. We’ve published “The First Language,” a blog series on the fundamentals of storytelling, and we’ll keep exploring how brands can use these principles to cut through the noise.
AI is changing marketing and communications. Tools are evolving fast, and content can now be generated in seconds. But here’s our core belief; no matter the tool, whether content is human-generated or AI-generated, the most effective messages will embrace storytelling principles that are as old as humanity itself.
AI can produce. AI can persuade. But what makes a story resonate isn’t the technology behind it, it’s whether it connects with people on a human level. The principles Aristotle wrote about 2,300 years ago still apply. Plot. Character. Catharsis. Emotional truth. Those elements don’t change just because the delivery mechanism does.
Storytelling was our first language, and it will be our last language, too. The tools may evolve, from cave walls to campfires to printing presses to video cameras to AI, but the need for authentic connection doesn’t. People still crave stories that make them feel seen, understood, and part of something bigger than themselves.
That’s the long game, and we’re committed to it. We’re not trying to become the biggest production company in the Midwest. We’re trying to be the best at what we do; documentary-style storytelling for brands that matter.
Pricing:
- Our portfolio includes work ranging from $5,000 to $50,000+
- Brand videos start at $5,000-$10,000 and include a 3-4 minute feature plus social media cuts, designed to last at least two years
- Fundraising videos for nonprofits start at $5,000 and are crafted with sensitivity by professionals experienced in complex storytelling
- Custom projects (documentaries, recruitment videos, training content) are quoted based on scope after we discuss your specific needs
- You’re investing in a full-time Emmy-winning team, strategic storytelling development, and deliverables that drive measurable results
Contact Info:
- Website: https://storytellerstudios.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thestorytellerstudios
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/TheStorytellerStudios
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/storytellerstudios
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCODPWATuKPWI3pBoMWAXe4A
