Smartypants

08/20/2024

This is Bear. He is ready for his close-up. 14/10 for being such a very good boy on set.

08/12/2024

Check out this insightful op-ed by Smartypants director Trey Nelson. He shares his transformative journey to a mindset that prioritizes genuine connection through art. Nelson recounts how a near-death experience radically changed his perspective on directing and his greater purpose.

https://www.brandstorytelling.tv/single-post/crafting-authentic-narratives-lessons-documentary-filmmakers-can-offer-brand-marketers

08/06/2024

Thanks to for covering Founding Director Josh Seftel’s recent conversation with Simran Jeet Singh about the power of storytelling hosted by the Chautauqua Institution

07/23/2024

The newest from Josh's mom - tips to stay cool in the newest My Mom on Summer!

07/12/2024

BTS on our latest film!

Photos by 📸
With our team:

, , , , Avi Bond, Heather Marshall, Trevor Smith and Brenda Gutierrez.

06/27/2024

In our latest spot featuring Ari Melber and Cadillac, we built an innovative lighting rig to showcase the iconic brand.

Client: NBC News Brand Studio
EP: Anna Rowe
LP: Devyn Isaacson
Director/DP: Boyd Hobbs
Talent: Christina Pellerin & Michael Alisa
AD: Lexi Kirsch
PM: Elizabeth Worley
Gimbal: Graham Futerfas
1st AC: Keith Hudson
Gaffer: Nick Perry
Lighting Programmer: Patrick Mattes
Key Grip: Jake Reeder
Stylist: Elizabeth Carvalho
HMU: Lindsay Byrd
Editor: Jasper Verhorevoort
Colorist: Kristopher Smale / Rare Medium
Sound Design: Bobb Barito
VFX/Cleanup: Cartel & Patrick Nugent
Filmed at: Quixote Studios
Inertia Wheels: NODO Film Systems

06/10/2024

Excited to be producing a new film with opera superstar Anthony Roth Costanzo and a Smartypants dream team led by director Suzanne Hillinger. Catch Anthony in the closing night performance of “Orfeo” at the Met on Saturday evening! 🎭

Some of the team:
Director, Suzanne Hillinger -
Producer, Joshua Seftel - 🙋‍♂️
Cinematographer, Alex Pritz -
Sound Mixer, Orion Gordon -
EPs, Chelsea Noll-McClintock and Eric Nichols - and
Line Producer, Marki Yaccino - .yaccino
AP, Madeline Johnson -

06/04/2024

Behind the scenes at Pat Seftel’s New York Times photoshoot 📸 Thank you for capturing her! Check out the full NYT article linked in our stories

04/29/2024

Ahead of the Oscars, Smartypants created this anthem for the center of theoretical research featured in the film Oppenheimer.
Read about how our incredible director Merete Mueller planned and executed this film!

Ahead of the Oscars, Smartypants created this anthem for the center of theoretical research featured in the film Oppenheimer.

04/23/2024

Born in Detroit and raised in Kansas City, Kristin Thompson has done a little bit of everything in the production world. Starting her career as an editor, she moved into producing commercial productions and boomeranged back to become a post producer. She has worked with brands ranging from Garmin International to the Kansas City Royals to non-profit organizations across the country.

Whether sitting in a dark edit room, pouring over schedules or trekking down a mountain bike trail in Italy to find the perfect shot, Kristin is at home in all parts of production.

04/19/2024

It was an honor to partner with this legendary institute on this anthem project!

The Institute for Advanced Study is a leading center for theoretical research and discovery dedicated to advancing the frontiers of knowledge across the sciences and humanities. Each year, 250 of the world’s most promising post-doctoral researchers and scholars are welcomed as Members to a campus dedicated to collaboration, excellence, and independent inquiry.

Production Company: Smartypants
Executive Producers: Anna Bick Rowe (), Eric Nichols ()
Director: Merete Mueller ( )
Senior Producer: Amy Shand ()
Associate Creative Director: Christiana Mecca
Writer: Lilian Mehrel
Director of Photography: Drew Levin ()
Steadicam Operator: Kevin Jacobsen
Additional Crew: Mike Guaspari, Edgar Velez, Kevin Jacobsen, Derek Sexton-Horani, Gabe Solorzano, Jordan Gairey, Megan Miller, Dylan Brown, Joy Wu

Post-Production Manager: Kristin Thompson ()
Editor: Charlotte Savage ()
Assistant Editor: Collin Friesen
Color Grade: Alexia Salingaros, Forager
Color Producer: Lindsey Mazur, Forager
Sound Design: Bobb Barito ()

Footage Courtesy of: IAS, Pond5, Filmsupply, Artgrid, University of Toronto, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, The White House, The New York Public Library, Alamy, American Institute of Physics

03/25/2024

Hot off the press. It only took a year but we finally printed our posters for ! 👏🎬

03/18/2024

🎥 by Dir:

03/09/2024

The Oscars are almost here! Here's a short film Founding Director Joshua Seftel directed about the kind, generous, Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie) for The Vilcek Foundation. Good luck Rodrigo! 🎥

The Academy Smartypants

03/04/2024

After having had a baby, Anna Rowe has been back in her job as EP at Smartypants for a year. (We are so glad she's back!) In this article, she reflects on the mantras that hold true across both of her roles and reveals how executive producing prepared her for parenthood.

Read the article https://shots.net/news/view/little-snapshots-how-the-roles-of-mother-and-producer-collide

02/29/2024

Smartypants in their party pants! Happy belated holiday party to all of our team and wonderful collaborators 🎉📸:

02/24/2024

Thanks to our super crew in Uvalde for bringing strength and compassion to a heavy-hearted day.

🎥: Amanda Avery, Matt Porwoll, Avi Bond, me, Lou Bopp, Katie Cheline, Conall Jones, Emily Sanchez, Steve Hartman.

02/22/2024

Just a couple of Smartypants

02/13/2024

Smartypants Founding Director Joshua Seftel discusses matters of the heart with his mother, Pat, ahead of Valentine’s Day on CBS Sunday Morning

02/08/2024

casually soaking in all the academic-genius residue from Oppenheimer’s desk circa that time when he was Director of IAS. And other goodies from our location scout today 📸 by

01/28/2024

Had fun working with Tom Brady on a new project. A true professional in every way. 🐐

01/13/2024

Get to know a SMARTY! Since starting with Smartypants in 2012, Anna has filmed in airports around the world with Delta Air Lines, chased sunsets for the perfect shot with NPR, learned photography for The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano, attended a Refugee summer academy with the International Rescue Committee, learned to salsa dance with Bill Nye for PBS, among others.

Anna's short documentary Stand Up, Fight Back, which follows a Boston-based non-profit as they help underprivileged locals fight eviction due to illegal foreclosures, premiered at the Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes in 2010. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Tufts University, and is a self-proclaimed google spreadsheet enthusiast.

12/08/2023

📷 by

12/05/2023

Check out this great interview with Chelsea Noll-McClintock!

An Interview With Maria Angelova

11/27/2023

Josh’s mom, Pat, makes her return to CBS Sunday Morning and takes Artificial Intelligence for a test drive - revealing her worst fears, trying out its poetry skills, and delivering her ultimate verdict on AI.

11/13/2023

Founding Director Josh Seftel shares his secret for getting in the zone. Check out this fun interview with Adweek about his favorite Bose headphones. Full interview -> https://bit.ly/40zsVio

11/10/2023

Our campaign for Visit Fort Worth called “The Unexpected City”—voiced by legendary Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart.

Visit Fort Worth
DP: Boyd Hobbs
Director: Trey Nelson
Produced by Chelsea Noll-McClintock and Amy Shand

10/09/2023

Get to know a Smarty - Director Merete Mueller! Merete is a writer and documentary filmmaker based in NYC. Her work explores landscapes, bodies, architecture, the environment - how we fill space and find ourselves at home.

Merete’s films have screened at SXSW, Hot Docs and DOC NYC, via Al Jazeera, the Canadian Broadcasting Channel, Netflix, The New York Times Op-Docs series, and in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, VICE and as a Vimeo Staff Pick. She’s been supported by Rooftop Films, The Fledgling Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, and in 2018 she was a Logan Nonfiction Fellow at the Carey Center for Global Good.

In addition to her independent film work, Merete also directs commercial and editorial pieces. Past clients include GE, Toyota Prius, Ford, Facebook, Citbank, Vox Media, Vice Media, and Conde Nast.

09/26/2023

Founding Director Josh Seftel's Mom on CBS Sunday Morning this morning, discussing climate change to mark Climate Week.
w/ Patricia Seftel, My Mom On Movies, CBS Sunday Morning

08/18/2023

We’ve got something new cooking! It’s top secret 🤐 for now. But excited to be working with this incredible team. Stay tuned!