)
){kind=avatar}
Director Charles Todd’s diverse and purpose-driven work explores storytelling through experimental mixed-media.
Alongside award-winning commercials, his series of original shorts for Apple Music have revolutionised the music documentary genre. He’s committed to magnifying overlooked perspectives, and has recently been featured at MIPAD (Most Influential People Of African Decent).
Todd grew up in Missouri with dreams of being a music producer, somewhere between Pharrell and Timbaland, but found his way to working in New York finance. He later ditched ‘the suit’ to pursue music and filmmaking as a career. He began working at Scheme Engine as a composer, and in 2017 moved exclusively into directing.
Over the last 5 years, Todd has built a prolific body of mixed-media films, including campaigns for clients and artists such as Nike, Google, Amazon, the NBA, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Beyonce.
His series of original short documentaries for Apple Music, featuring the likes of Lil Baby, The 1975 and Christine & The Queens, are widely-acclaimed and said to have raised the bar of what’s possible within the music documentary genre. He has also directed two feature documentaries: The Blues Chase The Blues Away premiered at Tribeca 2021 and won Best Documentary Feature at Pan African Film Festival, and King Of Bachata is currently airing on HBO Max.
Most recently, he created a mind-blowing interactive music video/ commercial hybrid for Google X Ludacris with Buying All Black. It was made to support Ludacris’ latest single and to champion 70 Black-owned Businesses. The video ‘gamifies’ the Google search process to show the scope and range of Black businesses.
Todd is also a Creative Director of US-based Scheme Engine, a BIPOC-owned creative studio and production company that’s part of the Roc Nation family. He is committed to magnifying diverse representations, both in front and behind the camera. With a keen interest in sociology and human behaviour, he loves “people trying to make sense of the world around them. As it relates to the depiction of black lives on camera, I’m focused on
‘empowerment’ as a theme and ‘uplifting’ as a tone. I want people who look like me to see how beautiful they are, even if at times they don’t feel it themselves.”
On signing to Spindle Charles Todd said: "What I love most about filmmaking is the sense of community; a bunch of crazy kids coming together to make something beautiful. From the beginning, Spindle's partners, producers and creatives have treated me like family. I’m feeling quite inspired by what we can imagine together. Joining their roster feels like coming home."
Louise Gagen, Spindle Executive Producer adds: "We are incredibly excited to welcome Charles to the Spindle roster and UK market. His work and sensibility is a perfect fit for our ethos; whilst his revolutionary and experimental music work speaks to a bright future making big waves in commercials. Let the adventures begin."
