Stephanie Mishelle Ard

SURPRISE! If you didn’t know yet, I moved to NYC!! (Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy to be exact, but had to get a dumb new New Yorker pic with this cute baby 🤪)... I’ll be back in Austin from time-to-time, but for now I’m gonna live my DREAMSSSSS! 💫💫💫 #newnewyorker #liveyodreamz

‘Last Laugh’ - the laugh challenge game show I Directed for @roosterteeth premieres today! This was my first directorial project for RT (where I’ve worked for four years now wow) and it was a BLAST!! 🥰 had so much fun on this project and I’m so thankful to all the people that made it happen!!! Check out episode 1 today at 3:30 CST on RTTV! (Roosterteeth.com)

The "I can't handle this, this is weird" real-life one 😜#berlinale #berlinale2016 #thatdayatberlin

Saturday 8/24/25 @shellybellyfilm will screen at the @defyfilmfest in Nashville! Yay! 💗 this is cool on a multitude of levels… 1) b/c that will be almost exactly two years since we wrapped on the film (crazy) 2) because I did my summer internship in college at a record label in Nashville and now I get to go back as a filmmaker (wild) and 3) the festival programs films that are “unconventional and defy traditions and expectations” and I honestly couldn’t think of a better compliment for my work (blushing) ☺️ Very excited to continue to share Shelly Belly with audiences, and coming soon, THE WORLD! 🌎 #defyfilmfestival #defyfilmfest #filmmakers #femaleartist #shortfilms

Completed another loop around the☀️last week. 37 was full of change, adventure, friends new and old, celebration, family, new challenges, LOTS of rides on the Staten Island Ferry🤪, and another year living in the best city on earth 🗽 (while frequenting Texas an absurd amount of times 🙃) Here’s to 38! 🥂— may it be full of love, joy, fun… and the beautiful surprises life can bring! I’m ready! 🙌💕

I’m pretty bad at this whole social media “self-promotion” thing… I’m so bad at it, that I recently realized it’s been two years since I completed one of the most exciting/fun projects of my career so far, and I never posted about it on the main grid. Oops! And then I was thinking… in the wake of all the horrible things the 🍊💩 is doing to our govt, and the fact that he is callously and vindictively hunting down & snuffing out DEI programs in the public & private sectors, and corporations are folding to his tyrannical whims, I thought I would share my experience creating custom content in support of one such program. In 2023, @jessicavasami and I had the opportunity to craft a YouTube and social campaign for @wbd - one that highlighted the creators in a @wbdaccess program and also celebrated WB’s iconic IP and the celebration of the WB centennial - a LOT of directives for one campaign lol 😝🤪 We spent months crafting the content alongside the amazing creators and the team at WBD (shout out @vanessapfeiffer 🙌). Then over a whirlwind 3 days at the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, CA, we filmed one hero piece (feat. some actual superheroes 🦸‍♂️ ) and 10+ social videos. It was 17 locations, 16 cast members, & a lot of fast-moving, collaborative, creative decisions. This project was one for the books—and not just b/c I got to walk around Stars Hollow alone & cry 😭🥹— but b/c the team involved had such passion and joy for the process, excitement for their futures, and incredible talent. And orgs like the WBD Access programs give talented people like these, who don’t already have an “in” to the industry, valuable experience & connections. These programs are good. They foster the leadership and creative ideas we need. They need to remain. But in their absence, may we all continue to prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, & accessibility in our own creative endeavors, and fight for the voices of all to be heard and respected. The table is big enough for everyone. 💞 Also, big shoutout to @jrguil for recommending me and @jessicavasami for the gig, and to @nadscicles and @zunegirl for all the support ✨

👋 Welcome to NYWIFT, Stephanie Mishelle Ard! 🎥 @stephaniemishelle is a Texas-born, Brooklyn-based, multi-hyphenate storyteller, who works both in-front-of and behind the camera. 📹 Her work as a Director, Producer, Writer, and Actress spans narrative film, unscripted series, documentary, music videos, and branded content. 🇩🇪 Her debut short film, That Day, premiered at Berlinale 2016 and her most recent work, Shelly Belly, had its New York premiere at the Greenwich Village Film Festival this past November. 📺 In Stephanie’s branded work, she has had had the opportunity to work with major brands and entertainment clients like HBO Max, DC Comics, State Farm, Travel Channel, and Warner Bros. ❤️ Stephanie’s highest career aim is to tell impactful stories that unify us around the human spirit and spread empathy, while continuing to create opportunities for women and underrepresented groups to work in this industry and tell their stories through film and television. 😼 In addition to creating film magic, Stephanie loves to spend her time cooking, doing home-improvement DIY activities or crafts, and snuggling her cat Swayze (that is, when Swayze allows the snuggles). Read her full conversation with @darylthebrightestclay at the 🔗 in our bio!

2024 in R E V E R S E! ⏮️⏮️⏮️ Looking back at this year was a reminder of how much joy filled each month. Despite massive change and uncertainty, what IS certain is I have amazing friends, lovely family, and a great, fun and adventurous life 🥰 Here’s to more to come in 2025! 🥂✨ (Also I tried to tag everyone but instagram has a 20 person cap, so… just know I tried 🤷🏼‍♀️)

Had an incredible time at the @gvfilmfestival last month premiering @shellybellyfilm to the WORLD! ✨🎞️✨It was emotional and special and I felt incredibly loved and supported by the amazing friends that came! And I was gifted flowers and a decorative CABBAGE! 🥬 (how lucky am I?!) Anyways… trying to be better at this “posting” thing, so I thought I would share 😝 Hopefully we can show this little film at more fests and then, the world, but for now… I’m very happy and blessed that I got to share it with this room full of film-lovers and friends 🥰 #shortfilm #filmfestival #shellybelly #indepedentfilm #femalefilmmaker

✨GOOD NEWS INCOMING✨ My sweet little short film ‘Shelly Belly’ will have its’ WORLD PREMIERE at the upcoming Greenwich Village Film Festival! @gvfilmfestival 🌃🎞️ ‘Shelly Belly’ is an intimate and odd exploration of insecurities and what our bodies might reveal… if they could talk. 😝 I’m so thrilled to have my first NYC film screen in the city, and specifically, in the village—a neighborhood famous for being a home to emerging artists with progressive views and a safe haven for non-conformists experiencing societal oppression. I think it’s the perfect first home for this film, who’s aim is to hopefully inspire people of ALL body types to buck societal “norms” and “standards” and practice radical self-love and acceptance. ☺️ This film is the most vulnerable art I’ve ever made and I’m excited/terrified to start sharing it with the world—but I’m also immensely proud of its message and the team that helped me bring it to life. Thanks again to the team! Starring: @ariel.kavoussi as Belly @stephaniemishelle as Shelly @kirk_koz as Club Guy @fredwink as Boss Sirin Minikhanova as Young Shelly Harper Morris as Nicole Evan Menshikov as Nick Ethan Claro as Andrew Director / Writer: 🙋🏼‍♀️ DP: @ladyp.mov AC: @katiecolwelll Grip: @badpeopleplace Sound Design & Mix: @curtistries Additional Sound: @badpeopleplace & @fredwink Colorist: @vectorscope.color Special Thanks to: @greggaeton_ @lorikov @taylorewashington @jessicavasami @geminifuckboi @chill_berrt @meghanrross @danhirons @ericsvendsen @ryanmichael1979 @eviltuna7 @fredwink @ashleylouisesta @industrioushq

Hello Friends! As many of you probably already know, the company I worked at for the last 8 years, Rooster Teeth Productions, announced in March that it would be closing permanently. My last day of full-time employment was in June, and since then I have been rocking that severance life 🤘🏻, taking some much-needed time off🧘‍♀️, and figuring out how I wanted to move forward! 😅 So… I am here to officially announce that I am AVAILABLE for any and all Directing and Producing opportunities! I have a background in creating all types of content—narrative film and series, documentary/unscripted, branded content, social media content, music videos, and more (which you can see on my website portfolio ). I’ve worked with clients like Warner Bros., Travel Channel, Voodoo Ranger, and Verizon. Not to toot my horn (toot 🎷toot🎷), but I am a gifted storyteller with an ability to balance crafting impactful content while also leading with kindness, confidence, and efficiency. I’m looking to explore new avenues for directing and producing mainly in the New York market (but I’ll go anywhere—whathcya got??🧐). I’ll be pursuing directing and producing branded content, but I’m also very interested in breaking into television—whether that be on a groundbreaking drama, a side-splitting comedy, or a travel/food docu-series (ya girl loves to eat and travel while doing it). I also have experience with Creative Producing/Development and Art Coordinating for series, films and commercials. If you know of/hear of any opportunities, or know anyone in “the biz” (especially in NYC) that you think I should meet, PLEASE let me know! I’m still a relative newcomer in NYC, especially after such a long stretch of full time employment, and I’m eager to start meeting new people and exploring what this city has for me! Thanks to everyone who’s helped me on my journey thus far. Love to you all! 🩷🩷🩷

Do yourself a favor and surround yourself with good friends who support your journey and therefore your art… and also, if you’re making a movie, be sure to write yourself dance party and beach day scenes😎🎬🏖️ lots of love and besos to my amazing friends that helped me make another passion project 😘💛 #ShellyBelly 🎞️ Coming soon!!! #wrapped