Founded RetroMotion Creative
Launched a cinematic production company focused on story-driven video.
- film
- production
- founding
Creative Record
Justin Bunnell
Filmmaker. Creative Entrepreneur. Experience Builder.
I build cinematic stories, heritage brands, and immersive experiences people can step into.
Project File — Brief
The Short Version
Justin Bunnell is a filmmaker, creative entrepreneur, and experience builder who turns stories into brands, videos, hospitality spaces, apps, events, and fictional worlds people can step into. His work moves between cinematic production, real-world hospitality, heritage brand revival, interactive media, and practical AI experimentation.
Creative Record — Selected Worlds
Selected Worlds
Creative Record — Field Ledger
What I've Built
20+
Years across film, brand, hospitality & experience design
200+
Video projects delivered
50+
Returning clients
Multiple
Creative & hospitality ventures founded
100+
Year-old Vermont beverage story revived
Live
Entertainment cocktail & soda lounge opened and operated
Built
Interactive web apps and game prototypes
Produced
Podcasts, branded campaigns, live events & immersive experiences
Creative Record — Moving Pictures
Motion Work
Social
Pine Street Therapy - owning a business
Running a lounge, multiple businesses, a family, and my sanity all at the same time. So I went to therapy… and let’s just say his advice did not make the to-do list. Does any other small biz owner feel like this, or am I the only one scheduling my emotional breakdowns between food orders and payroll? New video up. Enjoy my suffering. 🥃💚 Some artwork provided by the SPACE gallery. Thank you to John Killacky for being my therapist.
Music
Venetian Artist Showcase: Julia Randell
Earlier this year, Julia Randall took home 1st place in our Emerging Songwriters Competition, earning the grand prize: a full day of recording at the renowned Tank Recording Studios. Since then, she’s been hard at work crafting her upcoming album, set to release in Spring 2025. 🎥 This video captures Julia’s live performance of her song, “On the Internet,” filmed just yesterday at the Venetian Soda Lounge and beautifully shot by RetroMotion Creative. It’s a taste of what’s to come from her highly anticipated album! 💿 Be sure to follow Julia Randall to stay updated on her journey and get ready for her album launch. A huge thank-you to Tank Recording Studios for supporting emerging artists and helping bring their music to life. 🎵 Calling all songwriters! Our second annual Emerging Songwriters Competition starts this January, hosted by the amazing David Karl Roberts. If you’re an aspiring artist or a fan of live music, this is your chance to be part of something special. 📌 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more live performances and updates from the Venetian Soda Lounge. Let’s celebrate the artists who inspire us!
Short Film
A Robot, a Ghost, and a Bottle of Ginger Ale | A Gingery Christmas
A little holiday magic comes to the Venetian Soda Plant in A Gingery Christmas, an original short film from Venetian Soda Lounge and Venetian Beverages. Starring Justin Bunnell and Sam Kurnit, this playful Christmas tale follows a grumpy soda maker, a loyal robot named Gingy, and a ghostly visitor with unfinished family business, a union card, and apparently very strong opinions about ginger ale. Inspired by classic holiday storytelling, local history, old soda plant lore, and the strange emotional needs of mechanical employees, A Gingery Christmas celebrates friendship, redemption, Venetian Ginger Ale, and the idea that even a rusty robot deserves a Christmas drink. Produced for Venetian Soda Lounge and Venetian Beverages.
Social
Does a Lemon Have a Soul?
Come in and try our new Maple Whiskey Sour featuring Double Tapped Maple Bourbon Whiskey. And remember every lemon has a soul. If you enjoyed our skit please like, comment or share.
Documentary
Farmers Feed the World | Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition’s 20-Year Story
For 20 years, Phoenix Feeds & Nutrition has stood beside the farmers of the Northeast, helping them care for their animals, manage rising costs, improve performance, and build a stronger future for the next generation. This film tells the story of farming as more than a business. It is a legacy built through family, sacrifice, resilience, innovation, and deep responsibility to the land and animals. Through the voices of farmers and agricultural leaders, the video explores the challenges facing today’s farms, from milk prices and inflation to sustainability, succession planning, diversification, and the pressure to keep improving while protecting a way of life.
Short Film
The Last Roar: The Story of Théodore Lemieux | An AI Gothic Circus Film
In 1914, a circus train crashes on a cold Vermont night. The animals escape. A ringmaster is found dead. The town blames a rival, but the truth is far darker. The Last Roar: The Story of Théodore Lemieux is an AI-produced gothic mystery film about control, fear, guilt, and the wildness humanity keeps trying to cage. Set in St. Albans, Vermont, the film follows the aftermath of a sabotaged circus train and the death of Théodore Lemieux, a ringmaster haunted by the natural world he tried to master. As the town turns fearful and violent, the story asks a deeper question: was this simply murder, or was it nature itself roaring back? Produced by RetroMotion Creative.
Signal — Field Notes
Field Notes
Thoughts on video production, immersive hospitality, AI, gear, storytelling, and building strange but useful things.
Build Timeline
Revived Venetian Ginger Ale / Venetian Beverages
Brought back a heritage Vermont beverage brand connected to family history.
- brand
- heritage
- beverages
Opened The Venetian Soda Lounge
Built and opened a vintage-inspired cocktail and soda lounge in Burlington, Vermont in August 2022.
- hospitality
- venue
- experience
Created Rufus Hightower Action-Adventure Universe
Created and developed the Rufus Hightower universe, an original adventure IP inspired by 1930s pulp serials, golden-age cinema, tiki culture, occult mystery, and immersive hospitality. Built a transmedia world spanning live events, cocktail menus, video content, interactive experiences, and game concepts, with recurring characters, lore, branded artifacts, and serialized storylines. Designed the IP to function as both entertainment and experiential marketing, connecting audience engagement, hospitality, storytelling, and brand-building into one cohesive creative platform.
- storytelling
- game
- creative
Built SodaBarVT Interactive App
Designed and built a web-based interactive mystery and case-file experience.
- app
- interactive
- technology
Launched A.I. Fellas Podcast
Co-created a podcast about AI for everyday people.
- podcast
- ai
- media
Developed AI-Assisted Creative & Business Workflows
Built practical AI-powered workflows for video production, content strategy, and business operations.
- ai
- workflow
- innovation
System — Capabilities
Capabilities
Creative Direction
Film & Video Production
Brand Storytelling
Hospitality Experience Design
Immersive Events
AI-Assisted Workflows
Interactive Storytelling
Team, Vendor & Client Leadership
Marketing & Content Strategy
Training, Systems & Operational Execution
Signal — Open Channel
Connect
For creative direction, video production, consulting, storytelling, hospitality concepts, immersive experiences, or strange but useful ideas that require taste and execution.