Creative Record
Justin Bunnell
Filmmaker. Creative Entrepreneur. Experience Builder.
I build cinematic stories, heritage brands, and immersive experiences people can step into.
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.
Selected Worlds
What I've Built
Years across film, brand, hospitality & experience design
Video projects delivered
Returning clients
Creative & hospitality ventures founded
Year-old Vermont beverage story revived
Entertainment cocktail & soda lounge opened and operated
Interactive web apps and game prototypes
Podcasts, branded campaigns, live events & immersive experiences
Motion Work
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.
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.
VEDA at 50: Building Vermont’s Economy, Businesses, and Communities
For more than 50 years, the Vermont Economic Development Authority has helped Vermont businesses grow, create jobs, strengthen communities, and bring entrepreneurial dreams to life. This 50th anniversary film looks back at VEDA’s role in Vermont’s economic story, from its early work supporting industrial parks and manufacturing, to agriculture, tourism, renewable energy, emergency recovery lending, and long-term partnerships with banks, credit unions, businesses, farmers, and communities across the state. Through interviews and stories from Vermont business leaders, farmers, lenders, and partners, the film shows how VEDA has adapted to changing industries while staying focused on its mission: helping Vermont’s economy remain resilient, competitive, and true to the character of the state. Filmed and produced by RetroMotion Creative.
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.
Field Notes
Thoughts on video production, immersive hospitality, AI, gear, storytelling, and building strange but useful things.
Build Timeline
Founded RetroMotion Creative
Launched a cinematic production company focused on story-driven video.
Revived Venetian Ginger Ale / Venetian Beverages
Brought back a heritage Vermont beverage brand connected to family history.
Opened The Venetian Soda Lounge
Built and opened a vintage-inspired cocktail and soda lounge in Burlington, Vermont.
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.
Launched A.I. Fellas Podcast
Co-created a podcast about AI for everyday people.
Built SodaBarVT Interactive App
Designed and built a web-based interactive mystery and case-file experience.
Developed AI-Assisted Creative & Business Workflows
Built practical AI-powered workflows for video production, content strategy, and business operations.
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
Connect
For creative direction, video production, consulting, storytelling, hospitality concepts, immersive experiences, or strange but useful ideas that require taste and execution.