We are an empathy agency

We Tell Human-Centered Stories That Engage, Inspire and Move People to Action.

Creative Ideation, Directing, Producing & Post Production

We apply our human-centered storytelling tactics and production expertise to direct and produce projects from ideation through delivery. We build and lead talented teams, collaborating closely with clients. Cheryl Miller Houser is also available as a Director, Executive Producer and Consultant on projects that Creative Breed doesn’t produce.

We have produced and Cheryl has directed feature documentaries, mini-docs, commercials, brand launch videos, web series, Presidential campaign videos, social media campaigns and corporate social responsibility campaigns. We deploy our tactics of human-centered storytelling across all platforms and industries and love applying our expertise to innovative, inter-disciplinary forms of marketing.

Public Speaking, Consulting & Workshops

Through speaking engagements, workshops and consulting, Cheryl shares the methodology she developed as a documentary filmmaker on how to capture genuine moments with people and bring audiences on a relatable emotional journey through them. 

Using engaging case studies, she explores how to conceptualize, cast, craft, direct, produce and distribute projects, providing guidance and inspiration on these topics:

Storytelling and Empathy in a Purpose-Driven Economy: how to tell stories that convey your values, drive engagement and spur positive action

The Empathy Effect: Impact through Storytelling: how to use storytelling to drive social impact

Show Don’t Tell: how to apply storytelling tactics to create advertising that entertains, engages people in an immersive experience and forms emotional bonds with them

Clients

Cheryl Miller Houser, Founder & CEO

Director, Producer, Inspirational Speaker, Workshop Creator, Consultant

What Drives Me:

I am passionate about storytelling as a force for good and am driven to tell stories that capture our shared humanity, move people and spur them to action. I’ve been telling stories like this for three decades as a writer, producer and director, starting with award winning feature films, documentaries and hundreds of hours of TV. Eager to help businesses tap into the power of emotionally engaging, well-crafted stories, I launched Creative Breed to apply my storytelling expertise to marketing. I do this through conceptualizing, producing and directing campaigns and spots and also through public speaking, workshops and consulting.

My work as Director & Producer at Creative Breed:

As a creator, I conceptualize, direct and produce projects across all platforms, building and leading talented teams and collaborating closely with clients. Some of these projects have included: Co-Director and Producer of feature documentary GENERATION STARTUP, funded by PwC Charitable Foundation and UBS, and ancillary content across multiple platforms. I also built and guided teams to execute the film’s successful branding, marketing, distribution and social media. Presidential candidate Andrew Yang engaged me to direct and produce his campaign launch video and moving mini-docs that convey his campaign slogan “Humanity First.” I produced and directed hit web series Mad Genuis Tips for Food & Wine Magazine, with 40+ million views, book extension and James Beard Award nomination. Fashion brand Chico’s hired me to produce, direct and capture uplifting, relatable moments with real women for their “Style My Way” campaign. I also produced and directed the book launch video for HarperCollins’ Girl Code: Gaming, Going Viral and Getting It Done about two female tech phenoms, produced an e-learning product launch video for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and created a range of innovative programming for Elizabeth Arden’s video wall in Union Square. As varied as these projects are, they all share my signature ability to capture the emotional core of people, craft engaging stories and move viewers.

Public Speaking, Workshops and Consulting:

As a public speaker, I share my expertise and inspiration about how to use storytelling and empathy to engage an audience, including two highly popular talks at SXSW: Storytelling and Empathy in a Purpose-Driven Economy to a packed audience of 950+ people (2019) and The Empathy Effect: Impact Through Storytelling (2018) about how to harness storytelling for social impact. I have done scores of speaking engagements about filmmaking and entrepreneurship at GENERATION STARTUP premieres, film festivals and event screenings at companies, universities and other venues throughout the US and around the world. I also conduct workshops and consult with companies about how to craft, cast and produce authentic, relatable content that engages and moves people.

Filmmaking Background:

I started my career developing and producing feature films, including David O. Russell’s first movie SPANKING THE MONKEY, winner of the Sundance Audience Award.  I’ve also produced Award-winning social issue documentaries including CHILDREN OF DARKNESS (PBS) about children with mental illness that was nominated for an Academy Award and TRUST ME (Showtime) about an interfaith camp in rural North Carolina founded the summer after 9/11. I have also created, written and produced hundreds of hours of TV for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, History Channel, A+E, Lifetime and other leading cable channels, including 80+ hours of DR G: MEDICAL EXAMINER, the top-rated show on Discovery Health Channel.  I am bilingual and welcome producing and directing in Spanish.