Rising Stars: Meet Carson Howell of Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carson Howell.

Hi Carson, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to work in film and television…

Really though, for better or worse, I am a “VHS-era-kid”. My family watched all the shows, regularly went to the movie theater and spent countless weekends wandering the aisles of Blockbuster or the local video store. Those nights were some of the few moments where everyone slowed down, sat together, and were simply present. And while this had always been what I wanted to do, the path to get here was anything but traditional. I graduated with a Finance degree and initially worked for a software company after college. On paper, it was the “safe” route, but I knew pretty quickly that I wanted something different out of life. In 2015, I made the decision to leave that job and volunteer in Cuba, which ended up being a pivotal turning point for me personally and professionally. It gave me perspective, pushed me outside my comfort zone, and helped me realize I was capable of more, ultimately driving me to pursue a career that was more creative and purpose-driven.

When I came back to Atlanta, I was studying for the GRE while driving for Lyft just to get by, and trying to figure out how to break into the newly burgeoning film and tv industry. Within the first few months of driving, I met my first producing partner, Angela Edmond. We hit it off while she was headed to a meeting for a documentary project. She would introduce me to James Brooke. James was an LA transplant who had moved to Atlanta to work with GSU in their new CMII program.hey gave me my first opportunity as a casting intern on an unscripted tv show, and I was able to parlay that into a Production Assistant role once the show went into production.

That first opportunity opened the door to everything else. I leveraged that experience into another PA job on an episode of CNN’s “United Shades of America”, then started working on commercials, Rooms-To-Go, where I met Stephen Mancuso, the first of a handful of people who would become my chosen family, and eventually still photography productions. In 2017, I met two producers who would become great mentors and friends. Callie Householder and Amanda Bertany, who consistently hired me and helped me continue building experience and relationships, while providing a sense of stability and belonging.

A major turning point came on May 5th, 2017, when I met my current producing partner, Corey Tindall. Around that same period, I also met Rob Brinson, Sallie Johnston, and Alex Martinez, who brought me onto recurring Belk campaigns and gave me my first opportunity to step up from PA work into Production Coordinating. Those jobs were instrumental in helping me understand the bigger picture of production, budgets, logistics, leadership, problem solving, and client management.

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to work on projects for a number of different networks and brands including: BET, Food Network, HGTV, NFL Network, Peacock, Netflix and more. I also worked as a site representative for Sharena Hall at South Scout Location Services, which allowed me to spend time on major feature film sets and learn another side of the business entirely.

All of those opportunities, whether it was driving Lyft, interning, PA’ing, coordinating, scouting, or producing, helped me grow my network, sharpen my skill set, and provided income which allowed me to continue developing original projects and feature films on the side. I’m here today because of a long list of people who saw potential in me when I was still figuring things out. I’ve tried to honor that by working hard on every set I’ve ever stepped onto.

Corey introduced me to Writer/Producer, Kevin Healey in 2021. Kevin presented us with opportunities to step further into creative producing and original development. Today, he’s become a trusted producing partner, and a close friend who has continued to believe in and challenge us creatively.

In 2022, Alex Martinez gave me my first real opportunity to produce at a higher level, and in early 2023, Corey and I launched Tillt Creative, now Tillt Studios. Since then, we’ve continued building across commercials, branded content, television, and feature films, producing our first feature this year, while also developing original IP, and continued to expand our network in all mediums, including partnering with producer Susan Shaughnessy out of Brooklyn, who met through our mutual friend and collaborator, Alex Martinez. It was during the industry strikes when work had slowed significantly, and Susan brought me on to help produce a multi-state, cross-country pharmaceutical campaign. Since then, we’ve become close friends and creative partners, recently wrapping a World Cup brand partnership campaign in Brooklyn, NY.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is to just stay in the conversation. This industry is full of rejection, uncertainty, and hearing the word “no.” You have to learn not to take that personally. Relationships matter, consistency matters, and being someone people genuinely want to work with matters. Every opportunity I’ve had came from relationships built over time and from continuing to show up, even when things were hard and happening at a slower pace than I wanted them to.

I’ve learned that time is always right on time…

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been anything but a smooth road. A lot of the biggest challenges are from things outside of my control, which I think is true for most people in life. In 2019, my sister was diagnosed with ALS, and that completely turned mine and my families world upside down. Watching someone we love go through something like that changed my perspective on everything; time, priorities, relationships, work, all of it.

At the same time, I was still trying to build a career in an industry that is known for being unstable or volatile. Entertainment can be incredibly rewarding, and it can also be emotionally exhausting. You hear “no” constantly, projects fall apart, financing disappears, opportunities you think are certain suddenly aren’t, and I am often piecing together freelance work while trying to build something long term.

There were definitely periods where I questioned whether I was making the right decision or whether things were ever going to click in a meaningful way. I’ve tried to keep moving forward, stay open to opportunities, and continue showing up for people though. I learned pretty early on that resilience and kindness matters just as much as talent in this business.

Those hard moments also taught me the most. They forced me to become more adaptable, more empathetic, and more appreciative of the opportunities and relationships I do have.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We help people bring their visions to life across commercials, branded content, television, still photography, and feature films. A big part of what we do is creative problem solving, taking an idea and figuring out how to execute it in a way that feels authentic and achievable.

What sets us apart is probably our approach to relationships and communication. We try to be open, honest, collaborative, and kind in how we work with people. There’s very little ego involved. If we’re not the right team for a project, we’ll do our best to connect someone with the people who are. In many cases, the relationship matters more to me than the immediate job.

What I’m most proud of is the network and trust we’ve built over time. Every meaningful opportunity in my career came from someone taking a chance on me, and I try to approach others the same way now. At the end of the day, I just genuinely enjoy collaborating with people and helping create something meaningful together.

What are your plans for the future?
My biggest goal moving forward is to continue growing as a producer and staying adaptable as the industry keeps evolving. The way content gets financed, produced, and distributed is constantly changing, so I’m regularly trying to learn new approaches and better ways to collaborate with people creatively and strategically.

There’s definitely a more intentional focus now on producing feature films and developing original television and docu-series concepts. We’re currently in post-production on our first feature film, with three more features and several docu-series projects in development, which is really exciting.

At the same time, we want to continue building Tillt Studios alongside our commercial and still photography work. We’ve been fortunate to work with some great brand partners over the years, and we want to keep growing those relationships while expanding further into original IP and long-form storytelling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tilltstudioproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tillt.studios/