Josh Tickell (born August 7, 1975) is an American film director who specializes in movies with a social message. His first feature movie, ''

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

'' won the Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary, was released theatrically in the United States and became a global sensation gaining over 1 million viewers on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu and CNBC. The movie was screened in the White House for energy and environment staff working in the Obama Administration.

Life and career

Tickell directed the Cannes Film Festival movie, '' The Big Fix''. The film explores possible connections between corporate and political malfeasance and the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He went on to direct his third film, Freedom (2011), which focuses on alcohol fuel and aired on the SuperChannel in Canada. He completed his latest documentary, ''PUMP'', and is currently in production on ''Good Fortune''. Tickell holds a Master's degree in Film from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

's School of Motion Picture Arts. Tickell is married to activist and former actress

Rebecca Harrell Tickell Rebecca Reynolds Tickell (née Harrell; born March 2, 1980) is a producer, director, actress, singer, and environmental activist. Acting career Rebecca Harrell starred in the Christmas film '' Prancer''. She garnered a Young Artist Award no ...

, with whom he collaborates on his films.

The Veggie Van Voyage

Tickell returned to the US, bought an old diesel-powered

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

van that he painted with sunflowers and called the "Veggie Van". He built a small biodiesel processor that he named "The Green Grease Machine" and then set off on a 25,000 mile, two-year tour of the US powered by the biodiesel he made from used grease collected from fast food restaurants along the way. This journey, which eventually became known as The Veggie Van Voyage, attracted the attention of numerous media outlets, serving to promote the publicity of biodiesel as a viable alternative fuel.

Books

After the Veggie Van tour, Tickell co-wrote his first book, ''From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank – The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel''. His second book, ''Biodiesel America: How to Free America From Oil and Make Money with Alternative Fuel'', examines the status quo of the oil industry, the automakers and the government and offers an alternative energy roadmap to wean the US off

fossil fuels A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

Filmography

* '' The Big Fix'' (with

) * ''

Pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...

'' * '' Kiss the Ground'' (with

) * '' The Revolution Generation'' (with Rebecca Harrell Tickell) (2022) * ''On Common Ground'' (with Rebecca Harrell Tickell) (2023) about the 2016

Dakota Access Pipeline The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) or Bakken pipeline is a underground pipeline in the United States that has the ability to transport up to 750,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil per day. It begins in the shale oil fields of the Bakken Forma ...

construction and associated protests on the

Standing Rock Indian Reservation The Standing Rock Reservation ( lkt, Íŋyaŋ Woslál Háŋ) lies across the border between North and South Dakota in the United States, and is inhabited by ethnic "Hunkpapa and Sihasapa bands of Lakota Oyate and the Ihunktuwona and Pabaksa ...

Clean energy advocacy

In September 2009, Tickell's documentary on alternative clean energy, ''

'', was rolled out into 150 cities. In 2012, Tickell's advocacy for clean energy led him to join the advisory board of Grow Energy, a startup focused on developing algae as a viable energy resource.

Education

Tickell holds an undergraduate degree in Sustainable Living from

New College of Florida New College of Florida is a public liberal arts college in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded in 1960 as a private institution known simply as New College, spent several years merged into the University of South Florida, and in 2001 became an aut ...

. After the publication of his first book, Tickell enrolled in

's School of Motion Picture Television and Recording Arts where he earned his MFA in film.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tickell, Josh Living people American environmentalists American documentary filmmakers Writers from Louisiana Biofuels Open-source hardware people 1975 births Florida State University alumni Activists from Ohio