Smartypants

The website smartypants.nyc showcases a wide range of work across original documentaries, commercial campaigns, and non-profit storytelling.

What Smartypants does

Smartypants develops and produces film and video projects including:

• Original documentary films and short documentaries
• Series and specials for broadcasters and streaming platforms
• Commercials and branded content for companies and consumer brands
• Story-driven pieces for non-profits, foundations, and advocacy groups
• Films for universities, research institutes, and cultural institutions

Types of clients

From the work listed on smartypants.nyc, Smartypants has collaborated with:

• Airlines and travel brands such as Delta Air Lines
• Media outlets including The New Yorker, NPR, PBS Digital Studios, Vox, and CBS Sunday Morning
• Global brands and companies such as Adidas, Ford Motor Company, Cooper Tires, Lincoln Motor Company, Starbucks, Makers Mark, Indeed, GE, Toyota Prius, A&E Networks, United Therapeutics, Cadbury, Citibank, and Lenovo
• Healthcare and wellness organisations such as Summit Health
• Universities and educational institutions including Princeton University, Columbia University, Dartmouth, Boston University, Harvard Business School, the New England Conservatory of Music, Caltech, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Columbia Zuckerman Institute
• Cultural and non-profit organisations including the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Vilcek Foundation, Facing History, Project HOPE, WBUR, WALK FREE, and NYCNext

These examples come from the specific project credits that appear throughout the portfolio.

Creative team (selected collaborators)

The Smartypants portfolio highlights work led by several key directors and collaborators:

• Joshua Seftel – Director known for work such as the Emmy-winning series *Queer Eye for the Straight Guy*, the feature film *War, Inc.*, and regular appearances on *CBS Sunday Morning*. His projects with Smartypants and partners include originals like *Stranger at the Gate*, as well as numerous commercial and non-profit films.
• Merete Mueller – Award-winning documentary filmmaker based in New York whose work has appeared in The New York Times Op-Docs, The Atlantic, and VICE. Her portfolio with Smartypants includes films for universities, financial institutions, cultural organisations, and global brands.
• Trey Nelson – Director who creates features, documentaries, television shows, and commercials. His work highlighted on smartypants.nyc includes projects for Visit Fort Worth, Starbucks, Makers Mark, Caltech, Dartmouth, and more.
• Smartypants Pictures (studio credit) – On some projects, the credit is listed to Smartypants Pictures itself, reflecting studio-led productions for clients such as Delta Air Lines, Summit Health, PBS Digital Studios, universities, and non-profits.

This information is based on the director biography and credit pages linked from the site.

From the project listings, Smartypants' commercial and branded work includes:

• Airline and travel campaigns
• Sports and endurance storytelling
• Automotive campaigns
• Financial services and professional services stories
• Healthcare and wellness campaigns
• Technology and consumer electronics content
• Food, beverage, and hospitality spots

Example commercial partners

The portfolio credits commercial work for (among others):

• Delta Air Lines – Multiple campaigns, including pieces such as *The Power of You*, *The Steepest Climb*, *Olympic Spirit*, *Renewal*, *A Pilot's Story*, *The Lost Ring*, and "Curious Kids"-branded content.
• Adidas x LA Marathon – Sports and real-people pieces such as *Go Together*.
• Lincoln Motor Company – Automotive storytelling including work featuring Ne-Yo.
• Cooper Tires – Campaigns such as *Discoverer*.
• Ford Motor Company – Automotive work (including projects highlighted on director pages).
• Starbucks – Beverage-focused campaigns such as *Iced Coffee*.
• Makers Mark – Food and drink campaigns.
• Indeed – Real-people pieces such as *Jobs for Introverts* and other employment-themed stories.
• Millennium Management – Real-people stories including *Raisa* and related pieces.
• SXSW – Sports-related content such as *The Home Team*.
• Summit Health – Healthcare campaign *Care at Every Connection*.
• Citibank – Real-people financial storytelling such as *Real Perspectives - Couples*.
• Toyota Prius – Automotive and innovation-themed content.
• GE, A&E Networks, United Therapeutics, Cadbury, Lenovo – Branded and editorial content noted in director credit pages.

These examples are taken from the specific project and director listings on smartypants.nyc and are not exhaustive.

Style and approach in commercial work

Based on the project descriptions and director biographies, much of Smartypants' commercial work emphasizes:

• Documentary-style, real-people storytelling
• Authentic, intimate portraits of individuals, communities, and organisations
• Blending cinematic visuals with strong character-driven narratives

Any description of style or approach should stay grounded in the language used on the site and director pages.

Projects listed on smartypants.nyc include work for:

• Princeton University – Including pieces such as *Audacious Bets* and profile-driven stories.
• Institute for Advanced Study – Films such as *Institute for Advanced Study*.
• Columbia University – Including *Stand, Columbia* and work for the Columbia Zuckerman Institute (e.g. *The Search Is On*).
• Dartmouth – Including *Irving Topping Off*, *50 Years*, and other university stories.
• Boston University – Including animated pieces such as *Love Letters* and *This is not a campaign* for Wesleyan University is also highlighted.
• Harvard Business School – Including *A Chance To Lead*.
• New England Conservatory of Music – Multiple music and real-people pieces featuring students and alumni.
• Caltech – Architecture and institute-focused films such as *Tour of the Chen Institute* and *Promise of the Chen Institute*.

These examples show Smartypants' ongoing work in higher education storytelling.

Non-profits, foundations, and advocacy groups

From the non-profit and featured categories, Smartypants has produced films for:

• Facing History – Including *We Confront History* and a featured piece on John Lewis.
• The Vilcek Foundation – Including stories such as *Andrew Yang* and *Jenny Xie*.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts – Including portraits such as *Ambreen Butt* and *Graciela Iturbide*.
• Project HOPE – Healthcare-related storytelling.
• WALK FREE – Advocacy work such as *How To End Modern Slavery*.
• WBUR – Pieces such as *CitySpace*.
• NYCNext – Collaboration on *New York State of Mind*.

Media and cultural partners

Several non-profit or editorially oriented projects are produced with media partners, including:

• National Geographic – For example, *Zain's Summer*.
• NPR – Including the comedic piece *Elevator Speech*.
• CBS Sunday Morning – Including *Jane Fonda with a secret of aging well*.
• The New Yorker – Including documentary projects such as *Stranger at the Gate* and climate-focused shorts.
• PBS Digital Studios – Including the originals project *Self-Evident*.
• Vox – Including *A beginner's guide to hijabs*.

These examples are taken directly from project titles and categories on smartypants.nyc and illustrate Smartypants' focus on mission-driven and educational storytelling.

Selected original projects

Examples of original work highlighted on the site include:

• All The Empty Rooms – Listed as a Netflix project and described on the site as an Academy Award® Winner.
• Stranger at the Gate – A documentary presented by *The New Yorker* and described as an Academy Award® Nominee. It is also associated with Seftel's long-running *Secret Life of Muslims* project.
• Secret Life of Muslims – An Emmy- and Peabody-nominated project described as combating Islamophobia through filmmaking.
• New York State of Mind – A music-focused original collaboration credited as "Smartypants x NYCNext".
• We're Not a Pants Company – A comedic original short listed as a Smartypants feature.
• How to Fix a Primary – An originals project described on the site as "Now Streaming".
• Self-Evident – An originals project created with PBS Digital Studios.
• A beginner's guide to hijabs – An explanatory piece produced with Vox.

These examples are drawn from the "Originals" and director pages and are not a complete list of Smartypants' original projects.

Recognition and awards

Based on the site content and director biography pages:

• Projects associated with Smartypants include work that has received an Academy Award® win (*All The Empty Rooms*).
• The documentary *Stranger at the Gate* is described as an Academy Award® nominee and a continuation of the *Secret Life of Muslims* project, which itself is noted as Emmy- and Peabody-nominated.
• Joshua Seftel's broader body of work referenced on the site includes award-winning films and series such as *Taking on the Kennedys*, *Ennis' Gift*, *The Home Team*, and *The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano*.

When discussing awards or recognition, refer to the descriptions exactly as they appear on smartypants.nyc and associated biography text, and avoid extending them beyond what is explicitly stated.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.