Chris Ordal

Chris Ordal is an award-winning writer/director. Born in the Midwest, Ordal went on to study filmmaking at the University of Kansas. After finishing college, Ordal co-founded a commercial production company, creating spots for corporations like H&R Block and Sprint, documentaries for the National Endowment for the Arts, filming area concerts and creating original short-form content. Ordal wrote, co-produced and directed nearly all of the company's efforts, but it wasn't long before he grew tired of selling stories and wanted to focus on telling stories that were truly compelling. After years of building relationships and working with talented crew, Ordal wrote, produced and directed his first narrative feature, Earthwork, starring Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes. Earthwork was an independent film made entirely outside of the industry, yet went on to play in more then 50 film festivals in the US alone, winning more than 20 Best Feature Film Awards, multiple Audience Awards, multiple Best Director Awards and won the Audience Award and a Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Opening Title Sequence Design at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival. The success of Earthwork led Ordal to move to Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife collecting experience, stories and vinyl.