Documentary-style video, with soul.
Tell Studios is a video production company based in Orion Township, Michigan, in the metro Detroit area. For more than 20 years we've helped brands of every size tell story-driven videos that move people to act — from founders filming their first piece to national organizations you'd recognize. We start with the story, not the camera, and we travel anywhere the story lives.
The short version, straight.
- Founded: 2005 — Ryan started building the business in 2004; the LLC formed in 2005.
- Experience: 20+ years in business.
- Projects: more than 1,000 video projects produced.
- Based in: Orion Township, Michigan (metro Detroit).
- Works: across the United States and worldwide, with shoots in Spain, St. Barts, Mexico, and Alaska, among others.
- Specialty: documentary-style brand films and client transformation stories.
- Founder: Ryan Koral.
- Studio: a full production studio with a white cyc wall, podcast loft, tall ceilings, and open shooting space.
Results we've helped clients achieve:
- Grown YouTube channels past 1 million subscribers.
- 10x'd audiences and engagement for the brands we partner with and manage directly.
Two decades of good company.
Over 20+ years, Tell Studios has produced video for national brands, universities, nonprofits, law firms, and growing businesses, including:
Adventures by Disney, the University of Michigan, the American Cancer Society, Continental, American Standard, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, the American Concrete Institute, Clark Hill, Lansinoh, and Bellwether Public Relations — among many others.
Most companies start with the camera. We start with the story.
Anyone can shoot a good-looking video. Far fewer can find the story worth telling first, get a whole team aligned on it, and build a video that actually does a job instead of just sitting on a shelf. That's the work we've spent two decades getting good at, and it's why our process begins with strategy, not equipment.
We call what we make “video with soul.” It means video built around real people and real purpose — the kind of authentic storytelling that builds trust faster than polish ever could.
Proprietary approaches, refined over 20+ years.
Video with Soul
The philosophy: people connect with people, so we build brand stories around authentic human voices rather than corporate polish.
The Storyline Workshop
The strategic starting point: a two-hour session that produces a complete Storyline Blueprint before any filming begins, offered with a money-back guarantee.
The TELL Framework
How we make video that moves people: Transition, Emotion, Leverage, Lead.
The work, defined.
What is a documentary brand film?
A documentary brand film is a short, story-driven video that captures why a company exists and what it stands for, using the real people, voices, and moments inside the business rather than scripts, actors, or stock footage. Where a traditional commercial sells features, a documentary brand film builds trust by letting an audience feel a company's purpose and culture. It's the difference between reading an About page and meeting the people behind it. At Tell Studios, this is the work we're known for.
What is the Storyline Workshop?
The Storyline Workshop is a two-hour strategy session Tell Studios runs with a company's stakeholders before any filming begins. The team digs into the brand's stories, audience, and goals, then delivers a written Storyline Blueprint: the message, the creative direction, and the plan for the video. It exists because most video projects fail in planning, not production — when no one agreed on what the video was actually for. The workshop comes with a money-back guarantee: if it doesn't bring clarity, the fee is refunded.
What is a client transformation story?
A client transformation story is a testimonial told as a narrative rather than a soundbite. Instead of a customer saying “they were great to work with,” the video walks through where the client started, what changed, and the result they achieved. It positions the client as the hero and the company as the guide, which makes it more persuasive and more watchable than a standard testimonial. Tell Studios produces these as a service called Client Stories — available filmed virtually, in studio, or on location.
What is the TELL Framework?
TELL is Tell Studios' framework for making video that moves people to act, and it has four parts. Transition: open with a hook, since viewers aren't searching for you. Emotion: be authentic and let people feel the story, because people buy on emotion. Leverage: back the story with proof, data, or testimonials, which is how people justify a decision with logic. Lead: end with a clear next step. The short version: people buy with emotion and justify with logic, and TELL is built to do both.
Ryan Koral.
Ryan Koral started piecing Tell Studios together in 2004 — leaving his day job that October as a side hustle became the main one — and formed the company as an LLC in 2005. He's spent more than 20 years as a documentary filmmaker and entrepreneur, has directed well over 1,000 video projects, created the Storyline Workshop and the TELL Framework, and is a frequent speaker on storytelling and video marketing. Beyond client work, Ryan hosts the Grow Your Video Business podcast and helps other studios grow.
Your message is more important than your mug — and authenticity beats perfection every time.
Ryan Koral, Founder of Tell StudiosWant to see what story your brand should be telling?
That's where we start. Tell us what you're working on, and we'll tell you honestly what we'd make in your shoes.
Five minutes, straight answers, no pitch at the end.