Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Gessele.
Hi Todd, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Todd Gessele founded Totallyinspiredmedia.com in 2013 and its clients sent him on assignment to over 45 countries to produce documentaries, to raise visibility, to produce live events, and start TV stations in Africa.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Traveling solo with gear is almost impossible with certain airline’s limitations on carry ons. I usually bring a second shooter and always wear a custom made jacket, which I can load up with equipment in secret pockets, as they never take your clothes away! I have gained 45 pounds at times, especially when shooting the the Alaska Arctic where 19 pounds is the limit for carry-ons.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Todd J. Gessele is an award‑winning global media producer, photojournalist, and live‑event director whose work spans more than 45 countries across five continents. Known for his ability to capture emotionally resonant stories that inspire generosity without ever directly asking for donations, Gessele has become a trusted creative partner for nonprofits, foundations, faith‑based organizations, and international humanitarian teams.
Over the course of his career, Gessele has filmed more than 180 destination weddings from India to Zimbabwe, produced documentaries and donor‑impact films in UN refugee camps, and covered medical missions ranging from eye clinics to mass deworming campaigns across Africa. His field assignments have taken him from safari drives in the bush to high‑security humanitarian zones, where he has served as a video auditor for foundations and donor oversight teams.
A Canon Pro photojournalist with an 8mm–400mm lineup of L‑series lenses and a seasoned Final Cut Pro editor, Gessele blends cinematic visuals with culturally sensitive storytelling. He has created Christian graphics for more than 40 countries, directed multi‑camera broadcast crews internationally, built stages, designed set lighting, and led audio/media teams for large‑scale live events.
As President of Totally INSPIRED Media, Gessele’s portfolio includes wedding films, humanitarian documentaries, faith‑based media, comedy shorts, portraiture, digital illustration, and global mission storytelling. His work is recognized for its authenticity, cross‑cultural intelligence, and ability to connect viewers to the heart of a story.
Gessele continues to serve organizations seeking high‑impact media that elevates their mission, strengthens donor trust, and brings home stories that matter.
Genres Featured on TotallyInspiredMedia.com
Destination Weddings
Humanitarian & Mission Storytelling
Documentary & Field Production
Faith‑Based Media
Comedy Video
Portrait & Event Photography
Digital Illustration & Christian Graphics
Live Event Production
Website & Logo Design
Social Media Visibility Services
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
The Shape of Luck in My Life
Luck has never felt like a lottery ticket to me. It has felt more like a doorway — sometimes cracked open, sometimes blown wide — that I still had to walk through with a camera in one hand and conviction in the other. When I look back over my life and work, luck shows up in the margins: in timing, in encounters, in the improbable intersections that placed me in refugee camps, wedding venues, safari trucks, donor audit sites, and humanitarian clinics across the world. But the story isn’t about luck alone. It’s about what I did when luck arrived.
Good luck often looked like a calling disguised as coincidence
I didn’t plan to shoot more than 180 destination weddings from India to Zimbabwe. I didn’t plan to stand in UN refugee camps documenting families who had lost everything. I didn’t plan to deworm children in Africa or audit donor projects in places where the road ends and the real world begins. These moments came to me through a strange mix of timing, trust, and the kind of luck that feels more like divine choreography than chance.
But luck didn’t carry the weight. I did.
Luck opened the door; preparation walked through it.
Bad luck taught me resilience
Bad luck has a way of showing up in the field:
gear failing in the heat
flights canceled in countries where “tomorrow” is a flexible concept
weather destroying a wedding plan
permissions changing at the last minute
security shifting without warning
Those moments didn’t break me. They shaped me. They taught me to adapt, to improvise, to stay calm when everything around me was chaos. Bad luck sharpened my instincts and made me a producer who can deliver under pressure — anywhere on earth.
Luck introduced me to people who changed my trajectory
Every career has gatekeepers, mentors, and unexpected allies. Mine came in the form of pastors, donors, NGO leaders, brides and grooms, safari guides, foundation directors, and strangers who trusted me with their stories. Some of those introductions were pure luck — a chance meeting, a referral, a moment when someone said, “You should talk to Todd.”
But trust isn’t luck.
Trust is earned.
And I’ve spent my life earning it.
Luck didn’t give me skill — thousands of hours did
My Canon L‑series lineup didn’t make me a photographer.
Final Cut Pro didn’t make me an editor.
Travel didn’t make me a storyteller.
Skill came from repetition, from curiosity, from the willingness to learn in every environment — from wedding aisles to refugee tents, from stages I built myself to clinics where the power flickered and the stakes were high.
Luck may have placed me in extraordinary places.
Skill made those places meaningful.
The truth is simple
Luck has played a role in my life — but not the starring role.
Luck gave me moments.
Purpose gave me direction.
Preparation gave me credibility.
Courage gave me access.
And storytelling gave me a way to turn luck into impact.
If I’ve had good luck, it’s because I’ve been willing to go where the story is — even when the path is uncertain, the conditions unpredictable, or the assignment uncomfortable. And if I’ve had bad luck, it’s because I’ve lived a life big enough for things to go wrong.
Either way, luck has never been the point.
The point has always been the story — and the people who trust me to tell it.
Pricing:
- 1750 Day Rate
- 1000 for Travel Days to and from International Destinations
- $750 for Domestic Travel Days plus Lodging, Airlines, Meals by Reciept
Contact Info:
- Website: https://totallyinspiredmedia.com
- Facebook: Totally Inspired Media
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/toddgessele
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/togess
