All photography by Jeff Dailey
I’ve been making documentary films for 17 years, working with directors, foundations, community organizations, and national brands on projects rooted in real people and real lives.
HOW I WORK
My approach is intentional and grounded: prepare well, spend time with people where they are, and build the work from real moments rather than staged ones.
The aim is simple: to honor the people involved and reflect their experiences honestly.
where the stories live
My work spans feature documentaries, long-term projects with foundations and community organizations, and family legacy films. Some pieces are made for broad audiences through festivals, streaming, or broadcast. Others are created for social media or internal use. All of them are grounded in real stories told with clarity and care.
what matters to me
• Show up prepared to do the work.
• Treat people with respect, on and off camera.
• Make complex topics easier to understand.
• Let emotion come through without forcing it.
• Communicate clearly and follow through.
Jeff teamed up with Mudroom Films on “The ‘Vous”:
Directed by Jack Lofton and Jeff Dailey, “The ‘Vous,” a feature documentary, follows the legendary waiters of the Rendezvous as they retire after 50 years of service at the famed restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee. (New York Times write up here.)
The ‘Vous – “A great American story.”
– Larry Karaszewski (Man on the Moon and The People vs. Larry Flynt)
Jeff filming behind the scenes for country musician Steve Azar in Indianola, Mississippi.
Story-driven work rooted in real people and places.
From feature documentaries to long-term projects with foundations and community organizations, as well as family legacy films.
What We've Achieved (well, some of it)
Filmed a documentary about the unveiling of a spaceship.
Collaborated with a favorite ad agency and scored over 300,000 video views in two days.
Directed a Steve Azar "The Delta Man" music video on behalf of McDonald's.
Filmed and edited social media videos for a national non-profit on a fifteen-state bus tour.
Won a national media strategy award from PR Daily, in collaboration with the creative folks at Ghidotti Communications, on behalf of McDonald’s. (More background here on the strategy and results.)
Scores of Addy's, Polly's and Prism Awards.
Filmed for 75 days and saw the final product on the big screen at Sundance.
Since 2007, conducted more than 1,500 conversational interviews with organizational leaders, politicians, grassroots organizers, musicians and more.
Proudly collaborated with Mudroom Films on “The ‘Vous,” hit the film festival circuit and got a tip of the hat from the New York Times.