David R. Priestly is a filmmaker crafting eco-stories that explore the relationship between people, place, and the systems that shape our lives. Holding an M.A. in Screen Arts and an MBA in Media, he has lived and worked across six countries, bringing a global perspective to stories rooted in the natural world.

A third-culture kid, Priestly is drawn to characters navigating multiple worlds—identities, landscapes, cultures, and value systems—and the transformations that emerge when those worlds collide. His practice is grounded in eco-cinema, using collective storytelling to foster connection both on and off screen.

His recent narrative work includes the television pilot I'm Not You and the satirical short The Lounge, which screened at the Sydney Film Festival. In unscripted storytelling, he recently completed the open-hearted, darkly comedic documentary Small Town Alien and the ocean-restoration documentary short Waves of Change, now streaming on DocPlay. Across all projects, he prioritises creative play, ethical collaboration, and the cultivation of trust with storytellers from diverse backgrounds.

Alongside his screen practice, Priestly brings more than fifteen years of experience producing branded content, live events, and large-scale creative projects. His work has ranged from solo-led productions to international operations involving crews of up to sixty people, production budgets of up to $4 million, and projects with total budgets exceeding $20 million. His experience includes founding and operating a boutique event agency, managing a production studio, launching a new business division in response to changing market conditions, and producing a national roadshow spanning forty cities.

His commercial work encompasses branded films, live experiences, and video campaigns for organisations including the Obama Foundation, Interface, Breakthrough Energy, Hilton, Zoom Communications, Samsung, Google Cloud, Intuit, DoorDash, Unilever, Sony Music, BBDO, TBWA\Worldwide, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Maison&Objet, and Pernod Ricard.

Through both fiction and documentary, Priestly seeks to create stories that blur the boundaries between humans, animals, and plants, deepening our relationship with the living world and inspiring new narratives for a more regenerative future.