Environmental Filmmakers Josh Tickell And Rebecca Harrell Tickell Raise Awareness

The health of our planet. The future of our children. The restoration of natural systems and processes to promote healing and renewal.

For filmmakers and activists Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, a personal love of nature, a concern for the environment, the determination for a healthier world, and a passion for purpose-driven storytelling is the motivator behind their roster of documentaries. The inherent goal behind each is to build awareness, inspire real-world action, and change the global narrative around timely environmental issues.

Since their first film, Fuel in 2008, which examined how alternative energy sources could reduce America’s reliance on foreign oil, through the recent Kiss the Ground and its sequel, Common Ground, Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell have produced and distributed documentaries focused on environmental solutions and regenerative agriculture through their Ojai, California-based organic avocado farm and film studio Big Picture Ranch. Over 20 documentaries have been produced, including Freedom (2011), which explores energy alternatives for fuel emissions; The Earthing Movie (2019), which accentuates the benefits of standing barefoot on the earth; and The Revolution Generation (2021), an exploration of activism and the potential of the largest youth generation in history.

Kiss the Ground and Common Ground

In conjunction with Earth Day 2025, Kiss the Ground and Common Ground have launched globally on Amazon Prime Video, which for the streaming service emphasizes its commitment to environmental awareness and taking action.

By definition, regenerative agriculture is a farming practice that aims to mitigate climate change by enhancing soil health and biodiversity, making the soil more robust than its current condition. Simply put, soil is fundamental to all life on earth. Soil filters our water and grows our crops. And soil plays a critical role in the production of food for a growing global population.

Originally released in 2020, Kiss the Ground, narrated by Woodly Harrelson and featuring Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady, Jason Mraz, Ian Somerhalder, Patricia Arquette, David Arquette, and Rosario Dawson, inspires participation in the regenerative agriculture movement, using the soil to solve world problems. And Common Ground in 2023, narrated by Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, Ian Somerhalder and Donald Glover, among others, spotlights farmers across the country who are using regenerative methods to heal the land and produce food sustainably.

“Human beings have kind of looked up to the stars and wondered if there isn’t something grander up there. But we often take for granted the depth and wonderment of what is below our feet,” said Josh Tickell, who moved from Australia to Louisiana when he was age nine and cites growing up at “Cancer Alley,” the industrial corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge known for its high concentration of fossil fuel and petrochemical plants, for fueling his interest in environmental solutions at a very early age.

“The cancer incidence there is about 800-times the national average and I watched members of my family get sick. By the time I got to college, I wanted to find ways to tell stories about environmental solutions and film seemed like the way that you could get those stories to the most people,” he said.

An Early Impact

In 1997, Tickell rose to early viral sensation status after driving cross country in an old Winnebago he named the “Veggie Van,” where he began a two-year tour powered by the biodiesel processor he made from used grease collected from fast food restaurants along the way (referred to as “The Green Grease Machine”) to promote as an alternative fuel. One year later, he published his first book, Biodiesel America, and he began touring colleges.

Rebecca Harrell Tickell, meanwhile, refers to her role opposite her husband and filmmaking partner as “deeply personal.”

“I come from a legacy farming family in the Midwest. My Dad used to farm all kinds of row crops and stood in vats of DDT and 2,4-D, and my aunts and uncles and cousins are all still paying the price in the form of reproductive issues, birth defects, cancer, and all kinds of neurological issues,” noted Rebecca Harrell Tickell, who began her career on the other side of the camera as a child actress in the 1989 film Prancer. “I have witnessed in my family how agricultural and industrial agriculture can affect the health of the people that are in that environment, as well as the environment itself. And I have that deep love of the land and of farming.”

“I have always been interested in the environment and in the climate,” she continued. “And we started making these films on regeneration because we learned about the power of bio sequestration to take carbon and draw it down into healthy soil. We knew what the benefits were. And then we moved to Ojai in California, where agriculture happens. Today, not only are we doing storytelling on a global scale, but we are also seeing results.”

For example, investors and banks are now reportedly exploring soil-health linked financial instruments because investing in soil health offers economic and environmental benefits. And regenerative agriculture creates jobs in rural communities – from farmers and land stewards to data analysts and ag-tech entrepreneurs.

“Over the past two decades of making these films, we’ve had the incredible opportunity of being able to share these messages with really high-profile people that have a huge reach,” noted Rebecca. “So, when people like Jason Mamoa and Woody Harrelson get on board with our projects, suddenly these little niche documentaries about the environment and how our future is dependent on how we take care of that dirt and turning it into soil is being seen by millions of people.”

“Certainly, we love to watch these stars on the screen; they embody our hopes and our fears and our dreams. But at the end of the day, they are people with families who want a future for their kids. So, there something very touching about seeing them just being themselves, caring about the world and the environment,” added Josh.

Looking Ahead

Combined with Kiss the Ground, Common Ground and an upcoming third film in the regenerative agriculture movement, Groundswell, which includes narration by Oscar nominee Demi Moore (who also executive producers), Big Picture Ranch has launched the “100 Million Acres: A Common Ground” campaign designed to accelerate the shift of 100 million acres of U.S. crop and rangeland into certified regenerative agriculture by 2030.

“Groundswell is a global adventure around the world to look at how different regions are regenerating their environment and reversing desertification and creating not only climate stability and nutrient dense food, but blossoming economies within these micro regions,” explained Rebecca. “And “100 Million Acres” is an opportunity for people, no matter who you are, to get on board and to make a commitment.”

The Tickells are also busy doing the final editing for documentary Bee Wild, which highlights the importance of bees, their role in pollination, and the challenges they face within our agricultural welfare. The film, which opens on June 5 in London, involves Leonardo DiCaprio himself, who maintains a collection of bees and participates in beekeeping practices.

“I think we’ve been fortunate enough to carve a niche and prove an audience for these particular films,” noted Josh Tickell. “I don’t think anybody who does documentaries would say this is an easy business. And there are never any shortages of stories to tell.”