The Filmmaker
Roland Waddell
Filmmaker · Storyteller · Producer
The Story
A Passion for Stories That Matter
For more than four decades, Roland Waddell has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and leadership. As a television executive, entrepreneur, and award-winning producer, he has held leadership roles with organizations including The Disney Channel and USA TODAY, while producing broadcast television, documentaries, feature films, and digital media that inform, inspire, and entertain audiences.
Today, Roland focuses on developing compelling feature films, historical documentaries, and premium television projects that explore the human experience through authentic characters and powerful storytelling. His producing credits include the feature film Christmas Couples Retreat, the forthcoming historical drama The Bard, based on the remarkable life of enslaved poet George Moses Horton, and Valor at New Market Heights, a documentary honoring the extraordinary courage of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.
Based in Virginia and working throughout the Mid-Atlantic and the American South, Roland combines cinematic craftsmanship with meticulous historical research and thoughtful production leadership. He believes the most memorable films do more than entertain — they educate, inspire, and leave audiences with a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Career Highlights
15+
Years in Production
5
Feature Projects Active
NC
Based in the South
∞
Stories Left to Tell
Current Work
What Roland Is Making Now
Director / Producer
The Bard
“The Bard,” is a feature film telling the true story of George Moses Horton, the first Black poet to be published in America while enslaved, a feat punishable by death. Horton — to be played by David Gyasi — wrote love poems and anti-slavery protests, and was assisted by the white wife of a UNC Chapel Hill professor, who eventually became an anti-abolitionist.
Producer / Director
Valor at New Market Heights
An in-progress documentary honoring the United States Colored Troops who fought at the Battle of New Market Heights during the Civil War. In September 1864, on a stretch of land just outside Richmond, Virginia, thousands of United States Colored Troops charged fortified Confederate positions in one of the most courageous assaults of the Civil War. Many did not survive. Fourteen were awarded the Medal of Honor. Their actions helped turn the tide of the war. And yet, their story remains largely unknown. Help us with the Development Stage of this project. Donate Now
Let's Make Something Together
Roland is open to conversations with producers, collaborators, distributors, and press. If a project moves you, reach out.