Rebecca Harrell was on the basement floor of a monastery, covered in buckets of goo while giving birth to a giant squid-like baby that was trying to eat her. At that moment, the actress knew she was ready for a career change.
As a young girl, Rebecca had a lead role in the Christmas classic, Prancer, a film that had touched many people’s lives. Now in her 20s, she wanted to contribute by making meaningful movies about positive transformation. Acting in a series of horror films was not part of the plan.
Shortly after, Rebecca met Josh Tickell, the “Veggie Van” guy she had seen on TV. The pair began making movies together with the commitment to heal themselves and the planet. That was 17 years ago.
Today, Rebecca Tickell is a director, producer, and environmental author and activist. She produced the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience award-winning, environmentally themed movie, FUEL, and co-directed/produced The Big Fix, an Official Selection of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Rebecca’s 2014 directorial debut (with husband Josh) was the critically acclaimed documentary, Pump, narrated by Jason Bateman. Recent films directed by Rebecca include the John Paul DeJoria story, Good Fortune, The Revolution Generation, as well as The Earthing Movie about her family's journey to wellness. In 2020 her award-winning film Kiss the Ground starring Woody Harrelson launched with a media reach of over 1 billion people and is credited with putting regenerative agriculture on the map. She wrote, directed, acted and produced her first scripted film On Sacred Ground about the Standing Rock oil pipeline protest which was released on STARZ in April of 2023. Her latest film Common Ground won the Human/Nature Award at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and will be released in theaters this fall. Forthcoming documentaries We Are the Bees and Groundswell will premiere over the next few years.
After spending several years investigating and documenting the impact and root cause of the 2010 BP oil spill, Rebecca became ill and was left with permanent damage from exposure to the oil and dispersant in the atmosphere.
Rebecca is the author of Hot, Rich & Green, a book about redefining feminism and the role of women in the environmental movement. She is an active member of the Producers Guild of America, where she has spoken on the topic of Green Film Production. She has also appeared on the Today show, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, in the New York Times, L.A. Times, LA Weekly, Washington Post and others.
Rebecca and Josh live with their two children on a working ranch near Santa Barbara. She is actively working in her community to stop the use of pesticides and herbicides in Ventura County through her group Regenerate Ojai. The Tickells are committed to lives of optimal health for themselves, their children, and the planet.