Sam Ellis

Creator and Showrunner, Search Party

Ellis is a speaker at the 25th ISOJ, happening from April 12 – 13, 2024, both online and in person at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sam Ellis is a journalist, director, editor, and animator based in New York City. He’s currently the creator and showrunner of Search Party, a new independent video journalism project that investigates and decodes the most important and complicated news around geopolitics and global sports. Search Party has gained more than 330,000 subscribers in its first 7 months. From 2016 to 2023, Sam was a senior producer at Vox video, most notably producing the hugely popular video series, Vox Atlas, for which he earned an Emmy nomination. He specializes in breaking down the most complex new stories and presenting them with a refreshing, accessible, and engaging visual style. He’s produced explainers on some of the world’s thorniest geopolitical stories; from corruption scandals in Latin America, conflict in the Middle East, and the rise of China, to the world of sports; the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIFA corruption scandal, and the 100-foot waves of Nazaré, Portugal. Ellis has also directed multiple episodes of TV; notably on Netflix’s ‘Explained’ and HBO Sport’s ‘Level Playing Field’.