Films & creative direction
Lincoln, Nebraska · Stories everywhere
I’m Dan, a filmmaker and creative director based in Lincoln, Nebraska. I help people and organizations find the heart of their story—and bring it to life on screen.
Explore the work
Meet the filmmaker / Dan Roesch
“Dan’s work does something every creative strives to do—have an emotional connection. His story telling and style has gravitas that draws people in. I’ve literally seen crowds be moved to act.”
Watch Tyler’s Story 05:52Featured story
This Is Not What I Have for You
After years of seeking approval and a relationship that leaves his plans shattered, Tyler discovers a love he does not have to earn—and a future he had not expected.
Watch the storyThe portfolio
After losing her sight during nursing school, Mary rebuilds her independence through training with the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She goes on to earn a degree, build a family, and support others as a life coach.
A story from Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, exploring the heart of the camp experience.
Grace tells her life-change story in her own words.
Jason and Amanda share their story in this Easter life-change film.
Amy shares how Psalm 23 and her faith in God have helped her face years of difficult circumstances.
The people and shared purpose behind Lincoln Industries. A culture film that lets the workplace speak for itself.
A leukemia diagnosis leaves Vicki facing a difficult future. She shares how God and the people who love her help her find hope.
A short campaign film created for EducationQuest’s #GoVisitCollege initiative.
An individual story, created for Runner’s World. A person at the center, with room for the story to unfold.
A terrorist bomb explodes less than fifteen feet from Fred and Janet. Faced with the reality of life and death, they respond in an unexpected way.
A film marking 125 years of Assurity, bringing the organization’s history into the present.
After years of drug abuse and incarceration, Eli describes the change that came when he surrendered his life to Jesus.
Neglected from the age of five, Hannah has walked a brutal road. Her story confronts the question of where God is when life becomes painful.
Losing a friend as a child left Cassie feeling isolated for years. She shares how inviting God into her story made a difference.
Eli looked to friends, possessions, and other pursuits for acceptance. None of them could satisfy the need that kept him searching.
Jason and Kathy grew up with little. Their story offers a different way to think about giving when it might otherwise become an afterthought.
After struggling with substances for much of her life, Amy encounters Christ when she least expects it.
Heidi learned to work hard growing up in rural South Dakota. She discovers what effort alone cannot fix—and how a life changed by Jesus can influence others.
Dave began drinking and using drugs at twelve. Fourteen years later, he describes the desperation and pain that brought him to a turning point.
Specialist after specialist could not explain why Sarah felt so ill. Living with hearing loss and constant ringing, she wrestles with what faith means in that reality.
Andy and Katie consider how faith changes the plans we make and our willingness to share our time and resources.
Jethro knew the gospel and rarely missed church. Yet a question remained: if his faith was real, why did his life not look different?
After four decades in ministry, Bryan attends a Harbor Ministry event simply to support others. The experience becomes more personal than he expects.
Dan and Steve take very different paths through life. Both brothers arrive at the same question: after everything they have done, how can they ever measure up?
People at church and summer camp seemed to understand something Jose did not. He wondered whether he would ever have a relationship with God himself.
During Jesse’s overseas deployments, Coco watches their marriage deteriorate. Their story examines the resentment, anger, and pain fought in the heart.
An ALS diagnosis changes pastor Jason Knott’s life with his wife and two children. He shares what the following year has been like and where he finds hope.
Addiction and anger bring Britt before a judge. The decisions that led him there now meet a verdict that could determine his future.
Through tremendous loss and help she did not expect, Elisa discovers a different view of herself—and begins to understand grace in a new way.
History, wounds, and failure can become burdens we carry everywhere. This film asks how God sees us beneath them.
Losing Joel, her husband and best friend of 38 years, leaves Marlys facing a long series of goodbyes. She considers where to turn when her rock is gone.
Growing up on the streets of Miami leaves Frank guarded and distrustful. His story asks what to do with the hurt and bitterness that remain.
Singing in the church choir becomes one of Phil’s greatest joys. A cough that will not go away raises a difficult question about what comes next.
Many people had plans for Amy’s life. A phone call and a cancer diagnosis bring a different question into focus: whose plan really matters?
Between children, work, relationships, and finances, Ben and Heidi ask how to live generously—and whether they can trust there will be enough.
Middle school leaves Rachel questioning the person she sees in the mirror. Her story explores the fears of not fitting in or being worthy of love.
Rick is asked to take on something that feels beyond him. His story considers the next step when faith calls an ordinary person into an overwhelming task.
Pam and Julie reflect on the people who help us through hardship, remind us what matters, and make hope feel possible.
After years of waiting and prayer, Tim and Emily become parents to three children. With their church alongside them, they seek to build a secure foundation in Jesus.
After serving across the world, 87-year-old Elinor continues to show up for others at home. She shares what she is still learning about trusting God completely.
Raised Hindu, Ami is familiar with the idea of God. Her story asks what it means to find God in a way that makes sense and changes something in daily life.
After years of hurt, guilt, and disappointment, Dawn Marie’s story asks whether the lasting, fulfilling love people long for can really be found.
Josiah and Hailey consider why listening to God can be so difficult when daily ambitions and the world around us compete for our attention.
Paula grows up with loving parents and a church beside her. Her story shows that even with that beginning, there is still a personal choice to make.
Neighbors, workplaces, and everyday conversations reveal opportunities to notice someone in need. These stories explore responding with faith in ordinary life.
Years of damaging choices leave Shaun and those closest to him hurting. He discovers how surrender can interrupt the cycle of anger and entitlement.
Jim explores the distance between understanding faith in your head and knowing something is still missing deep inside.
Ralph and Cheryl confront the feeling that God has given up on them, despite their efforts to do the right thing.
A terminal diagnosis means Ben may not see his children graduate. His story asks how to respond when the future we hoped for meets a different reality.
A mission-focused film for Tiny Hands. Storytelling that creates space to understand why the work matters.
Maria and Belen’s story, created for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Clients & collaborators
Organizations I’ve had the opportunity
to work with across the country.
A little curiosity goes a long way. On the set of a Nebraska Furniture Mart Christmas shoot.
The person behind the work
I’ve spent more than 25 years helping people communicate through film, creative direction, and production. From a quiet interview to a complex shoot, I care about finding what matters and making room for it to be heard.
I bring the idea and the hands-on work: listening, shaping the story, directing, shooting, editing, and carrying the details through the final frame.
Read what collaborators say
