About Stone Hut Studios

FILMS FOR A BETTER WORLD

Stone Hut Studios is an award-winning film and video production company creating work that entertains, educates, and inspires. From feature documentaries and educational series to brand films and impact campaigns, we bring powerful stories to the screen for businesses, organizations, and audiences around the world.

Documentary filmmaking is the foundation of our work. We know how to find the human story in a complex subject and turn it into something people want to watch. We bring that experience to every project, combining compelling cinematography with storytelling that holds attention and gives audiences a reason to care.

Our work spans international documentaries, hundreds of educational videos for Scholastic, and collaborations with universities, nonprofits, and businesses. We’re committed to using film to advance education, explore social and environmental issues, and support people doing meaningful work.

Led by filmmaker Aaron Dennis, Stone Hut Studios brings together an international network of creative collaborators. We guide projects from the first idea through filming, editing, and final delivery, working closely with our clients to make films that serve their goals and connect with their audiences.

Clients & Collaborators

Aaron Dennis
Founder & Filmmaker

Aaron Dennis is a Michigan Emmy award-winning filmmaker and founder of Stone Hut Studios in Traverse City, Michigan. For more than 20 years, he has created documentaries and educational films exploring people, communities, and the issues that shape their lives. His documentary work includes The People and the Olive, Connected by Coffee, and Beneath the Surface.

A graduate of the University of Michigan’s Cinema Arts program, Aaron began his professional career in Malawi, supporting the Blantyre Malaria Project. He later worked on national PBS documentaries in New York City and spent seven months in India, Nepal, and Tibet creating a video archive of Tibetan communities and their changing culture.

Since founding Stone Hut Studios in 2011, Aaron has brought that documentary background to projects for educators, nonprofits, businesses, and public institutions, including hundreds of educational videos for Scholastic. His work spans directing, cinematography, producing, and editing, with an emphasis on thoughtful research, human connection, and making complex subjects engaging and accessible.

Selected Documentaries

Beneath The Surface: The Line 5 Pipeline in the Great Lakes
Connected By Coffee
The People and The Olive

Reviews & Awards

“Aaron Dennis is a supremely talented filmmaker and videographer. He's created literally hundreds of videos for us on a vast array of topics in the Social Studies and Science fields. His meticulous research resulted in thoroughly engaging videos filled with evocative imagery and accompanied by perfect mood-setting scores and voice overs. That Aaron accomplished all this with such an easygoing manner and never once missed a deadline, well, I just hope we can work together for another ten years!”
Sara B.Scholastic Library Publishing
“The video was a smashing success! Standing ovation, tears, and so much good feeling filled the room.”
Jennifer Jay, Director of Communications and OutreachGrand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy
“Wow, wow, wow. What great, perfect videos- I love them!!!! I can’t think of anyways to make them better.”
Sara Harding, Director/Corporate CommunicationsYen Yoga & Fitness/FIM Group / TedX Traverse City
Connected By Coffee
“An eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at the real world of coffee. Highly recommended.”
Video Librarian Magazine
The People and The Olive
“An Inspirational Thriller”-Boston Globe

"Courageous journalism that matters to the world. A first-rate exploration of injustice” - Keith Schneider, ModeShift
Scholastic
"Ideal for enhancing 21st century-literacy and technology skills. Freedomflix is a gold medal winner."
School Library Journal
The Power of Nature
“The Power of Nature makes a compelling case for Great Lakes’ conservation in Michigan through first-person stories and captivating visuals. A love of the Michigan coast runs deep in these video subjects, which include a sixth-generation cherry farmer, an urban conservationist introducing young people to the outdoors, and a military veteran who believes in the power of nature to heal.”
NOAA Office for Coastal Management
Beneath The Surface
Won a 2019 Michigan Emmy: Health/Science - Program/Special
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