Director's Works
Todd & The Toad Julia Mücke
Julia packed her bags at 19 and moved to Cologne/Germany to work for the record label EMI Music.
Eight years later, she left the label with a marketing portfolio full of musicians and bands.
Around that time, Julia had a hunch that with the rise of MySpace and Facebook, it might be a good
idea to start producing social media content for artists and labels. That little revelation sparked a
new passion, and in 2009 – long before Instagram and TikTok – Julia became a content creator and
filmmaker. During this time, she taught herself camera work, directing, and editing, and became
fluent in the language of social media. For quite a while now, Julia has focused full-time on working
as a commercial director. With her childlike curiosity and sharp mind, she’s found her place among a
new generation of commercial storytellers. Since music was her first love, she considers it just as
emotionally vital as the visual elements in film. Julia is an overly social being and cares deeply about
good vibes on set – and everywhere else, really.
To showcase her directing skills in storytelling, dialogue, comedy, toads, AI experiences,
scriptwriting, and, um… English-language dialogue films, Julia wrote and directed “Todd & The
Toad” – a 12-minute short film. Opinions different, but Julia’s favorite genre label for it is: Twisted
Screwball Romantic Comedy. The film is currently in festival circuit.
Since early 2021, Julia has been a member of the jury for the Deutscher Werbefilmpreis. In her next
life, she plans to pursue a career as a precision driver… or she keeps writing shorts and tv shows to
built her directing career further. Let’s see!
The idea for „Todd & The Toad“ came to me when someone casually said, “Did you know
one of your friends has been licking toads lately?” That image stuck with me - too weird,
too vivid. I just had to turn it into a story.
Right from the start, writing felt like a playful thought experiment. The toad Juan Carlos -
aka JC - is Todd’s externalized self-talk: his doubt, hope, fear, and courage all wrapped up
in a French-accented toad-therapist.
Beneath the absurd humor lies something deeper: a story about anxiety, vulnerability, and
the surprising ways we open up. The film is a wink-wink ode to life and love and how
important it is to act sooner rather than later. Some people look for answers in
hallucinogens. Others just open up and step out of their comfort zones to honestly
connect. We all have our struggles.
Fear messes with reality and often leaves us speechless when we really want to speak up.
Todd’s inner world is loud and chaotic, something many of us know. The psychedelic toad
was my way of using humor to destigmatize emotional blocks. And by the way, there is a
real therapy with 5-MeO-DMT, the secretions of the Bufo Alvarius toad.
The film dances between magical realism, comedy, and quiet honesty. I’m fascinated by
moments that first seem ridiculous but turn out to be key: a wrong text, an awkward
silence, a talking animal. „Todd & The Toad“ lives right in that space between absurd and
real.
Visually, the contrast between the overwhelming city and the calm forest mirrors Todd’s
journey: from avoidance to presence. In the woods, everything slows down. Todd meets
himself for the first time - on his own terms. The surreal vibe is intentional. Change rarely
feels logical or linear when you’re in the middle of it.
How often is a felt risk really a real risk? Not just the over-the-top risk of licking a toad, but
the emotional courage to say, “I’m scared, but I’m facing it.” In the end, the audience gets
rewarded with a lightness we should all let ourselves feel more often.
If even one person walks away feeling less alone with their awkwardness, maybe even
finally sends that message they were too scared to send, then JC and I have done our job.
