Russell was born in North Wales where his inspiration for story telling began. He studied illustration and screenwriting at UCA. On graduating he moved to London, working as the producers assistant on horror An American Haunting starring Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. A career as a storyboard and concept artist followed, working on Doctor Who reboots and Tomb Raider games before becoming a set decorator and art director for popular TV shows in the UK. Having worked for Nickelodeon, ITV, BBC and Channel 4 in 2010 Russell directed his first short film Anglesey Road, which went on to win several awards and signaled the start of a full time writing/directing career. Russell has made hundreds of TV commercials and content films for brands such as American Express, Armani, L'Oreal, Specsavers and Diageo. He also directed Love In The Asylum, a short film based on the Dylan Thomas poem of the same name starring Gaia Weiss. His latest feature 'Shepherd' premiered at the 2021 BFI London Film festival to critical acclaim (New York Times Critics Pick, BBC's Mark Kermode's Film of the Week) after its theatrical run and becoming the number one on iTunes in horror and independent genres. It stars Tom Hughes, Kate Dickie, Gaia Weiss and Greta Scacchi. He founded Kindred Film in 2019 with his business partner Sam Orams. Currently lives in London, works globally.