Curtis Cleland 'Curt' Ellis (born December 15, 1979) is an American filmmaker, social entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable agriculture and healthy food.

The film, which The Washington Post called "Required viewing for anyone planning to visit a supermarket, fast-food joint, or their own refrigerator,"[8] followed Ellis and his best friend Ian Cheney on a yearlong quest to grow an acre of corn and trace its journey into food.

Directed by Ellis' cousin Aaron Woolf, King Corn featured journalist Michael Pollan and Nixon-era Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz.

[11] The film featured Yale University scientist John Wargo and geneticist Wes Jackson in its examination of the hypoxic dead zone and the link between herbicides and cancer.

Lee, Ellis received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop a documentary about American Chinese food called The Search for General Tso.

Kellogg Foundation and the Fledgling Fund, Ellis and the film's co-creators worked to spark discussion of food and farm issues among the general public.

A frequent speaker on issues of sustainability, Ellis has lectured at TEDx, the Muddy Boot Festival, MountainFilm, and other numerous conferences and campuses.