Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberlea Kressal
Hi Kimberlea, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I came to film and television from a career in theater, but my love of storytelling started as a little girl in dance classes. I was an introverted, but imaginative child. I think my Mom saw that dance offered me a creative way to express my rich inner life. Dance eventually led me to theater and a public arts school and then to NYU Tisch School of the Arts to study directing. I was a playwright, director, and devised theater maker in New York City for almost twenty-years before I moved to Los Angeles to pursue television writing. TV was so similar to the character-driven and collaborative world of theater that it was an easy fit. I also really loved the structure of it and the long form storytelling it offered. Eventually, I wanted to return to my directing roots, so I began writing short and feature films I could direct myself.
I also genuinely love teaching! Whenever my schedule permits, I offer writing classes and workshops that demystify the process of writing and empower the creator. For the past six years, I have been teaching my class TV Writing for the Actor™ to actors, writers, playwrights, novelists, poets and anyone else interested in character-driven storytelling. I also serve on the faculty of Western Colorado University’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing, where I teach TV writing, screenwriting, pitching, and portfolio development.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ha, absolutely not! I have been traveling on a very bumpy, dirt road – sometimes the road has been swallowed entirely by a sinkhole, but it has been an eventful journey. My pivot to TV came after a series of huge personal losses; I really had hit bottom. I was very alone and very lost. However, I learned so much about what I was capable of — all the loss pushed me in a new direction and challenged me to fight for my own happiness. I’m someone who wants to be feel safe and feel secure, but being an artist is inherently unsafe; it requires huge leaps of faith and an infinite amount of resilience. The financial hurdles are hard to overcome — I’ve certainly spent years sleeping on couches and borrowing from friends to make it to the next paid gig. Even tougher are the artistic set backs, the plays that don’t move to a bigger venue, the series you built for three years that never made it to air. Those set backs can gut you if you’re not coming at your art from the right mindset. I think if you measure success on the big wins, instead of on the big swings you’re really gonna struggle. For me, I measure success based on the experience I had, the relationships and collaborations I loved, and if I felt fulfilled and authentic communicating my ideas.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an LA-based TV writer and filmmaker. I have sold and developed projects with ABC Signature, Automatik, Danny Rose Media, DiGa Studios, Dynamic Television, Escape Artists, Milojo, MGM-Orion, Gavin Polone’s Pariah, and UCP. My directorial debut film “Jackrabbit Homestead” — starring Yara Martinez — is currently playing at festivals around the country. I came to TV and film following a twenty-year career in New York as a theater director and playwright. I was the Resident Director for the theater company Wreckio Ensemble for ten years. I am the book writer and librettist of the hit off-Broadway musical “Lesbian Love Octagon.” On stage, I most recently directed a workshop of Alice Stanley’s “The Second Best School Shooting” Executive Produced by Adam McKay and Shira Piven. I am also the Founder/Producer of Tisch Represents, a community of NYU Tisch School of the Arts alumni elevating underrepresented voices in television and film.
As a writer, I most enjoy writing what I describe as “Florida Noir” – brightly lit dramas rooted in moral ambiguity. That doesn’t mean they are always set in Florida (although I do love writing about gators and grifters). I’m currently working on a grounded horror series set in an unincorporated desert town about a woman seeking redemption. And I’m finishing rewrites on an ensemble feature I hope to direct next year. You can learn more about me, my writing, and my classes at www.kimberleakressal.com
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Probably to remember to embrace the act of “play” in all you do. Art and commerce are in constant conflict and there is so much you cannot control as an artist. It can really drag you down emotionally and creatively. But what you can control is how you show up. If you approach what you do with curiosity and open-heartedness the work will be better and you’ll feel better for it.
Pricing:
- 8 Week Courses are $650
- Private Writing Coaching is $95/hr (or $75/hr if enrolled in a class)
- Workshop prices vary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kimberleakressal.com
- Instagram: @kkressal, @tvwritingfortheactor
Image Credits
1. Kimberlea Kressal
2. Jill Petracek
3. Joe Lewis
4. Brandon Morris
