Life & Work with Kip Knight of North Hollywood, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kip Knight.

Hi Kip, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Firstly, I’d like to give a huge thank you for this amazing opportunity!

I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. At a young age I had a passion for telling creative stories, but I never knew it was something more than a hidden love. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I discovered that I could become a filmmaker. It was through that discovery that led me to go to film school in Chicago. I spent the next few years diving deep into the craft with the goal of making it out to Los Angeles to eventually work and jumpstart my career.

I touched down in Los Angeles in 2016, and have been on an incredible journey ever since. I’ve been blessed to work on several television shows and other projects that have helped me grow as a filmmaker and understand the business. I’ve gained amazing skills through the experience of working for these productions that have led to other opportunities – both inside and outside of the industry.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wish I could say that the road has been easy, or that I haven’t had any life altering obstacles, but that wouldn’t be true.

With the pandemic and the ever-changing state of the industry, things have definitely shifted. With all of that I’d say my biggest struggle/obstacle was losing my mother to cancer.

Most of us grind so hard to make our parents proud and to give them an ounce of what they have given us, but just as I felt I was finally climbing that ladder, she unfortunately lost her battle with cancer.

Being an only child raised by a single mother, we were all each other had, so losing her was extremely difficult. It also shined a huge light on how the industry can be brutal because within a blink of an eye I lost my mother and I also felt like I lost my career.

After several months of no calls or jobs, I sincerely thought about giving up. I thought, “what was the point?”

I had a moment of extreme self-doubt and I felt like my dreams were over. I lost the voice of reason and support and the silence became unbearable. For a while it seemed like I wasn’t going to be able to make it out of that depression but I took a deep breath and heard my mothers voice cheering me on. That gave me the strength to keep pushing, and even though the road is still extremely bumpy, I still keep fighting because I know I was put on this earth to make films.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a director/writer. I’ve done several short films – mostly horror based. I’m super proud of the fact that even without resources, I have managed to find a way to make these shorts and tell the kind of stories that I want to tell.

I think the thing that makes me unique is my perspective on the stories I like to tell. I don’t see a lot of representation for folks who look like me or have similar stories and I really pride myself on not being afraid to confront those difficult subjects on screen.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
There’s quite a few surprising things about me. Besides being a director/writer I also have experience as a camera operator and have shot a couple of my own shorts and music videos. I also do photography on the side. I have experience in production design and I know how to edit. I’m basically a one man band haha.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kippinitreal_?igsh=bmM1YmFuYjN3dWdk&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kipknight9000?si=A4yHry3k4wEj0aXa