Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Brancaccio.
Kristen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When YouTube came along (I ‘discovered’ the platform in 2007), I very quickly became a part of its first generation of viewers. I would eagerly wait for new videos from my favorite creators: HappySlip, communitychannel, MysteryGuitarMan, Shane Dawson… the cool thing about YouTube was everyone on the platform was just like me!
No one had professional cameras, scripts, money or really any resources beyond those of their own neighborhood, and yet these people were undeniably their own unique brand of filmmaker- something I’d always wanted to be.
I began making skits and vlogs from my college dorm room, which actually led to me working for YouTube as an independent contractor from 2011-2013. Simultaneously, I worked on countless videos for the hit comedy show “The Key of Awesome” (most memorably impersonating Lorde in their “Royals” parody) and earned a theater degree from Marymount Manhattan College (with a minor in International Studies, the result of a 3-month stint in Ecuador my senior year).
In 2013, I moved to sunny Los Angeles, where I quickly realized my dreams of being an Oscar-winning filmmaker would probably take a bit longer than the three months I’d saved up for. Not to be deterred, I began the arduous process of redeveloping my network of contacts and saying ‘yes’ to every film-related opportunity that came my way (I even worked in production accounting for a few months).
The best thing about being a freelancer in the digital arena is you’ll never really be ‘type-cast’. With smaller budgets, faster timelines, and nimble production teams, it’s amazing how many hats you can wear when working on a digital production if you want to.
Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to write (I sold a script to Legendary Digital in 2015 and wrote on a digital show for one of the ‘big 3’ networks- neither project was greenlit), direct (I was a top 10 finalist on HBO’s Project Greenlight and directed the ‘Expiration Date’ pilot for SYFY) and produce (I line produced the digital TERMINATOR miniseries that starred Lilly Singh and Arnold Schwarzenegger).
I’ve met and worked with some of the same people who inspired me to become a filmmaker in the first place, and I’ve grown to love the ups (flexible schedule!) and downs (no stability!) of freelance life.
Earlier this year, I started my own production company: Exit Twelve Productions, named after the location of my childhood home in New Jersey (take exit 12 off Route 78).
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest challenge I faced as a filmmaker was, frankly, learning how to actually make films (and commercials, and music videos, and branded content… you get the idea). I didn’t go to film school, so 100% of my training took place on-the-job, meaning all of my screw-ups happened on production’s payroll… yikes!
I read Carol Wolper’s “Adapt or Wait Tables” shortly before moving to LA, and ‘be adaptable!’ has been my mantra ever since. I’ve spent the first half of my career pretending to know what I was doing while I desperately googled film terms like “honeywagon” and “martini shot” so I could appear knowledgable, but I’m happy to report that I now ACTUALLY know what I’m doing. (And if I didn’t, you’d never know it…)
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Exit Twelve Productions – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I founded Exit Twelve with the goal of creating compelling narrative and digital content. Earlier this year, we produced the SYFY digital pilot for ‘Expiration Date’ (which I directed and adapted from the Wattpad book of the same name). We recently produced the music video for ‘Happiness’ (which I also directed) for hit Spotify artist Wingtip, and we’re in production on a narrative sci-fi podcast (stay tuned for more details on that!)
What sets us apart is our understanding of and ample experience working in the digital space. More and more, individuals (i.e., influencers), brands, networks, and studios want to create narrative digital/streaming content, but may have limited funds or may not quite understand the unique benefits (and challenges) that accompany creating digital content.
There’s an art to it, and myself and my team have the connections and know-how to create high-quality narrative content on a digital budget. Don’t take my word for it though- I’ll let our work speak for itself.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I can’t really imagine doing what I do anywhere else in the world. Los Angeles attracts the best creative talent in the entertainment industry, and it’s a pleasure working alongside so many folks whose work I’ve admired for years.
That being said- I love dreary, rainy days and chilly temperatures. In that sense, Los Angeles is the last city I should be living in! So if I ever stop answering emails, it’s probably because I’ve escaped to the Bay Area (or even the UK) for a few weeks to get my fill of cold, miserable weather!
Contact Info:
- Website: SYFY Expiration Date pilot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXE3UimLsYM
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exit_twelve/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenbrancaccio
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/exit_twelve
Image Credit:
Cinematographer “Expiration Date” – Jorel O’Dell, Cinematographer “Happiness” – John Gardiner, Photographer “Expiration Date” – Steven Coli, Photographer “Happiness” – Stephanie Card
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