May 13, 2020

Meet Brennan and Kim McNichol of Schoolyard in Culver City

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brennan and Kim McNichol.

Brennan and Kim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Brennan: My real passion in the entertainment industry started when I was about ten years old. I decided to attend a theater camp and quickly fell in love with storytelling in all its forms. As a teenager, I created numerous short films and other fun projects with my friends, and over time that passion evolved specifically into Directing and Producing. When I was 18 years old, I skipped the traditional method of going to university and I moved straight out to LA to pursue that passion. I then spent about five years working various jobs in film production and around a year working in script development for Phoenix Pictures. After that, I was able to move into higher creative positions producing various digital content and over 20 episodes of TV. Through my experiences, I had several ideas for creating new forms of digital series and digital scripted content which gave way to the idea for Schoolyard. A digital network for young adults with content by young adults.

Kim: I spent my childhood obsessed with music and theatre, I grew up in Washington, DC, and spent the weekends catching shows at The Kennedy Center with my mother. I was pretty decided that I would be working in entertainment. I moved from DC to New York City and began meeting people who taught me more about the marketing and the branding side of things in the entertainment world. My work landed on Vibe Magazine’s coveted music blog at the time. I soon moved to Los Angeles and soon realized I was more passionate about making things happen and began consulting and creating social content for influencers, actresses, and brands. I conducted partnerships with Chipotle, Queen V, Kendall Jackson Wines, Target, PETA, and more.

Has it been a smooth road?
Brennan: I feel like anyone the road to get where we are at has been difficult and don’t expect it to get smoother. I have struggled a lot in the industry with my desire to create my own projects and making a living producing other projects. I think I came to a point where I realized I need to just take the risk on myself. I don’t really expect the road ahead to be any easier. The ups and downs of the entertainment industry are pretty similar to everyone whether you are doing small projects or the biggest films in the industry.

Kim: I had my oldest son when I was in my late teens, so at that point, I feel I had the odds against me. Trying to balance motherhood and pursuing my goals and dreams at such a young age, has always felt a little heavier. In some regard, people were really impressed, while others would write me off. There were always people saying “You’re a Mom” or my favorite “I can’t imagine” when I would continue to keep pushing forward. I feel like for both of us, we have had to really put in that extra work by having two kids on top of pursuing ambitious dream.

Please tell us about Schoolyard.
Schoolyard originally started with Influencer Marketing and Branded Content. As a husband and wife, we had the desire to be able to work together and those areas seemed like a natural fit. For a long time, we had the idea to change the way digital content is produced, distributed and monetized but felt it was too unattainable at the time. After a while, we decided to go for it and put together a slate of digital scripted series. We currently have four projects developed and plan to go into production after the quarantine is lifted.

Many other companies have attempted to successfully create this style of content but none have tried to completely change the methods in which it has been done. From being free and accessible to not running ads Schoolyard is modernizing the production process for the social media world and the future. The hope is to eventually launch a full studio to produce dozens of these shows made by young creators for young adults.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I mean Los Angeles is the hub of the entertainment world and that is hard to argue with. Brennan has lived here for 11 years and Kim has lived here for around seven years and have loved every minute of it. I think if you are looking to be at the top of the entertainment industry it is an important place to be because of the connections you can make on a daily basis. That being said, I think if you are just starting out with producing or content creation you don’t “need” to be in LA. It can be a very expensive city when you are just starting out and that can prevent you from focusing on your craft. We are so fortunate to live in a time where there are so many cheap and free resources around us to create that you should spend a couple of years just making stuff you are passionate about,

Contact Info:

Website: https://schoolyardmedia.com/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kim.mcnichol/?hl=en

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Meet West LA Series Sponsor:

Megan Gallagher: Hi! My name is Megan Gallagher! I’m a 24 year old 2x TED speaker, #1 best selling author, afterbuzz tv host, mental health advocate & podcast host! I am very passionate about helping teenagers and changing the school system to have mandatory classes about self love, mental health and following your dreams! Growing up, I started struggling with anxiety as young as three. As a got older, I became more aware of my body and by 14, I knew that something was wrong and I needed help. It was really scary to be sitting in class(in High School) and all the sudden feel hot, sweaty, a fast heart rate and like I was going to pass out. These “episodes” happened every day, in all seven of my classes. After a few months of struggling, I decided to sit my parents down and vent to them. It was so scary and surreal, yet I felt so understood and safe. I then started therapy for three years and went on a journey to discover who Megan was. Now, having overcome it all and being in such a different place in my life- I have dedicated my life to being that person I craved as a teen. I speak at middle schools and high schools across the country in hopes of spreading positivity and inspiring teens to reach for the stars!