Check Out Timothy Kennedy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Timothy Kennedy.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was really young, I never ended up going to a school with any sports or anything of that kind in Detroit Michigan. Instead, my mother had enrolled me in a school called “Winans Academy of Performing Arts” which was a Christian school since it was already linked to the church that we attended. It was there I got my start at artistic projects. Things like ballet, Orchestra, Arts and crafts, and acting. My dad (Page Kennedy) would always have me make funny videos on his phone to send to his friends back in LA and it was then he realized that I had a liking to entertainment in some way. And after a couple of years of moving around with my mother between Detroit Michigan and Orlando Florida, I eventually ended up moving to him, and he lived in Los Angeles California. Around this time of my life, I was going to high school at Venice High and was doing some of the plays the school had produced, but I started being able to pave my own way when Vine came out. I had been making viral content with my dad and eventually, I started to blow up online amassing over 400k in followers before the app was shut down. After vine, I had graduated from Venice and transferred to SMC and resorted back to doing plays there. Two and a half years later, I had transferred to CSULB and was beginning to start my theatrical run there only until Covid happened and was forced from boredom to pick up my social media career again by joining TikTok, which once again proved to be an incredible idea to do see I basically restarted myself again on that app. Once I had finally graduated from CSULB with my BA in Theatre arts, I was in a place to start taking my career in acting as my full-time focus! this year alone I was able to book about eight different gigs two of them being an episode on “NCIS” and “Good Trouble.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the most difficult issues I had during this process was sustaining the acting career life while also trying to sustain your normal life (Ex. School and other Jobs). This entire time if not my whole life I had somehow decided that being in college and school was extremely crucial and important. Not to say that it wasn’t and I’m very glad I went and am happy I met the people that I did. But I always felt this looming presence during school where I felt like I could be doing more for me. And I would consider dropping out or not dropping out and felt like if I did drop out, I’d be disappointing some of my family for not getting a degree, but I would also see some of my friends book gigs on big things and wish I was free enough to do that as well. And it’d mess up my focus because I was living in two different places at once of wanting to leave or if I booked something, I’d have to make a decision on ” Do I wanna miss this crucial exam to shoot this commercial or do I wanna pick the exam but then get dropped from my agency for not doing the gig”. I had to make A lot of sacrifices like that my last my first year at CSULB and the year before that. Same thing for work I had just landed a job at a VR place and the first week of initiation I had booked a commercial gig and I had to flip a coin to see if I wanted to get fired immediately from the job I just booked to work 1 day on a commercial or leave the commercial and get dropped from my agency. Luckily for me my employers were understanding and allowed me to go shoot it and come back.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am not only just an actor I am also a filmmaker as well. I’ve produced and directed two short horror films that I did with my college friends called “The Renewal” and the newly added film “SKETCH”. I’ve always been forced to not celebrate anything that had to do with Halloween or horror. So once I turned 18, I basically overdid the horror. Aesthetic to the point where I’ve made it my whole life’s goal to continue being in the horror industry. I’d probably be known best for the Vine video where it’s me, my dad (Page Kennedy) and my friend (Sarah Abikzer) saying, “Help he’s dying call 911”, and then I say, “What’s the Number”! and then, he says his catchphrase that he had on Vine. Or my infamous meme picture that got plastered on every social media platform and still to this day.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I would go to film festivals to be honest. Theirs always up-and-coming people, especially college kids who are always down to talk about projects or future ideas that they would like to work on or pursue. I would also say if it’s possible to go to after-parties as well. I know myself I’m not a big party person but the opportunities to talk and network are too good to pass up. I remember going to the Teen Wolf Movie premiere and they had and after-party for the film, me and my friend (Alex Correa) were planning to just go home but decided to stay for the party and refused to leave until we at least got three people’s Instagram handles. We ended up leaving with 15. And I ended up seeing some of them at other events as well, so I’ve already semi-begun to make new friends groups that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t try.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wwewwee99.wixsite.com/timothy-kennedy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_timothykennedy/
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/timothy-kennedy-865009569

Image Credits
Alex Correa Sergio Gonzalez Matt Marcheski