Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelton White.
Hi Kelton, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, and balanced my time with watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy on repeat and performing in musicals and plays at local theaters. After graduating from a small high school, I decided to take to the road and see what Los Angeles had to offer. Well, as a young man with not a cent to his name, all it really offered me was financial instability, and my dreams dashed across the sidewalk, their remnants spilling atop the cement stars on Hollywood Blvd. So after spending a year in LA, I went back to Arizona and worked my tail off. I knew that if I was going to actually try to work in this industry, I’d have to buckle down and grow a little more and have a bit more stability, all while never taking my eyes off the prize: A return to Hollywood. In 2017, I decided it was time for that (maybe) triumphant return, and I hit the ground running. I started the never-ending grind of auditioning while also working on several crews for television shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles and The Minx. It was an education on the front lines, and I quickly started applying said education in writing and directing my own short films, several of which have won awards in many festivals since.
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?
It’s only been a pleasant road if you like your roads covered with uneven pavement and thorny weeds sprouting from the cracked stone at every turn. Each day is a struggle in some way. This city is full of the “grind” mentality, but what happens when Friday rolls around, and you’ve just received your tenth audition rejection of the week? What happens when you open your fridge and—because you just spent hundreds of dollars on headshots that probably won’t even be used—you’ve got a single jar of pasta sauce sitting alone on your shelf for dinner? What happens when you can’t fill your gas tank all the way up that week, but your friend just posted a costar offer they got on social media? What happens when… Well, you get the picture. I ask these questions because they’re still questions I ask myself every day. Still struggles I deal with. And will continue to, I’m sure.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So, I came out to Los Angeles originally to act. I’ve an extensive background in theater and commercial work, but my heart was always in film. And years later, I’m still setting up that tripod and backdrop and sending in self-tapes weekly. No, actually, daily. But along my journey—and after spending several years working with television crews—I started trying my hand at directing. The beginning was tough, and by throwing myself in the deep end, I learned a lot through trial by fire. However, since then, my team and I have created several projects that I’m really proud of. Projects that have gone on to win awards—such as Best Indie Short and Best Director—in multiple festivals. And what sets me apart from others? Honestly, I stay committed to projects from the moment of their conception. This city and industry is full of general “meetings” where one person promises another that they’re “absolutely going to make this film happen” only for those two to never collaborate on something. It’s important to me that visions come to fruition and people stay committed.
What were you like growing up?
So, in order to answer this question, I want to talk about an experience I had when I was a younger kid. I was being driven to school, and I remember seeing an older man sitting on a bench waiting for his bus. We were stopped at a red light, and as I stared more at the man (which, honestly, was kind of rude of me), I began to ask my imagination questions. WHY was he sitting there? WHERE was he going? WHO was going to meet him there, or WHO was he running from? That day, after getting home from school, I wrote a short story about a man waiting on a platform for a train he wasn’t sure was coming. And one he wasn’t sure he wanted to take. It was garbage, frankly, and I’m glad nobody ever read it. But this kind of thing happened to me all the time growing up. I was an absolute daydreamer, obsessed with taking whatever I saw in the real world and making a fictitious story about it. Still am.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.keltonwalshwhite.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelton423white/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KeltonWhite
