Life & Work with Michael Kellman of Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Kellman.

Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been completely enamored with stories. My parents would always read me to sleep at night, and as soon as I could read on my own, I did. When I was in elementary school I read all the books in the library on a few topics, and then proceeded to badger the librarian every so often, asking her whether new books on said topics had come in. That same enthusiasm went for movies and television. Watching movies together was a big thing for our family, and I was taken in by the screen. I’ve always found it amazing that a story that ostensibly has nothing to do with you as a viewer can evoke such strong emotional responses. It’s such a huge part of what makes us uniquely human. When I was about sixteen I began to think maybe film could be the career path for me, and by eighteen I was sure. I have a particular love for comedy, and in college I was the president of the improvisational comedy group. We did something like sixty shows during my time.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For me, the biggest challenge comes in moments of low-confidence, which all artists everywhere have at one time or another. It’s difficult to work on something for many thousands of hours without positive feedback beyond one’s friends and family. I’m talking about feedback with teeth behind it – in other words, feedback that costs someone something to give, whether that cost is in the form of payment, employment, or opportunity. The first of that kind of feedback I received was from everyone who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign for my debut feature film Say Less, which is currently doing festivals. I am beyond grateful to each and every person who contributed. Please don’t mistake my meaning. No one, certainly not me, is owed any kind of recognition for what they make. My anecdote merely serves to convey the idea that the experience of working for so long on something you care about so deeply, something which has a purpose only fulfilled if it’s experienced by other people, can be quite difficult when you don’t really know if your work is any good. This is something every single artist goes through.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a writer, director, producer, editor, and sometimes actor. I made fifteen or so shorts before my first feature film, which I dropped out of film school to create. That movie is called Say Less and is currently doing film festivals. At the moment I’m in the middle of shooting my second feature, Burn Pretty, which is a no-budget feature. I could find adjectives to describe my work but the only really useful description of it would come from a depiction of it. Watching some of it, in other words. I have a slightly… off-kilter sensibility. A little odd. I’m most proud of the best thing that I’ve created so far, which is a screenplay that I hope to get the opportunity to make someday. I am, at least so far, a bit of a hell-or-highwater filmmaker. Without any institutional support (thus far), I’ll figure out whatever I need to in order to make it happen. This is my passion, an enormous source of meaning for me, and what I’ve dedicated myself to. I care a lot.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have very very fond memories on the one particular beach my family always went to growing up. When you’re a child you have no way of knowing that something like that – being together with your parents and siblings playing sports, swimming, horseing around, laughing – that that is the meaning of life. That is what life is about – what we’re ultimately trying to get to. Those memories in particular serve as a reminder to me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael__kellman/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelkellman42