Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Kelly.
Hi Brittany, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In my early teens, once I was first allowed to regularly consume television, I quickly realized that my tiny, 76 square mile island of Grand Cayman was not the be-all, end-all of the world. With that realization taking up the most space in my head, I decided to spend as much time as I could traveling and learning about everything and anything that wasn’t “normal” to my Caymanian upbringing.
I ventured out to the UK and the US for higher learning. I originally started as a film student on a mission to become the next Martin Scorsese. Within two semesters at CU Boulder, I changed my major. I changed it primarily out of fear. I started at CU at 17 and everyone in my film program knew more than me about film and television, they knew how to make and edit films, they knew cool BTS stories with jargon like “call time”, “cutting room floor” and “taillights”. At that point, I thought I was in over my head and ridiculous for even wanting to learn about film, something that was clearly meant for the small hoard of white men that were in my classes. So I changed my major to something safer: psychology.
So I took that route and I enjoyed it. I worked in a prison as a counselor, a case aide at a child advocacy center, and as a special needs teacher chasing students sprinting from classrooms. I always enjoyed learning so I applied and was accepted to a Doctorate program in Child Psychology in England, yet I was still feeling unfulfilled. I decided to deviate from my planned path and apply to London Film Academy just to see if I could get in. Spoiler: they let me in.
From then on, I was a filmmaker. I graduated from their one-year program and got to work. I was producing and coordinating feature films, digital content and music videos throughout the US, the UK and the Caribbean. I directed short films, and competed in 48-hour filmmaking competitions, all which led to me learning about and falling in love with the world of independent filmmaking.
I was living my dream life until the abrupt halt of the world that occurred in March 2020.
In early pandemic times, confined to four walls, recently single at 30 and terrified of the outside world, I found enough energy at the bottom of my freshly broken heart to begin to take writing (something that had always been a passion project to me) seriously. The first script I finished was a spite-fueled (by my recent breakup) comedy script I wrote in this time entitled NO THANK YOU gained some traction. I placed in competitions like Barnstorm, WeScreenplay, Screencraft and won the grand prize of WeScreenplay’s Diverse Voices 2021. I also made the International Screenwriters Association’s ISA’s Top 25 Writers to Watch in 2022.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not, haha! The information and culture gap, even though Cayman had American, British and Canadian TV. When I worked in the UK and even now working in the US, there is just some things that culturally there will always be this weird game of catch-up that I’m trying to play.
Financials – I’m sure many storytellers or creatives can relate. Independent filmmaking and freelancing are labors of love and not often financially compensated the best. Also, coming up in the independent route, you don’t know about things like “labor laws” or “minimum/scale pay”. I told myself a lot at the beginning of my career that every project I chose, I was choosing it for the love of filmmaking. I once took a Production Manager job for a feature that lasted over 8 weeks for a total pay of $1,500.00. There’s being noble and “doing it for the art” and then there’s just being ridiculous.
And the hardest struggle will always be being away from my family and friends back home in Cayman. I’m from a super close and tight-knit community and the lack of that system of support is really felt living here in LA.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I write and script doctor comedies that viciously yet accessibly challenge societal norms and dialogue-driven hyper-realistic dramas. My focus on introspective character-driven storytelling aims to bring Caribbean, queer and neurodivergent female narratives to the forefront. Because my heart lies in my homeland of Cayman, my ultimate goal is to tell stories that elevate positive depictions of Caribbean culture and eradicate harmful stereotypes.
I produce/direct independent films, commercial and digital advertising that shows audiences a slice of life/look behind the curtain of worlds they wouldn’t normally encounter.
I’m most proud of a workshop series that I’m currently running back home in Cayman. It’s a workshop on independent filmmaking, kind of like a crash course of everything I’ve learned in my 10+ years working in film/production. I’m psyched about it because I can take everything that I’ve learned and share with an audience that wouldn’t necessarily have the access to it.
What I think sets me apart from others is that I have an equal desire to teach and learn. I really want to help others realize their creative potential, I’ve realized through my travels and my aggressive compulsion to learn that everyone has a story to tell but not everyone knows how or where to start with telling that story. As a script doctor/producer, I enjoy stepping into someone else’s story and helping them polish up the idea and bring it to life.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
When I first got to LA, I was trying so hard to find a mentor eons ahead of me career-wise, but when I found them, they couldn’t relate to my struggles or offer grounded advice.
For finding a mentor: look around, look at who is at the same festivals as you, look at who you’re in the PA trenches with and who’s placing in the same screenwriting competitions as you. This is your network, these are the people who will more than likely know your struggles.
Once I realized that I just started talking to people, having conversations about films I liked, films I hated and my circle grew. Ask questions, make jokes, networking doesn’t have to be a chore, I think of it as trying to make friends to play on set with.
Pricing:
- Script Doctoring – OUTLINE/TREATMENT CONSULT USD $400
- Script Doctoring – STORY BREAKING USD $400
- Script Doctoring – STORY ANALYSIS USD $250
- Script Doctoring – PROOFREADING USD $150-$400
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.striketwicecreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/striketwicecreative
- Other: https://vimeo.com/brittanysuzannekelly
