Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyndra Kennedy.
Kyndra, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, from Atwater Village to Crenshaw and Adams, I’ve bounced around quite a bit. I went to high school at Palisades High and college at UC Berkeley, I’m truly a Cali girl.
From as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a creative. Whether it was writing music and singing songs, or coming up with skits to perform at school with my friends, I’ve always had this need to entertain and tell stories. I got my start from my parents who gave me and my brothers the space and encouragement to express ourselves and to discover/develop our unique personalities.
My parents enrolled me into this almost hippie-like elementary school, called Open School, where I got my start as a performer. The school would put on these massive productions of the classic musicals, from Oliver Twist to the Sound of Music. This is when I fell in love with the stage.
Open School is the same elementary school Nipsey Hussle attended. We were actually in the same grade and from the same neighborhood. His recent passing was incredibly heartbreaking, and I am motivated to continue what he started and spread the message of the importance of being an entrepreneur, running your own business(es) and investing into your community. Especially for people who are minorities and from lower-income communities. The Marathon Continues.
Throughout my school years I continued to write, sing and act. My Uncle, who was in the music industry, started developing me as a recording artist. I wrote and recorded a demo album while in high school. But I had to put my singing career on hold for my education. I thought if I got good grades I could skip college and start my career. The opposite actually happened. I ended up getting scholarships to UC Berkeley and had to put my singing dreams on hold. While at UC Berkeley, I studied abroad in Paris, France where I landed a role in the school play. I got to perform “HAIR,” the 70’s Rock Musical in a small theater in Paris. I was on cloud nine. I was so over-taken by my love for the stage, I decided to take time off school to follow my dreams full-time. Though reluctant at first, my parents supported my decision.
Fast forward through my adult years, after pursuing a career in music, joining a girl-group, meeting celebrities, label execs, big time managers, producers and booking background gigs on TV. There came a time where I needed to get a “real job.” One of my jobs was as a project manager and business analyst for a software company based in Sacramento. As much as I dreaded having to work in a non-creative environment, I surprisingly enjoyed the experience. My nerdy-analytical side came out and was right at home. I was learning so much and getting hands-on experience on how to actually run a business. This is the reason I decided to explore the business side of the entertainment industry. As I started developing business plans, I actually felt more in control of my career. After four years at my job, I finally got the courage to move to North Hollywood and start my own production company. Extremely scary to do.
A friend told me about this cinematographer, Kenneth Cuadrado who lived in Orlando, Florida. He was fresh out of film school and eager to make films. I saw a few short films he made and I was so impressed. Incredible cinematic quality. I was so blown away, I literally made this insane plan to fly him out to Hollywood and make two films in 1 week. To this day, I still don’t know how we pulled it off. But I threw together these scripts, found the locations, and casted several actors to be in our film, including family and friends. In February of 2018 we shot two films in 1 week and lived to tell about it.
The following month, Kenneth decided to move to LA and became my business partner. Our company is called KYNA Media Films. That summer, we made two more short films and submitted them into the My RØDE Reel short film competition by RØDE Microphones… Our Film “GEMS” won the “Best Female Filmmaker” Award. It’s so unbelievable that I entered my first film festival and we take home a major award. Unreal. I was absolutely elated.
The win encouraged us to create more and take our company to the next level. We started getting clients for weddings and mostly music videos. Our music videos have over 30 Million views combined. We get to work with some amazing talent. It’s so rewarding working with other artists, helping make their vision come to life, it’s truly a passion for me. The ability to cast and direct talent and be a part of their journey is another awesome aspect of being a filmmaker and producer. I even get to work on video projects with my favorite music producers. I love my job!
This past Spring 2019, we created a short film, called “Therefore I am,” for the Moment Invitational Film Festival using an iPhone. Per usual, I casted family and friends, including my super talented nephew, Makai, who now wants to pursue a career in movies. The film was fun to make and challenging to do it all with my iPhone. We ended up winning the award for “Best Experimental Film” which was such an unexpected blessing. They flew us out to New York City for the Festival where we got to meet other filmmakers from around the world. What an extraordinary experience! The film is currently available on Amazon Prime Video. Therefore I am” also won “Best Art Direction” in the My RØDE Reel 2019 competition. And our psychological thriller, “Picasso’s Mind” featuring my whole family as cast, won “Best Sci-Fi Film” My RØDE Reel 2019 competition. I’m incredibly grateful for it all.
Today I am so happy and grateful to say that I am a full-time filmmaker and running my own production company. I didn’t wait for permission from the industry gatekeepers, I took my career in my own hands and just started creating. I took many risks, invested in my dreams and everything has fallen into place better than I could’ve imagined. It’s still a lot of work, but its work that allows me to express both my analytical and creative side and its work that I am passionate about. I’m just getting started and though I have a long way to go, it’s nice to look back and feel good about how far I’ve come.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Ha! The road was definitely a bumpy one to say the least. I spent most of my career, waiting for something to happen. Hoping, praying, dreaming that one person will come into my life and make everything happen for me overnight. And all I had to do was be ready when it all happens. Yes, I was progressing creatively, working on my craft diligently, and getting better each day. I even taught myself piano by ear! While that’s impressive in theory, it still didn’t move my music career forward. The progress of my talent didn’t translate into actual career advancement. My career wasn’t paying the bills, not even close. Other people my age were already getting their own place, starting families, with steady careers… while I was still couch crashing and chasing a childhood dream. That was very frustrating for me and was slowly eating away at my spirit. You can’t compare your progress to anyone else’s. Hard, but important not to do.
Part of my struggle was attaching my dream to other people. People with different agenda’s and on different paths. Investing time into situations that end up falling apart and then I have to start from scratch only to repeat the same cycle with someone else. A vicious cycle. More than once, I’ve made career plans with people who chose to pursue romantic relationships instead of following through on our plans. It felt like I wasted so much time, but I had to learn that not everyone has the same drive as you, not everyone is on the same path as you. Don’t attach your dream to other people. Don’t put all your eggs in someone else’s basket.
Another important aspect of my struggle is that sometimes, I’m the reason situations don’t work out. Sometimes I’m the one with the change of heart and pulled in a different direction. Someone once told me that I was halfway up six different mountains. At some point, I had to choose a mountain. Though it’s hard to face, I was the culprit to my own lack of progress. I had to make a choice I wasn’t ready (or willing) to make. Everywhere I went, a trail of unfinished projects followed. There was so much I wanted to do and didn’t know what to choose. I had a dream but not a clear focus or plan on what actions to take to make them reality. It seems my dream was to meet someone with a plan who can make sense of all my wild dreams.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about KYNA Media Films, LLC – what should we know?
KYNA Media Films is a multi-media production company. We specialize in all aspects of production from planning and prepping, shooting and directing to editing and finalizing. We are known for creating short films. Two of which have won in international short film festivals. We also shoot music videos for all genres. Our videos have over 25 million views combined.
I’m most proud that my partner and I are minority filmmakers, doing this on our own, often working as a 2-man crew. This is a great time in the film industry to be a female and minority filmmaker as our stories are finally being heard and doors are being kicked down for people like us to have a space for our art to be seen. We’ve been getting positive feedback from our work, people are enjoying our films and videos. It’s very encouraging and motivating to keep doing what we do.
What sets us apart is our ability to make low budget productions look high-end and industry level. We deliver consistent high quality, cinematic videos that we can guarantee our clients.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Couldn’t do this business without my partner in crime, Kenneth Cuadrado, who is my secret weapon with his insane cinematography and editing skills. His eye is impeccable.
100% of the credit goes to our families who have been so supportive and instrumental in our success. My mother, Nancy Pruitt-Williams, who is the executive producer of all my films. My dad Conrad Pruitt, and step-dad Jim Williams have given their time and resources to help us create our films. I’ve filmed several films at my mom’s house. My family have been cast and crew on most of my films. My brothers Conrad and Julian and their children have all been apart of my productions. The breakout star of course is my 13-year old nephew Makai Pruitt who has now been in 2 of my films and ready for more. Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law Irina, for letting him be in our films.
I also have extremely supportive circle of friends and extended family who have encouraged me along the way to take the necessary steps to get KYNA Media off the ground. Their support and guidance has been so invaluable.
I have amazing clients with incredible talent, who trust us with their videos and because of them we have created a beautiful portfolio of work that I am so proud of.
I have to acknowledge my go-to Hair and Makeup Artist who always goes above and beyond for our productions, Viktoria Baumgartner, she’s a pleasure to have on our sets, she’s a positive light with great energy. Always ready to take on any task necessary to keep production going successfully.
Rode Microphones and Moment for creating a platform for indie filmmakers like us to be recognized. Winning those festivals has been the gift that keeps giving. They literally invested in our ability to continue to create and encourage us to keep telling our unique stories.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kynamediafilms.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyndrakennedy/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/kynamedia/
Image Credit:
Kenneth Cuadrado, Fabio Blakney, Renee Rodriguez
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