Rising Stars: Meet Kipp Tribble of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kipp Tribble.

Hi Kipp, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started by performing on stage in various theatre productions and was also working in radio. My goal quickly became to work in film and I soon realized that the best way forward was to expand beyond work as a performer to include writing, directing, and producing, and sold my first feature internationally soon after. About a year later, I produced and acted in another feature that landed a Blockbuster Video deal and on Pay Cable. After that, I relocated to Los Angeles.

I have since amassed around 50 feature film credits as an actor/writer/filmmaker, and my company focuses on creating low-cost indie films. While I do write many of our projects myself, I love collaborating with others while in development.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This business is never “smooth” and certainly not easy. Things can go from incredibly busy to absolutely nothing in the matter of a week. This is just the way the business is, with projects always beginning and ending, or always in a different stage in the creative process, and the market also constantly shifts as well. The market changes cause investor and buyer fluctuations, and then genres fall in and out of favor amidst the rise and fall of the tides. Some companies will close up shop, Others have to reinvent their model. And the way you promote yourself as an actor or writer has to change as well. This is a constantly moving and evolving business, so you have to stay heavily involved and ahead of changes, or you will get lost in the shuffle.

On the filmmaking side, one of the main struggles is securing the financing that fits a project, along with assembling the right team that truly share the same vision for the project. This, along with adapting to the evolving distribution models, are probably the biggest challenges faced by filmmakers.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actor/writer/filmmaker. I got into filmmaking to create more opportunities as an actor, so as a writer, I focus primarily on screenplays.

The “filmmaker” part of it covers producing, directing, editing, etc. I not only create my own projects, but I also regularly collaborate with other creatives and develop their projects, see them through production and post, and then I am usually heavily involved in the distribution process. Sometimes I will just come on as a consultant, sometimes to fully produce a project, and sometimes just come in to give edit notes for a film in post. But when I am considering coming on to a project that will require a commitment from development to distribution, I am usually always looking at what the acting role would be interesting for me or is it something I might even want to direct. It really just depends on the project.

I am most proud of the fact that I have never lost money on a project that is one of “our project”, meaning my company (MRP Entertainment). If I am able to be there from beginning to delivery, I pride myself on making sure the film does not lose money. And what sets me apart as a filmmaker is I am self taught on no budget films and worked up from there, where you often get film students who had access to all the equipment and stages at school, as well as free crew, or you have someone who started as an intern in the studio system – and these people have a tough time adjusting an figuring out how to make a smaller movie. I come from that world, so I can adapt if we make a smaller movie, but it’s harder to go the other direction and scale down from what you have learned.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
That’s a tough one because in business, I feel like I have never gotten lucky, per se. It was more clawing my way up. I think in life, I am lucky because I found my soulmate at a young age and we have been together since the beginning of this journey, so I was lucky enough to have a partner in this every step of the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kipptribble
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kipptribble/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kipp.tribble
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kipp-tribble-2730b71/
• Twitter: https://x.com/kipptribble
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KippTribble
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0872564/?ref_=fn_t_1