I met Kelly when she was a producer for the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival starting in 2009. It was the funniest three days of my life, and the best festival we’ve ever attended. Kelly also has a lot of diversity in her credits, TV, movies, Kid’s TV, videos, festivals, directing, writing, and a truly cool person.
Kelly is from Texas, and she doesn’t do things small! So it’s not a surprise that her latest movie is a big hit. I asked her about it and some of her other films .
Kelly, you are a girl on fire with a huge credits list. One of the latest movies that you produced, The Wrong Paris premiered on Netflix on September 12th, and is getting great reviews. How did you come to be a part of the project?
We are thrilled with the response! #1 in the world baby! I actually developed this for about 4 years with the writer, who also happens to be my bestie and a fellow Texan. She is in reality TV and wrote the first version of this in a class she took for fun at UCLA. It always stuck with me so I dusted it off, we updated it and I was able to get it in front of Netflix. She is wildly talented so look for more from Nicole Henrich!
What was your favorite part of working on “The Wrong Paris”?
The cast & crew were all awesome! Such fun happy people and we had an absolute blast! Especially in Paris! We have all become genuine friends and it fun to see all of the girls posting and hanging out together!
@MirandaCosgrove @PiersonFode @HannaStocking @MadisonPettis @Yvonne Orji
You were also a producer on “Bob Trevino Likes It” with John Leguizamo and Barbie Ferreira, which has garnered multiple awards and rave reviews. What makes this film so special?
WOW! What a special film! I think what makes this a stand out is that it was written, directed and acted from such a vulnerable place. It's based on the true experience of the phenomenal writer/director Tracie Laymon who is such a kind and wonderful human. She leaned into the tough stuff and made it beautiful. And forget about the acting in this!!!!! Barbie, John, French, EVERYONE leaned into that vulnerability and trusted each other and really bonded which comes through on screen! I also think it resonates with folks so deeply and makes people feel things they haven't in a long time. Even the toughest manly men in the audience walk out with tears in their eyes.
What is the main job of a producer on a film?
EVERYTHING! Ha! Well, in preproduction it's finding good material, then adding value to it with a director, actors,crew. Then putting the money together and finding the best place to shoot which is a combination of location and tax incentives. Then getting all of the ducks in a row so that production goes smoothly. During production it's creating an environment where everyone feels supported and keeping the train on the track, which is a challenge every single day! In post, it's supporting the director while delivering the film on budget and on time to the distributor/studio all while making sure the story works creatively.
What is the most important decision you have to make with each film/project you work on?
For me, it's all about the partners and the team you put together. Learned THAT the hard way!!!!! First big decision is the script itself. Is it good? Is it timely? Is there an audience for it? Then the Director, do they have the same vision I have for it and are they smart, kind, have a vision? Then every Head of Department, will they set a good tone for their co-workers and deliver an amazing project. The other big decision is the budget. Can you really make this film for the amount of money you have?
What is your advice for anyone who would like to be a producer?
Do anything else you can think of! hahahaha! KIDDING, but it is tough! You will work long hours, get told no a lot, have to put up with a lot of BS, spend a lot of your own money to get things going, don't take anything personal and keep going! Your stories deserve to be told, don't let anyone make you feel otherwise.
Tell us a bit about your dreams and goals and what is up next for you?
Always dreaming of being on a lake! :) I have a cop thriller INNOCENT with Vincent D'Onofrio, Laurence Fishburne & Sharon Stone coming up later this year, next year I have NIGHT OF THE GRIZZLIES that the Polish Bros just signed on to direct, a black female lead revenge western called DIAMONDBACK. Also developing a book called SHOOT LIKE A GIRL about a female helicopter pilot who saved her whole battalion in Afghanistan. Also, developing a psychological thriller called CHARLOTTE that I want to direct.
Halloween is just around a dark, and scary corner. I have seen movies you have produced that made me sleep with the light on. Do you have any horror stories from any of the sets?
Hahaha! Scary ones are fun to shoot! The one that comes immediately to mind is while shooting FROM BLACK we lost our jail set the night before shooting so our wonderful team scrambled and found a jail that had been abandoned for 40 years. It was SO creepy! Our amazing art department stayed up all night making it happen. While we were shooting we kept hearing voices & clanging and the 1st AD was like "QUIET ON THE SET!" And we were all like "It's not us!!!" So the location department narrowed it down to a part of the jail that was locked and we were not allowed in. We could see through the bars in the window and didn't SEE anything but heard the clanging and voices were still coming from there and you can hear them on the audio between takes!
Now go see the magic a great producer brings to a project. Grab your popcorn, tune in Netflix and get ready for some quality movie time!
Thanks Kelly for taking time to chat with me. You can find Kelly on Instagram, kellylfrazier and her company K7 STORYTELLERS
Hey Earl, how’s ya mama? Anywho, lemme holler at ya for a minute. I heard some squawking bout you ana book.
What made you decide to write a book?
“Well, I figured hollerin’ at people in the Dollar General parking lot wasn’t salable. You can only enlighten so many folks while they’re loadin’ toilet paper in the trunk. So I thought, why not put my wisdom in a book? That way, my holler could echo farther than my front porch.”
How long have you been able to read?
“About three weeks now. Before that, I just looked at the pictures in Bass Pro catalogs and tried to interpret the energy. But once I figured out how letters work, it was like the universe handed me subtitles.”
If somebody had just enough money to buy your book or a bottle of shine, why would they buy your book?
“Shine’ll burn your throat for a night. My book’ll burn your excuses for a lifetime. Plus, my book won’t get you pulled over by Sheriff Donnie Ray on the way home.”
Do you still live in Kentucky? If so, how big is your trailer?
“Yep, still in Kentucky. My trailer’s 12 feet wide, 48 feet long, and sits proudly on cinderblocks that lean slightly toward salvation. If you count the screened-in porch and the tarp over the woodpile, we’re talkin’ almost mansion-level square footage.”
Is there any possibility that we are cousins and/or that you are my daddy?
“Listen, if you’re from Eastern Kentucky, there’s at least a 47% chance we’re cousins. As for bein’ your daddy—well, if you got a strong work ethic and weak knees, the odds just went up to 62%.”
How long have you known my friend comedian Terry Shepard?
“I’ve known Terry so long I remember when his jokes were still on layaway. He’s like family—except he ain’t borrowed my lawnmower yet, which is how I know he’s still a decent man.”
What do you want everybody to know and why should we know it?
“I want folks to know that prosperity don’t come from a Wall Street seminar or a guru with perfect hair. It comes from hollerin’ your truth, plantin’ taters in faith, and realizin’ the universe is basically one big front porch. You should know it, ‘cause otherwise you’re just out here complainin’ about mosquitoes without enjoyin’ the lightning bugs.”
Y’all, sorry I got swept up in Earl’s nomenclature, but you can find Earl on Facebook, and purchase his book on Amazon.
As for Earl’s buddy, or possible son-cousin, you can find Terry Shepard comedian, by clicking one of the new fangle fancified buttons right under this. Go on now, click click
My Dentist, Dr. Grimm, declares me cavity free and my screenplay WILSON “DISGUSTING!” High praise for my first horror script. Thanks Doc, you’re aces
Check out my website MossWords.com Drop me a note at Gail@gailEmoss.com
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