We were lucky to catch up with Ken Gregory recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ken, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
First, I need to give a little backstory. The first time I knew that I wanted to be an artist was at the age of 12. For my birthday, my mother took me to see a film titled FAME. It was life altering! It was the first time that I saw a people like me, at a school that specialized in Art. I always knew I was different, BUT I couldn’t vocalize it because I didn’t know what IT was! And I finally got to see what IT was and I finally felt seen and understood.
It would be 38 years later that I finally made the decision to professionally pursue my passion and my dream. So on my 50th birthday, I gave away all of my possessions, packed up 10 boxes of important memorabilia and put those boxes on a train to Los Angeles. Then, I bought a one-way ticket for myself, and two very large suitcases, which I had to pay extra for, and boarded a plane to Los Angeles. The turning point of all of this happening was the death of my father. And that’s because I no longer had the restriction of someone judging me! It’s hard to believe I spent all my life trying to please my Dad, only to be displeasing and denying myself!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi, my name is Ken Gregory. I’m a Filmmaker, Writer, Director, Producer, Actor… I’m what millennials refer to as a multi-hyphenated artist, which is by design, which I’ll explain shortly. I’m a native of Detroit, Michigan, also known as the Motor City and home to Motown Records and the Motown sound. Graduated from Wayne State University for undergraduate and Central Michigan University for graduate. I’ve produced several short films, my latest, Picture This… is my most successful film to date. Garnering several best comedy awards and receiving a limited indie television distribution deal, which has in turn led to a sequel, Write This… which begins production in October of this year.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Unfortunately Hollywood is youth obsessed! So early on I knew that I would have to diversify! And LA, like Hollywood is a game of chess, not checkers.
Because I’ve been homeless several times in my life, I knew early on that I would have to come to LA guns blazing, leaving no stone unturned! So my first order of business once I landed in Los Angeles was to secure a place to live. Luckily for me, I was able to transfer my job. And as many people know it’s very expensive to live in LA! So I moved it to a motel that charge $350 per week, I stayed there for one month until I found my own place which I am still residing in today. I’m fortunate that it is very affordable because most of my income was going to my art. Actors are business owners!
I then enrolled in acting classes at the Howard Fine Acting Studio, where I still study today. Actors are always learning! I was then able to find a manager and an agent quickly. But the real work came when I discovered a small studio in East LA that helps Indie filmmakers create short films to build their portfolio. This studio is called JIG Reel Studios where I ultimately created the first seven short films that helped establish me as a Director, a Producer and Writer. Diversification is the key in an age obsessed town like Hollywood! JIG gave me the foundation and the training I needed to embark on my biggest project to date, which is a short film titled Huey, which is about the final days of Dr. Huey P. Newton, the co-founder of The Black Panther Party.
One of the lessons that I’ve always been able to share with other independent filmmakers is not to focus on the big boy film festivals, i.e. i Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, and that’s because festivals, like Hollywood is a game of chess, not checkers, so every move is a calculated move. A lot of small film festival submission acceptances will grow your career. Which leads me to my Mantra, which is a biblical scripture that states, “Never despise small beginnings!” Because as you gather and put together all your small victories, they’ll inevitably establish you, in this industry that can and will be overwhelming.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
With producing my own content I am also aiming to garnering Oscar and Emmy Awards for my work! These are my driving forces to date! The industry has changed since the days of my youth and it’s actually easier for independent creators to become Oscar and Emmy winning creators.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thekengregory.wixsite.com/kengregory
- Instagram: Instagram.com/theKenGregory
- Facebook: Facebook.com/theKenGregory
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kengregory8277?si=yz6rVBbwilQvxnAY
- Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm10275155/#
Image Credits
Randolla, Huebner and Ali Kahn