We recently connected with Kerry David and have shared our conversation below.
Kerry, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Many years ago I fell in love with a quirky script that took place in England and I optioned it from the writer.
I offered it to Bill Paxton to direct as he had previously directed “Frailty” and “The Greatest Game”. Even though he was famous for his acting, I felt he was a really promising director.
He LOVED this script and said yes. Great day! So we started the journey of taking meetings around town and sending it out. It came close a few times, but ultimately didn’t get the traction we were hoping for and the option finally ended. We all moved on to separate projects.
A few years later, Bill called me – out of the blue – and said he had decided to option the script himself, and wanted me to produce it with him. Now, you might think, what’s so kind about that? When a script is no longer under option, it’s a totally free and clear property (as long as there aren’t any restrictions on it, like turnaround fees etc). He was well within his rights to option it and start fresh with his own team and not include me. However, because I had found the project and brought it to him initially, and I like to think coupled with the fact we had fun working together exposing it to the industry…. he wanted to include me on his option. Friendships and loyalties in Hollywood are tested over and over again and not always with a positive outcome. This one definitely passed the test!
Kerry, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Sure! I started my career at Paramount Pictures as a temp. Fortunately, I was promoted pretty quickly to a full time employee and landed in their Business Affairs office. It was fascinating to learn how studios negotiated with agents for talent, how deals were structured, who had what leverage and why. Every level of filmmaker came through our doors from actors and writers to producers, directors and even the studio head on occasion!
At that point in time, I hadn’t given too much thought about being a filmmaker. I was too busy learning and consuming the culture and history of Paramount Pictures, along with extracting my new friends and colleagues’ encyclopedic knowledge of past films and filmmakers that had channeled through Paramount’s hallowed halls!
Movie and TV stars wondered around the Paramount lot between takes. Our friends allowed us to visit their working sets where we would grill anyone who would spend five minutes with us talking about the intricacies of their jobs. It was adult Disneyland!
It was also thrilling to be working among the smart executives and brilliant creative artists, all of whom collectively created these tent pole movies we all loved so much. We felt like we were a part of the machine’s mechanism! Many of my peers have gone on to become prolific film and TV producers and directors, it was the perfect environment to cut your filmmaking teeth. Every day brought a new level of opportunity and excitement. It was, for us, truly the heyday of film.
One unexpected opportunity that came up for me was the chance to work with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, who were gearing up to embark on their joint film, Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick. I jumped at it. It was not only a chance to work with the biggest movie stars in the world at that time, and learn from two legends of film – we would also be filming for over a year, in my home country, England. One thing that’s always worked for me in life is to say yes if it scares or excites me, and then work out how to deliver on that yes as soon as possible!
I spent three years working exclusively with NK and TC. Learning the art of film production and development. Putting it all together with my now considerable knowledge of the business side of films, I started to think about film as a career. Films with NK and TC included; Mission Impossible 2, Without Limits, Portrait of a Lady, Peacemaker, Practical Magic, The Blue Room, and of course, Eyes Wide Shut. It was a dream position in an outstanding organization. We were all dedicated to bringing our best selves to work, pushing each other to be better every day. Everyone I worked with had an exceptional work ethic and we loved it. They are still some of my best friends to this day, and we often share our unique memories with each other.
After three years with NK and TC, I left to start my own production company, and spent the next several years either producing, writing, directing and/or fundraising for my own projects. This included the award-winning; Deposing the Usual Suspects (MGM), Agent Cody Banks and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (MGM), Perfect Romance (Lifetime), and the critically acclaimed, audience pleaser; My Date with Drew. A truly tiny independent film, which garnered a world wide, theatrical release after winning multiple awards, including Best Feature at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival, Aspen, Sonoma, NY Gen Art Film Festival and the Audience Award at the prestigious Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland, among others!
I followed that up by producing, Expert Insight: Short Game Golf with Jim Furyk & Fred Funk, an educational DVD, which won a Telly-Award for Outstanding Instructional Content and Cinematic Excellence.
My next feature film was probably the most challenging film I’ve ever produced. We adapted it from the NY Times bestseller; Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury (20th Century Fox). A dear friend and screenwriter, Steve J. Rivele happened to call me as I was writing the treatment with my business partner, and director, Jon Gunn. Steve’s an Oscar nominated screenwriter and would have been far too expensive for our budget, but after pitching him the storyline he was intrigued enough to ask me to send over our treatment. He read it, and decided to join us at a price our budget could afford. Because Steve ended up writing our screenplay we were able to attract a stellar cast; Cole Hauser, Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper and Scotty Caldwell. Collectively we won over 35 film festival awards globally, including Best Feature at the Heartland Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. We premiered “Dandelion” at the prestigious Deauville Film Festival in France, and received a 10-minute standing ovation! It was surreal. Topped only by winning their Premiere Audience Award for Best Feature! I’ve been asked a few times about whether I remember the moment that I truly believed I was a filmmaker – it was that moment in France.
My fourth documentary was Making Miles – The Miles Davis Story, for HBO. We invited all the living jazz legends who had played on stage with Miles and recorded their anecdotes and histories. It was an unbelievable experience. We felt as though we were eavesdropping on a privileged conversation, as many of these musicians hadn’t seen each other for decades and had so much to catch up on. Jazz is a language of its own and to have these be our teachers was beyond words for the treasured experience. This was a hard act to follow, but I took on another documentary, which this time, I also Co-Directed, called, Seeking Happily Ever After (Lionsgate Films). It was based on a consensus that more women in their 30s were single by choice today at that time, than any other time in history. So we decided to find out why. It was one of only 25 films accepted into the Sundance Film Lab and chosen by Stanford University’s law department as a case study.
In 2001, I had been mentoring some new filmmakers in my free time, and soon realized there was a market not being served, that I truly enjoyed. So I Founded Indieproducer.net (iP)
From 2010-2013 I took a leave of absence from Hollywood to build a musical village for orphans in Ghana, West Africa. After successfully negotiating for the land with 3 tribal chiefs, I went on to lead a team of architects and contractors to design and build the orphanage, hiring key staff to launch and ultimately manage its growth. Never far from my love of filmmaking, I decided to produce several mini docs about the school’s value proposition, weaving storytelling in to the proposal through short films and then screened them whenever I returned to Los Angeles for fundraising and awareness needs. Once we launched the orphanage, I returned to my passion of filmmaking and combined it with the advent of crowdsourcing!
Fascinated by this new model for raising funds, I began producing crowdfunding campaigns for passion projects, raising over $500,000 for various non-profits, productions, and artists.
In 2017, I was asked to produce and direct my now, award-winning feature documentary; Bill Coors: The Will to Live. “WTL” was about the troubled, but impressive private life of the brewing titan’s long battle with depression and anxiety and his obsession to find a holistic cure. Bill wanted this film to be part of his legacy. He was very involved in the process – even at the ripe old age of 100! You are never too young to take on something new!
We premiered “WTL” in the sold out, 1,000 seat auditorium at his University’s alma mater in Denver. It was quite a moment, followed by a standing ovation. I later cut a shorter version at the request of two Colorado universities so they could include it in their curriculums to address mental health and suicide prevention needs for students on campus.
In 2017, my life really took a shift. I learned about the devastating effects of commercial poaching and the illegal wildlife trade in Africa. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I knew I had to do something. First, I started a global non-profit, (OverandAboveAfrica.com) to raise funds for projects that would benefit endangered wildlife and the communities they impact. We now have projects in eight African countries and make mini-documentaries of each project we fund for full transparency and to share with our members and donors. They also spread awareness of the many challenges these magnificent creatures face.
Next, I flew to Africa with a group of fellow animal advocates to research what was actually happening. It wasn’t long before I realized how few women there were in conservation, or at least visibly working in the anti-poaching field. After some local enquiries, there proved to be many women, but mostly working out of the public eye. I connected with several while I was there in Africa and then many more when I returned home to Los Angeles. Listening to their stories, I was so impressed with their courage and resilience, while pursuing their life’s purpose, I wanted to help them. Their conversations and stories inspired me to write, produce and direct my next film, which is now a multiple award-winning feature documentary: Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War. Breaking Their Silence Premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival to a standing ovation! After accruing 17 festival wins, (including winning the Jury Awards and the Audience Awards at both the San Diego Intl. Film Festival and the Durango Film Festival), we were shut down by COVID. Because of the uncertainty of the pandemic at that time, we decided to turn down the offer to release BTS theatrically. We chose to release through the newly rebranded, Wondrium, a learning platform.
This film resulted in my giving interviews on a global stage. Far greater than I had ever experienced, including The Today Show, CNN, BBC, People Magazine, Huffington Post, E Entertainment, Parade Magazine – the list goes on! I was soon approached to give a TEDx Talk about my experience filming, Breaking Their Silence. To this day, it’s probably the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I’ve never been comfortable with public speaking and the day before speaking I was losing my nerve. But my dear friend, Ashley McAvey, wrote me the most beautiful email giving me the courage to show up. She reminded me I would not be alone on that stage – I would have an army behind me. All the souls and spirits of wildlife and rangers tragically lost to the illegal but lucrative, commercial poaching industry – would be standing with me, willing their memories to be honored. After wiping away the tears, I knew I was capable. It wasn’t about me failing or succeeding, it was about them. I was just a conduit, a window into the terrible world endangered wildlife face – and how it’s up to us to protect the last of them. I called the talk, The Last Five Minutes.
In 2019 I made a tremendous decision to leave Los Angeles, the only home I’d ever known since I moved to the States from England. I relocated to North Carolina. Three days after settling in, I was approached to write, produce, and direct, “Open Secret,” a documentary revealing systemic racism, child sexual abuse, the corrupt and collusive culture that allowed it to persist for decades, and the small group of advocates who rose up to fight the corruption. We are in the final stretch now – we’re raising completion funds (if you’d like to see the trailer and donate – please check out our fundraising page!) Because of a recent decision made by elected officials, the only justice or accountability this community will see, is through the release of our film. So we have to raise these last funds and complete it for a 2024!
Midway through 2022, Hallmark green lit a passion project I’d been championing for 17 years with my friend and talented screenwriter, Erin Engman; “The Journey Ahead” – A fictional drama about two women from different generations, race, and social realms (Holly Robinson Peete and Kaylee Bryant), who heal each other’s broken lives during a road trip across the US.
While I still love the art of filmmaking and continue to line up projects for my slate, I’ve been spending a lot of time consulting with other filmmakers on their projects and careers. The pandemic sent many clients to us who were gearing up for whatever was to come after the pandemic ended. Interestingly, it also drove many experienced film and TV professionals to us, who were looking to start their own consulting services. Realizing the value of the knowledge attained over a successful career, and what that could do to help the next generation has been transformative! So I’m now coaching experts in their fields, teaching them how to set up their own enterprise as a consultant. It’s been exhilarating to see their careers pivot into new directions adding new revenue streams!
What sets me apart from others? Not sure how to answer this question because we’re all unique beings with diverse and complicated journeys (if we’re lucky!). I do love to share what I’ve learned and for this, consulting has been something that I think sets me apart as I’m also a working filmmaker with a successful production company. Consulting gives me so much pleasure, so I will always carve out that time to work with clients. Maybe this sets me apart.
Kerry David has been a guest speaker, consultant, and mentor to students at several schools, including the University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, Pepperdine University, UNCSA NC, NGOIFF Kenya, and the New York Film Academy, and also the Rotary Club – both in person and online.
KDC and Films: Education through entertainment – creating impactful films that inspire.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I do have a goal and a mission with my creative work. Making films that emphasize courageous choices, and that shine light into dark places has been at the core of my last three films. I want to highlight the impact of taking positive stands, showing up for the right reasons, even when it feels scary. While there is power in numbers, undoubtedly, we cannot underestimate the power of one! Ourselves. We each are the master of our own choices so I encourage practicing the art of being bold. Not to be one with the sheep, but to be brave when you innately know something to be true and to speak up. To stand up for someone who may not have the strength or ability to do so themselves. To champion difficult projects because the stories are important, or illuminating in ways that haven’t been explored.
The mission is to continue making ultimately uplifting content. The journey might be harrowing, but the destination will be worthwhile. The goal is to keep attracting funds so we can continue to do this.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I live my life by the choices that I make. While this includes failures as well as successes, the emphasis is on the freedom to pursue whatever speaks to my heart and aligns with my purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: kdcandfilms.com
- Instagram: @OpenSecretTheFilm
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/in/kerrydavid
- Twitter: @OverAboveAfrica
- Youtube: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC-Pli2Lq3NmB8sL8TYWJcyQ
- Other: www.OpenSecretTheFilm.com Open Secret – Fundraising Page https://creative-visions.networkforgood.com/projects/191807-open-secret-the-film-s-fundraiser www.OverAndAboveAfrica.com BreakingTheirSilence.com
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Lorrie Blaustein – Set of Open Secret