We were lucky to catch up with Keelay Moore recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keelay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project would be my first stage play, “I Need Help”. I was venturing out into the entertainment industry with only a script and a dream. I didn’t know if people would come to support or see a play that I had written. And if they came, I didn’t know if the audience would like the story or would understand the vision. The outpouring support and feedback gave me the confidence to take my writing seriously. Writing stopped being a hobby for me and “seeing where this could go”, became a “go for it”.

Keelay, 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?

I am a playwright, author, producer, director, screenwriter, and actress. I started in the entertainment field at the age of 11. My first job was on the hit TV series “In the Heat of the Night”. I dabbled in modeling at the age of 18 and then tried my hand in theatre. I worked alongside some amazing people. My aunt Sheron Weston gave me my first real shot of honing my craft on stage. I would ask questions, edit scripts for her, give ideas, and one day she said. “Write your own play and tell your story”, and I did.

I’ve always been an avid reader and writer. I had notebooks of short stories, poetry, and raps lying around the house as young as 13 years old. I was a HORRIBLE rapper. I couldn’t quite get my cadence as smooth as MC Lyte or as powerful as Roxanne Shante.

As mentioned before, my first produced play was “I Need Help” about a woman with mental issues. Then I wrote “Where is the Love?” a story about a group of friends battling relationship woes and revisiting high school memories at a class reunion. “Family Secrets” dove into a family unit’s skeletons and trauma that inadvertently mold their lives from childhood creating flawed adults.

In the heat of the world maneuvering around the pandemic of Covid, I attended Regent University and earned my Masters of Art in Screenwriting in Film and Television.

I have written several short films.  Currently in pre-production is the short film “Long Way Home”, a story of two brothers and a secret between them.

In 2021 after the passing of my younger brother I wrote a short named “Second Stage” about the grief of losing my brother, my marriage, and the strain in my relationship with my father. Second Stage has won awards in the “Best Damn Film” festival and also was selected to be featured in the Premios MOA and Role Call Indie Showcase festivals.

I’ve also written a book series “Finding My Identity” and the screenplay namesake that I have hoped to produce.  

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

A lot of associates, family, and friends would see my work and feel that I can write their story in a month, that I could put their thoughts on stage, in a book, or on film and make them famous or a star. Shoot, I am trying to do the same thing for myself and tell my stories as well. lol

Don’t get me wrong I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me, but the disconnect that non creatives have with the time, money, patience, and dedication it takes to create is astounding.

I am an educator, a mother of 3 beautiful women, one who has cerebral palsy. My life, like other artists, isn’t me sitting down saying, “Oh I am writing a story today and it will be a hit.” I have a million other things to do besides writing. I am a new writer and haven’t started seeing the fruits of my labor just yet. I am claiming that life for me, still there are seeds that I am sowing and cultivating. I am flattered that I make it look as though I can do these amazing things for them, but it’s hard to do these things for myself. I would love it if people understood that.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is to tell the stories in my head. The characters are begging to be seen. I want my stories to enlighten people, be talk pieces, entertain, inform, and be an escape. I want to see people laugh, cry, get angry, and discuss the different scenarios I create. I want people to seek therapy, forgive loved ones, advocate for themselves, love harder, and open their mind to things that they are ignorant about. I want to create passion, empathy, rage, and a range of emotions in my stories. I want people to be fulfilled and feel like they have had an out of body experience when reading, viewing, or hearing my works. I want my stories to be relatable. I want the people who enjoy the style of writing I create to say, “Dang, that was good!” and mean it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keethespian/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelsinDisguiseProductionsLLC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keelay-moore-james-87309126/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjTsbczXCdAk6Jkehi3C3jw