We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Ulrich recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project has currently been the Director for Cynthia Doll’s video for “Cynner”. Cynthia Doll is a local drag queen here in Kansas City Missouri, we started working together around January and did a project previously before Cynner. The story of Cynner was about one of the hardest times in her life a few years ago. She has never fully trusted someone with such an intimate story of her life; and when she asked me I was shocked; yet relieved. I was shocked because she has never been super vulnerable through her music videos. I was relieved because I knew I could execute her version her way if she was right by my side, and luckily that’s exactly what happened!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Howdy everyone! My name is Kelly Marie Ulrich! I’m a 24 year old Multi-Media artist! I primarily work in the digital realm from Videography, Photography, Graphic Design – all the way up to screenwriting! I picked up a camera way over a decade ago. I remember when I was gifted my first “cool-pix” canon camera for Christmas when I was younger…I never put it down. Years later when my grandpa passed, I was gifted his Nikon D40 DSLR camera; and the rest is history. I really started “freelancing” in 2015, when I was around a sophomore in High School in St.Louis, Missouri. I focused on portraits, homecoming, and graduation photos. When I was a Senior, I was one of the fortunate kids to get picked to be on our schools Broadcasting team, thats where I started learning the basics Premiere Pro and Illustrator. After High School I continued to slowly freelance as I went on to college at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.
During my beginning stages of college, my family knew I was an artist; but didn’t really understand the full extent; until the last few years. I originally came to study at Avila for the Radiology program; but that quickly turned into a Graphic Design degree…which then turned into a full fledged B.F.A in Film/Digital Media with a minor in Graphic Design. I graduated college in May, 2021.
Since then my freelance art has skyrocketed! I’ve worked with multiple Grammy winners, Influencers, Drag Artists, Fashion Weeks, and everything in between! When it comes to Photography; I can focus on anything and everything! I can take photos of you furry friends, flowers blooming on a summer day, friends at a birthday party, family photos, and even concerts! What I’m saying is; if you want photos for any event; I’m your person! My niche is music at the end of the day; so I love photographing concerts and even making music videos! Leading into videography; it’s the same as photography for me. I can focus on your runway walk and the way to your “kiss the bride” moment at a wedding! Overall; nothing compares to the rush of a music video or, concert event. I’ve grown up around musicians and as a singer myself; getting behind the camera and mixing it with music is a win-win!
Last but certainly not least; my Graphic Design and Screenwriting! I primarily make ads, posters, and branding design! I will sometimes work on my clothing line on the side with Illustration work! When it comes to screenwriting; I primarily write horror stories or, focus on queer storylines! I can also whip up a corporate script and production shoot list if you need!
Overall, I’m just a queer kid with so much imagination. I work so hard at what I do and am one of the most passionate people I know. I will give you a 100% quality product, 100% of the time. As long as my client has a smile on their face at the end of it, I’ve done my job.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Oh, the age old question on: “how can I support you?” There’s actually SO many ways you can support artists (especially local!) The first thing that comes to my mind is don’t ask why someone’s art is “so expensive” its someones livelihood, time and effort, heart and soul. For example, if you book a shoot with someone; you have to realize how much the camera costs, and how much the editing programs are every month, how much time it takes to spend on actually editing the details in photos, and how much time it takes to give you a cohesive product that you can keep forever! Secondly; if someones prices are a little out of your price range; a like on a post, a share on a post, and a positive comment on a post is ALWAYS free! Supporting art digital is the best free and efficient way to support artists! Lastly, if you can shop locally, do it! Most of the time that money ends up staying in the community; so it actually does help economically!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Yes! This was pretty hard work; but it is so worth it in the end! I’ve been on social media for a long time now; and even being 24 I feel like there’s still so many apps and trends that I can barely follow at times! I think that’s the fun of social media though; it will forever keep growing! When it came to building an audience on social media; it was really about first following people I knew, then people I’m a fan of, then other artists that inspire me! Even just liking peoples posts, shouting them out on Twitter or, even sending them a short “I love you work!” DM has really helped me gain traction! If you can; try and also work with people around you in your community; that way you can all share each others projects with the world; other people behind the screen notice that work ethic and then gravitate to you for their projects!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kellyulrich.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kellyulrich/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KellyUlrichMedia
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-marie-ulrich
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/_kellyulrich

Image Credits
ALL PHOTOS AND DESIGNS ARE MINE EXCEPT: black and white photo of me and the queens, photo is taken by Gabe Brison (@lightandskinphotography)