We recently connected with Ken Holmes and have shared our conversation below.

Ken, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Well, I’ve always been drawn to telling stories. Even before I could read or write, I would dictate stories to my dad who would type them. Or I would record myself on a tape recorder in my bedroom, pretending to be the host of a radio show, as well as doing the voices for my “guests” who would drop by to be interviewed.

I remember loving theatre and radio programs, especially a show called “Knock on Wood.” “Knock on Wood” was a variety comedy show hosted by a ventriloquist named Steve Charney and his dummy Harry.

In first grade I would constantly get in trouble for acting out in front of the class, pretending to be a variety of characters, and generally being creative but ultimately disruptive. In retrospect, I wasn’t dissimilar from Calvin of “Calvin and Hobbes.” My parents took the advice of a psychologist who specialized in helping gifted children, and ended up home-schooling me. I calmed down immediately, and harnessed my creativity into outlets such as home-school plays.

When I was twelve, my dad encouraged me to audition for a college production of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” that was holding open auditions for community members and child actors. I got the role of Robin, the page. From that moment on, I knew acting was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Ken, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an actor, writer, and filmmaker. As an actor, I have appeared in over one-hundred films and TV shows as a lead, supporting, featured, and background actor. One favorite is “Cold in July” with Michael C. Hall, in which I was featured as the Burglar who sets the film in motion.

As a writer, I have been writing stories since I was a young child. My first published story was when I was twelve. It was a murder mystery called “Sunday without Shakespeare.” I later got into poetry, particularly performance poetry. I competed in national and regional poetry slams across America as a teenager.

And as a filmmaker, I have won over one-hundred awards for my work. My work includes the absurdist web-series and short film “Old Hearts Cafe,” and currently “Zoom Shorts” which I co-created with my dad Burnham Holmes and friend Karen Klami. “Zoom Shorts” is a web-series that follows a plethora of characters who attempt to connect with each other over Zoom, or by any other means, in this modern world. Each episode tells a different story. Both can be found on YouTube!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The ability to embody multiple characters who exist in different realities and have various viewpoints. Hopefully in portraying or writing them, I can gain a better understanding of the world around me, and hopefully I will pass that on to my audience. I want to create art that helps us understand each other a little more, or at least accept each other a little more.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I want to explore the absurd, the confusing, and the humorous aspects of life. And I want to approach each job, no matter what genre, with some level of compassion and joy.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: instagram.com/itskenholmes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActorKenHolmes
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenholmesactor/
• Twitter: twitter.com/kenrholmes
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZoomShortsFilms
• Other: imdb.me/kenholmes

Image Credits
Audrey Seybold Photography, Marissa Zarriello Photography