We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kenney Caston a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kenney , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Being a young black man from the Bay Area is hard but so rewarding at the sometime. My home is what made me and pushes till this day to never give up and make a change. The biggest risk I’ve taken on this journey is leaving my comfort zone and moving a few hours away from home to chase my dream. Every step I make truly counts at this point in life and the risk of leaving home has been rewarding. Leaving family and friends and the somewhat stability I had on my own is what was most scary. But having faith and knowing God is on my side and guiding me through I know I’ll be good.

Kenney , 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?

Hello my name is Kenney Caston and I am an Actor, Writer, Director but I like to just call myself a Filmmaker or artist. Im originally from the Bay Area and currently live in Los Angles. Im currently studying Film, Television, and Media Studies at Cal State Los Angles with a focus in production. I began my creative process during the pandemic when I started freelance modeling. I never truly thought I was a creative until I got out and became creative. I shortly transitioned into acting in 2021 and fell in love. I enjoyed a drama class in high school and plays as a child but never thought this would be my lane. While free lance acting and modeling for while I knew I wanted to tell stories. While acting and learning how to be on set I found my way behind the camera and wrote and directed my first short film “Harbor” 2023. Following I knew I wanted to get better and perfect my craft. In the spring of 2024 I enrolled back into school to major in Film and plan to create and tell stories of voices that aren’t heard. The true voices, the voices that people think don’t matter. My mission is to be a great story teller and put my lens on others who need to be heard.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to create and meet other creatives. The joy of being able to go out and create a film, music video, vlog , or interview is rewarding. Having the freedom to create in world full of Chaos is rewarding its self. Being a creative gives me an outlet to express myself or help me focus on the right signs in life. Also being able to meet other creatives and work or collab on a project. Creating relationships that can be life long or life changing is also rewarding. Being an able to bond with others through art and free expression is what’s most rewarding to me as a creative.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Mentorships, Internships, Creative Cohorts, and different volunteer opportunties to help connect with other creatives and industry professionals. I believe knowing more about networking events and volunteering would have helped open a lot more doors as a creative and getting my foot in the door. At times it is about who you know and not what you can do, so it’s wise to make those connections and be in those certain rooms to get where you need to be.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealkenney_/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@UrbanArchivegallery

Image Credits

@laciphotography
@pree_photography
@Gabriel_studer
@christinejubilee