Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kipp Tribble. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kipp, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I had done a handful of plays as a kid, but it wasn’t until I was talked into auditioning for a high school production of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” – and getting a role – that I knew this was for me. So it was that production that made me want to pursue this path, but being in a small private school in South Carolina that didn’t exactly encourage a life in the entertainment, I had no idea where to even begin.

While I loved working on stage, I was always most in love with film and TV. Perhaps it was the “forbidden fruit” appeal at first, given that I grew up in a house with no TV or computer. But every chance I got to see a movie or an episode of TV, I completely absorbed it. So as I got into college and continued my work on stage, I picked something as close to the career as I thought I could get, which was radio/TV. But halfway through my sophomore year, I got a job at a local radio station and I learned more there in one month than I had in three semesters of school. Plus, I was still constantly drawn to movies… I kept soaking up more and more films and radio wasn’t exactly the creative outlet I needed.

It was this time where I decided I was going to go all in on the film industry as an actor, writer and filmmaker and not look back.

So I started plotting a way “in” – even from that small place with no film community. This led me to studying the guys who had previously made their own way into the biz with not much experience beforehand – Ed Burns, Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, etc. – and what they did to get there.

They all had made their own micro budget film. In particular, Burns had starred in his, wrote, directed and produced. So that is what I turned my attention to: making my own film.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As I mentioned previously, my entry into this business was by making a micro-budget film, which we ended up selling in the foreign market for almost three times what it cost to make. From there, I moved on to other films and kept learning what to do (and what NOT to do), amassing contacts, and also making the move to Los Angeles with my wife, who is my partner in our company.

Now after many years as an actor, writer, producer, director, and editor in the film industry, and having successfully sold all of my films worldwide, I can say with confidence that there is not a question we can’t answer when it comes to development, prep, production, post and distribution. And if a problem arises during one of those phases, if we can’t solve it, we will know the person or can find the person who can solve it.

There is a real “do-it-yourself” aspect to what I have done from day one and now our company embraces that fully. Throwing money at a problem is not always the answer. We didn’t buy ourselves into the industry at the beginning. We worked hard and found a way in that was viable with hard work and determination. So when we approach a project or are faced with problem solving, we don’t first look at how much we can solve something with money. We consider how we can fix the problems – or create the project – as economical as possible. And with lots of elbow grease from our team.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There are many, but one instance comes to mind. It’s from a film we were doing several years ago and we were about halfway through production and had a very long, pivotal scene coming up that we were all preparing for. But before that scene, I was to film a scene where my character breaks down and collapses under the weight of his emotions. It was the first time I had done a scene like that so I isolated myself in a room and started putting myself in that headspace. I had headphones on, listening to music, had photos of my daughter, etc. Whatever it took to get into that moment.

Right when I felt like I was getting there, two of the other producers came into the room and told me to pack as quickly as I could. A forrest fire we had been monitoring had taken a really bad turn and was now quickly coming at us, so we were being evacuated immediately. We packed up the cast and crew in a matter of minutes and drove about 40 minutes away to the closest mountain town and luckily found a couple of large cabins available to rent for the night. So the cast and crew got settled and us producers started rearranging the living room and bedrooms so we could move the rest of our production to the cabins. And that night, we kept shooting – filmed our pivotal scene, filmed my breakdown scene, and the next day, continued shooting the rest of the movie. We just had to make some major on the fly changes and keep going because the only other option was to not finish the movie.

And to top it off, a horrible stomach virus was going through the cast and crew at that time and it was a vicious 24 hour ordeal. But amidst a forrest fire and sickness, we all rallied together and finished the movie instead of throwing our hands up in defeat. If we had not, that film would never have seen the light of day – and secured the first Netflix DVD deal for a film I wrote and produced.

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

This has certainly changed as I have put some mileage on my creative journey. Being at this for several years, I have had the opportunity to experiment with performances, scripts, films, genres, and distribution of projects. I have also been able to fail and learn from those failures – the “what not to do”.. And I have learned to adapt frequently. since our business is a constant evolving animal. But most importantly, I have found what works for me and for our company.

For us, it is now about becoming involved in projects that challenge us and inspire us. Something to be attached to that is exciting in one way or another. For myself, it is to stretch myself as an actor, writer and filmmaker, and to make things I want to see. It sounds so boring since that is what you hear so often from creatives – “make something you want to see.” But you reach a point in your journey where that is what comes into focus. What do you truly want to be involved with and spend your time on?

So the goal is to be inspired and inspire others along the way. Whether it is producing a project for someone – in whatever format – or producing a project that ignites someone in a certain way. The mission is to explore stories and projects that will ignite something within.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kipptribble
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kippdiddy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKippTribble
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kipp-tribble-2730b71/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kipptribble
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KippTribble