We recently connected with Sven Kennedy and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sven thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about progressing in your creative career is that there are almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?

In 2021 I took a break from working on films and I went back to the TN mountain where I grew up for a visit. I had gone through some challenging situations the prior years and kept saying I wished for a reset, so i needing some vacation time. During my stay I unfortunately was in a freak accident gas explosion that burned me pretty badly and gave me Post Traumatic Amnesia. That last couple of years since then have been difficult at times, working through Amnesia and finding my way forward. Now I’m currently wishing for $20,000,000 to start making films again and be able to hire other disabled military veterans. But all that aside , I am very blessed and grateful to still be alive and pursuing my dreams. One step at a time, always forward.

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

So I have wanted to to work in film since I was 8 but it was not until I was 28 and had finished my military service when I finally got started . Currently I’m working on creating inspiring Action/Adventure films with drones and other traditional/ non traditional film cameras. I believe what sets me apart from other actors/filmmakers is my vision for the future of movies and filmmaking ,wanting to hire disabled military veterans to work on my films, how to create fresh stories giving the audience new and exciting reasons to go watch movies on the big screen again. I am proud of myself for not giving up when many have told me to just quit. I just want to inspire people that are struggling with accomplishing their dreams and tell them to keep going, the world needs them to inspire others.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Several months before my fire accident, I was living in LA and working on getting one of my projects off the ground. I was introduced to a female writer, who I was told was interested in working with me . This writer had supposedly been on several hit TV shows/ movies and could help me present a solid script. After a couple months of knowing this person I realized that she is very racist and antisemitic and so I attempted to keep my distance from her. After several months this lady came to me telling me I needed to marry her so I could help her kill/”breed out” Jewish and Black Americans to which I said “absolutely not please stay away from me” thinking that would be the end of it. It was not, she proceeded to leave horrible voicemails, call law enforcement and the FBI , where she told them that I tried to murder her, that I was a transgender serial killer, a domestic terrorist ,extremely racist and was part of the Jan.6th insurrection. The FBI investigated me but quickly realized all of this was a lie and cleared me. At this time many people advised me to quit the film industry , find something else to do but I simply saw this as a test. Would I let this Nazi bully me ? Or would I stand tall and refuse to be intimidated. I decided it was time to stand and refuse to let bullies win, so i keep going. I think we all face these kinds of tests in our life to see if we are resilient or a pushover. Always stand for what’s right even if you’re the only one and always stand against hate.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Well, earning an income and supporting yourself successfully with your art or business is always very nice. But I think in the end it is the sense of accomplishment that you persevered past your challenges, finished your current adventure and can now begin a new one. Seeing the films and stories in my head becoming reality and
making a profit, allowing me to hire more disabled people and making more art/films would be incredibly rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Sventh3viking
• Linkedin: Sven Kennedy
• Youtube: Vicarious Adventures

Image Credits

Kelly Balch