We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kali Beatty a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kali, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My mom. I grew up with a single mom who worked her ass off to provide for me. There were times, especially during the recession, when she got laid off from her factory job and we were barely hanging on financially. But she always found a way to get the things we needed. My dad passed away when I was 7, and then by the time I was 10 I had also lost the man who was like a father to me, my mom’s best friend and both of my paternal grandparents. Not to mention, my mom’s sister moved and family that was once close, started to become estranged. But my mom only ever became more resilient. When I was younger, I of course didn’t notice it. But I paid attention, and now, I am the exact same way. Any obstacles or set backs I face, I take and use to fuel my resilience.
My mom pushed me to go to school, to do better for myself. So I did and I am because I have that resilience. My mom would tell you that I’m the most stubborn person you may ever meet. Once I put my mind to something, there is no stopping me. She’d never admit it, but that stubbornness, that resilience, I get it from her. I decided I wanted to go into the film industry when I was 13, and my mind was set. I started making shorts, albeit very bad ones, I got into one of the top film schools in the country, started working on professional films and shows, and now I’m looking to produce my own. I wrote, directed, and produced my first non-student short film at the end of 2022 (“It’s Okay”) and it is gearing up to go into the festival circuit this year.
“It’s Okay” is about a young woman who loses her mom and is forced to let herself grieve. I lost my mom to lung cancer in 2021 and this is my tribute to her. To say I am still picking up the pieces is an understatement. But I am resilient. Even more-so now. My mom always said, “just do it”. So anything I do going forward will be to make her proud.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a writer, director, and producer, but I am a filmmaker in every sense of the word. If there is a role on set that needs to be filled to get a movie made, I will do it. PA? I’ll do it. Art Department? I’ll do it. Grip & Electric? I’ll do it. Stunts? Please let me do it. For me, any role on set is a role that can teach me how to be a better filmmaker. How to write better, how to direct better, and how to produce better. I love collaborating, I love being in charge, I love bringing a vision to life. I love bringing creative people together to create something magical.
Right now I am focused on getting my short film “It’s Okay” out of post production and into the festival circuit. It’s my first short that I’ve written, produced, and directed outside of film school and it’s a subject that I hold near and dear to my heart. The knowledge I gained from working on this short is insurmountable and I cannot wait to dive into the next project when this one is finished.
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There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Resilience, willingness, and adaptability.
Resilience. Not everything is going to go your way, so what are you going to do when it doesn’t? You have a goal, there’s always more than one way to reach that goal. Just because one path doesn’t work out or looks different than you thought it might, doesn’t mean you’re not going to reach your goal. Keep trying. Pick yourself back up and make a new plan. Keep making a plan until one sticks. One of them will.
Willingness. Always be willing to do something you may not want to do (legally, of course). For example, if an Assistant Director needs a PA to stand outside in the middle of the night, in the freezing cold to stop sidewalk traffic, then be the first to volunteer. No matter the job or industry, be eager to help. Even if you don’t know how to do it, ask questions and figure it out. Always be willing to learn something new and to jump in to any situation. And have a good attitude doing it. That will get noticed and you will get more jobs once word gets out that you are willing and able to get the job done.
Adaptability. Everything is always changing. Being adaptable means being prepared for new situations. It means changing with the times and learning the new fangled tech if it means you can be more helpful on set (or in any job). Being able to adapt to any situation, especially when under pressure, is a leader. Keeping your cool in stressful situations and being able to make a decision on the spot is what gives people confidence in you.
We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
It never hurts to invest effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in. The saying goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none. But better than a master of one.” People usually forget the second part of that quote. This isn’t just for filmmaking either. In my mind, the more you know, the more valuable you are. Just make sure to use it to your advantage and not the other way around.
My biggest example is learning new roles on set. I am always looking for ways to become a better director. For me, that means knowing the ins and outs of every possible aspect of filmmaking. A director might not know about coverage until they are an editor who doesn’t have any. They might not know how to best direct an actor if they’ve never been an actor themselves. So on and so forth. I’ve worked in almost every department on set. Are there things I still don’t know? Absolutely. I’ll never be able to name every clamp or tool that the Grip & Electric department uses. But I’m confident in saying that I am a more detail oriented director because of the different roles I’ve worked in. I’ve learned little intricacies of how things are done so that now when I have a vision, I know what to ask for and how to ask for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kalimbeatty.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kalimbeatty/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kali-beatty/
- Other: IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7187856/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Image Credits
Headshots – Shayne Culp Photography
