Meet Brinna Kelly

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brinna Kelly. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brinna below.

Hi Brinna, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

How did I find my purpose?

I’m still finding it.

I don’t believe you find just one singular purpose for the rest of your life.

It’s ever evolving…

For my part, I started out as a child actor. Then I went to film school to study acting, but upon graduating, I discovered that I wanted to write instead. So for a few years, I wrote for my stand-up comedian friends and eventually for an animated show. After that, I realized where I really wanted to be was in feature films. So I wrote my first screenplay and produced my first film. I also stepped back in front of the camera as an actor again. Now, ten years later, I co-own a production company and am currently prepping my fifth feature film. However, very recently I’ve also found great joy in short form content creation on Youtube. In a way, it is more fulfilling to me than making feature films right now. All this is to say, your passions can become your jobs and you can develop new passions as you go. So don’t get too hung up on a singular purpose. Be your truest self every step of the way, whatever that may be at any given time.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a filmmaker. I co-own the production company 501 Pictures.

My feature films include:

The Midnight Man (2016)
The Fare (2019)
Forever Mine (2022)
The Interrogation of Anna Goode (2025) (release date April, 8th)
Blissful (pre-production)

I, along with my creative partner DC Hamilton, tell the stories that engage us. The kind of stories that we would like to see as audience members. We believe in always putting our audience first and delivering a thoroughly entertaining film above all else.

My films are/will be available on all major streaming platforms including Amazon and AppleTV.

If you wish to get to know me as a person, I’ve recently launched a YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ShotforShotCinema

In my decade plus of filmmaking, I rarely get to share my authentic self with the world, as I am usually playing a character and telling a story. My channel is my raw, silly self, sharing my unfiltered thoughts and love for my favorite films. And it is the most fulfilling thing I have done in a long time!

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?

First, be punctual. Never underestimate how much being on time (or rather, not being on time) says about you. I tell every young person starting out in my field, punctuality is their first step toward building respect and trustworthiness.

Second, don’t be full of yourself. If you spend an entire conversation with someone talking about yourself, your passions, your hopes, your achievements, and your wants, then you never actually met the person you were talking to. So be humble, ask questions and listen to the answers.

And third, if you are going to talk about yourself, then for God’s sake, be interesting! Have something insightful to say and most importantly, have something to offer the person you are talking to. Remember, we are only the heroes of our own story. But if you can learn to be a great supporting character in someone else’s story, you just never know what doors could open up.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me was leave me to my own devices. I was an only child and a latchkey kid. For years during my elementary and middle school era, I would spend days not seeing my parents. I would wake up before they did, got ready and took the bus to school by myself, and I would come home, cook my own dinner, do my homework and to go bed before they ever got home. During those years, I learned the virtue of my own company. And my friends and companions were the tv shows and movies I watched on repeat. Those were the years that shaped me creatively and led to the development of my own voice in film.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://imdb.me/brinnakelly
• Instagram: @brinnakelly
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brinnakellywriter
• Twitter: @brinnakelly
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shotforshotcinema