We were lucky to catch up with Kelly Nehmen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kelly, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
As cliché as it may sound, my work ethic comes from my family. It starts with my grandfather, Henry, on my mother’s side. He created his own path after his mother passed at a young age and he then went to military boarding school in Georgia. After overcoming such hardships – he graduated from the University of Georgia and then married my wonderful grandma, Joyce. Their accomplishments were unstoppable from then. Whether it was building the first strip mall in Columbus, Georgia, being on the board of Aflac, traveling across the world or being an amazing father & husband. He inspires me, and frankly everyone around him.
His hard work inspired the rest of my family too. My parents & aunt started a commercial self-storage business in Georgia that has flourished into 8 locations now. It’s become an incredible pattern of creating your own success.
This has instilled the desire to work hard and you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. When I was in college, I was so unsure of what career path to take. Enrolling in the direction of business, pivoting to education and ultimately deciding on a degree in Advertising & Public Relations. While studying, an opportunity working on a Bryan Cranston film came about. I had always been fascinated by behind-the-scenes of movies & television. After working on that, I was hooked and knew my career path was entertainment.
I quickly learned the entertainment industry can be feast or famine. The next jobs were gig to gig, whether it was production assistant, extras casting assistant, on-set car coordinator, and the list goes on. The problem was finding the stability. There would be stints of time where I would be working part-time or just hustling to find my next gig. I did not want to give up on my dream of staying in this business.
After putting in the work and attempting to practice patience. Someone I had previously worked with, Jessy Alfonso at People Store Talent Agency, called me up with an opportunity at another talent agency, Atlanta Models & Talent. The position was actually a modeling assistant, which didn’t truly interest me but I thought this might be the next step to my goals. After interviewing, the owner, Sarah Carpenter, said “hey, we actually have an opening in the TV/Film department as an assistant”. There it was! My dreams were starting to come true.
Fast forward, I have now been a Talent Agent at AMT for almost 8 years now. It has felt like home. I work with an incredible team and roster. I truly thank my family for showing me that hard work truly pays off.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Kelly Nehmen works as a TV & Film Agent at Atlanta Models & Talent. This is a full service talent agency based in Atlanta, GA that has been around since 1959. AMT specializes in theatrical, commercial, voiceover and industrial projects.
My job is finding talent on our roster as many opportunities as possible. We seek out roles in television & film for our talent. Talent then auditions for the role and if they book the project, our job is to negotiate the best deal possible for them with a casting director. The other layers of my job includes having a strong working relationship with talent. The highlights are clear communication, making sure their materials (headshots, demo reels, etc.) are current and talent loving the craft of acting.
The fun part about my job is feeling the passion for each individual talent. I truly believe in them as not just strong actors but also as good humans. I feel confident pitching their auditions and materials forward to casting directors & producers to get them booked on a movie or television show. My favorite part of the job is watching on the sidelines once I see these bookings come to life on the big screen. It’s a proud and fulfilling feeling that’s hard to describe. But it keeps my drive going, as I will have been in this role for 8 years in May!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three skills that were impactful for my journey would be strong communication skills, organization and patience.
In most industries, you are going to be working with people who operate differently than you. Whether that’s personality differences, work ethic, or just not working well together. Understanding how to communicate in different variations will help you accomplish YOUR best work.
My best advice would likely come from patience. Hard work takes time. Lawyers go to law school for 3 years after 4 years of undergrad. It took me years to find my place. If I hadn’t been patient while trying to find the right job, who knows where I would have landed?
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
All industries felt the affects of Covid-19 in 2020. Particularly, the entertainment industry shut down as vaccination & safety protocols needed to be figured out and fit into production’s budget. Over time, it was figured out and work began to flourish again.
AMT was grateful to make it through that hurdle and keep its employees & roster afloat. 2021 and 2022 were such strong years for AMT and the Southeast, which is our primary focus. Numerous television shows & movies coming across my desk. Marvel, Netflix, award winning actors & directors! So we thought Covid was going to be our last obstacle… then in 2023, there was the Writers & Actors Strike. Our industry as a whole shut down again.
It was an unsure feeling of what the future would hold and what the outcome would look like after negotiations. Not just talent agents were affected. Actors, managers, crew members, caterers. The list goes on of everyone being out of work. I surely had a moment of “do I need to pivot careers?”
Eventually, after negotiations, both strikes ended and there was an agreement for a new contract. Work could slowly start to heal. It still took some time for work to pick up fully but we weren’t busy again until mid-2024. These challenges have been hard to stay optimistic but we are hopeful for smooth sailing in 2025 with ample amount of work for the Southeast & nationwide!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amtagency.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-nehmen-93309884/
Image Credits
Van Gogh background – AMT Team, in order left to right, Caila Cordwell (SAG Commercial Agent), Sarah Carpenter (Owner), me (TV/Film Agent), Jason Lockhart (President, Talent Agent / Head of TV/Film), Julie Martin (Non Union Commercial, Industrial & Print Agent), and Madison Junod (TV/Film Agent). Company holiday outing.
Picture from set on the final season, Cobra Kai Season 6. Jason Lockhart (AMT) and Susan Gallagher (Actor, plays Homeless Lynn on the show)
Grandparents – Henry & Joyce Schwob.
Picture from screening of Kold x Windy, Season 1. Jason Lockhart (AMT) and Nijah Brenea (Actor, Series Regular on the show, plays Windy)
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