We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevin Schreck. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevin below.
Kevin, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Storytelling always interested me, particularly visual storytelling. At a very young age, I would draw constantly. Then, I expanded that passion into designing board games, even curating little movie screenings for friends, and, eventually, making movies on a Hi8 camcorder at age 10. That led to stop-motion animation experiments, puppet movies, and even getting friends or relatives to act in things. Making movies was the most exciting, because it involved so many things that I loved: design, music, humor, character, story. Cinema (before I even knew that word) was a tool for self-expression and communication.
Simultaneously, I always had an interest in reality, especially the natural world. I was as obsessed with learning about animals as I was with drawing them. PBS was a big deal to me, and I never found documentaries to be boring (unless they weren’t very well-made). So, while I was definitely inspired by big, fantastical, fiction movies where everything had to be made with great intention and detail — films like “Fantasia,” “Star Wars,” and, a real eye-opener for me, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — I also discovered that you could make movies about real things, as in the wildlife documentaries by David Attenborough, science programs on PBS such as “Nova,” and films about social, political, or cultural matters, like “Bowling for Columbine.” I realized that you didn’t need a giant budget and an army of people to tell great stories, necessarily. Those stories, people, places, and action were already out there. You just had to find them.
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?
Generally speaking, I’m a documentary filmmaker. But that means a lot of things, by necessity, especially when you are making small, low-budget passion projects. You have to wear a lot of hats. At various times, I need to be a director, a producer, a screenwriter, an editor, a cinematographer, an animation director, marketer, advertiser, even an occasional caterer to make sure my team is take care of and well-fed. No role is too small or too insignificant, and it’s important to always be humble to those essential moving parts in making a film happen. So, while filmmaking is so often a collaborative process, it pays to be self-sufficient when necessary. It makes sense to just call my little operation the very unimaginative, but accurate, name of “Kevin Schreck Productions” because of that reality. But I gain a lot out of the collaborative nature of the medium, too. I love who I work with, and their skills and perspectives make me better at what I aim to do.
I currently have a few projects in the mix: “Antarctic Voyage,” which I directed and shot on a biological research expedition to the remote island of South Georgia, will be premiering in 2024. I have a long-gestating project called “Enongo,” a biographical documentary about a remarkable rapper/producer/Ph.D, Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, which is also a partly-animated film. There is another project or two happening behind the scenes, but I’ll have to announce those another time… In short, I’m keeping busy.
After many years of this, I’ve also found myself being an educator. I kind of fell into that. When my first major film, “Persistence of Vision,” started on the film festival circuit, I was only 23, which is kind of precocious and surreal, in hindsight. But people wanted to see that movie, and hear about the behind-the-scenes process. As a result, I was invited to speak at Q&As, which led to panels, which led to lectures, which led to masterclasses. I found myself teaching as a guest speaker on filmmaking and film history at universities and colleges, and then as a teaching artist at non-profits for adolescents, when I was still in my 20s. But it was very formative for me. Teaching gives me a chance to give back to the next generations of storytellers, and makes me a better communicator and a better filmmaker.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’m gonna skip to the advice part because I really don’t know what my “three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge” are. Hopefully, my movies can offer evidence of whatever qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge I might have (or am lacking). But I know what has led me to keep this going for so long and seen what works, so I think the advice is more important for now. Yet I also feel like I’m going to answer this prompt about advice, look back on it, and realize, “No, wait! I have a better answer now!” But I’ll go with what advice comes to mind first, so apologies in advance if it seems obvious or esoteric…
1.) You are never too important to do whatever task your project requires. You might be a director or producer, but if there’s a moment where food needs to be ordered or picked up, or gear needs to be loaded or unloaded, or phone calls need to be made, and this project isn’t getting done without those tasks being accomplished, be prepared to do it. I never understood people who allow their egos to get in the way, but I have seen it happen on other projects, and it’s very often a sign of unprofessionalism and lack of perspective.
2.) LISTEN to your team. You might have a very specific vision for your project, but filmmaking is collaborative. If you have hired a composer, an animator, or a director of photography, chances are, you are not those things. And chances are, that means they are better at those skills than you are. So, listen to what they have to offer. You may still call the shots at the end of the day, but there’s a good chance that your crew members will present an idea or perspective that you never considered before — and it might make your personal vision even better!
3.) Be a human first, not a machine or an artist or a leader. People respond well to kindness, humor, sincerity, and patience. We all need more of those things in our lives. A good director, producer, or any leader should give a real, honest amount of that. If people are happy, confident, well-fed, hydrated, and paid ON TIME, they will enjoy working with you, and will do better work. Put yourself in the shoes of others. Don’t forget the importance of saying, “thank you,” either! People sometimes sacrifice a lot for your visions.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always excited to hear what motivates and inspires others. We need more human creativity and imagination in the world. I love telling stories about artists, scientists, activists, doers, dreamers, really passionate people and their journeys. I also love showing how fascinating, important, and emotionally-affecting reality is, through cinema, through creative means. Sometimes a story is just that much better because it’s true, and that can apply to anything, whether it’s about science, history, politics, culture, music, art, literature, activism, exploration, anything. If you have an idea like that, and need a director, producer, or editor to get you there, let me know. At the very least, it’s good to make connections. We are far better off being united and supporting each other with sincere, valuable goals, rather than being an archipelago of isolated islands. I’m eager to hear your story, and maybe help bring it to life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.KevinSchreck.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KevinSchreckProductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinschreck/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3823217/
Image Credits
© Kevin Schreck Productions
