Meet Kristian McKay

We were lucky to catch up with Kristian McKay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kristian , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Keeping my creativity alive is really about staying curious and not forcing it. When I start feeling stuck, I’ll step away from whatever I’m working on — go for a drive, take a walk, or just sit somewhere new and watch people. Ideas usually find me when I’m not trying so hard to chase them.
I also make a point to create things that aren’t tied to deadlines or expectations. Sometimes I’ll write a random scene, take photos, or mess around with sounds or images — just for the sake of it. That kind of play keeps me connected to why I started making things in the first place.
Talking with other creative people helps too. Hearing how someone else approaches their work always shifts my perspective a little.
And honestly, rest is part of it. Real rest. When I give myself space and stop pushing, that’s usually when the next idea shows up — quietly, but exactly when I need it. I also spend time with the peaces of cinema that inspired me from the beginning.

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’m Kristian McKay, a filmmaker and storyteller based in Texas. I run a small production company called Obscura Film, where I focus on stories that live somewhere between reality and dream — the quiet, emotional spaces people rarely talk about but always feel.

What I love most about filmmaking is that it lets me capture a mood — a single fleeting moment that says more than dialogue ever could. I’m drawn to atmosphere: the sound of a highway at night, a neon motel sign flickering, two people sharing a silence that changes everything. Those are the kinds of images that stay with me, and that’s what I try to build my work around.

Right now, I’m deep in a few projects that I’m really proud of. Kill Trip is our Texas-set road thriller. With Obscura Film, I’m building a space for stories that feel personal but still have cinematic scope — indie films that look and move like something larger. We’re expanding slowly, adding new collaborators, and starting to line up festival submissions and potential distribution for Kill Trip. At the end of the day, I just want to make films that make people feel something. Whether it’s a moment of nostalgia, heartbreak, or recognition — that’s what I’m chasing.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I come from a family of storytellers, no matter what their day job was or was happening next, a story was always there. It’s a connectivity that I learned to search for over the years in people and all circumstances. A journalist of emotion and memory built from witnessing and listening more than speaking.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

They shared their day to day lives with me and took me to the movies. I am part of the middle class of the 80’s that built the cinema houses and blockbuster stream. So many of my childhood memories are linked to movies. From being with my family collectively watching a film, movie hoping with my older brother, kissing a date in the back row while seeing Top Gun for the first time 3rd time. I have a cannon of cinematic memories and experiences and it all started with my parents efforts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.truewonderfilm.com
• Instagram: @kill_trip_movie
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristian-mckay

Image Credits

I have permission.