- Originally from Kalamazoo, MI, Jimmy Kelly started producing content at an early age, from serving as head writer, performer and host for his high school's annual talent revue to creating, executive producing and starring in his own comedic news/talk show, The Sunday Soapbox, as a student at Kalamazoo College. The series ended in 2008 when Kelly came to Los Angeles to earn his MFA in screenwriting from USC's School of Cinematic Arts.
Since graduating from USC in 2010, Kelly started right away as a writer, producer and actor for Peanut Attorney, an online sketch comedy troupe he co-founded with three other filmmakers, culminating with the production of their first half-hour comedy pilot, Help Wanted. It was also at this time that Kelly founded the Trojan Entertainment Network (uscten.com), named by USC as its Volunteer Organization of the Year for 2015. TEN works to provide all Trojan alumni in the entertainment industry with invaluable networking opportunities via a calendar of social, educational and career events while boasting a membership of over 3000 professionals. Kelly co-led the organization for its first eight years before transitioning to an emeritus role in 2018.
Kelly's first produced feature, Somewhere Beautiful, an indie drama from acclaimed commercial director Albert Kodagolian, was an official selection in 2014 at the São Paulo International Film Festival and award winner at multiple smaller American festivals. Loosely based on the Atom Egoyan film, Calendar, the Oscar nominated filmmaker, Egoyan, served as an advisor on the project and has praised the writing in particular. Over the next five years, Kelly would focus on for hire work developing pilots and made for TV films on behalf of emerging development companies and performing uncredited rewrites on projects domestic and international for various artist clients. This includes extensive experience in life rights adaptations.
In 2019, Kelly took a step back from writing on assignment to focus full time on personal passion projects, building relationships with producers in the US and Australia, the latter country being where he first studied screenwriting while studying abroad in Perth at Curtin University. It was also around this time that he began to research the economic side of the entertainment industry and explore policy proposals to expand nonprofit funding and other resources for independent film, working independently and with the Incubate USC program at USC's Marshall School of Business.
Kelly continues to serve as a longtime head mentor and live performer for Young Storytellers, a nonprofit that uses screenwriting to bring arts education to schools all across Los Angeles and in other cities where funding for arts programming has been drastically cut.- IMDb Mini Biography By: JK
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