Acting: The Craft and Calling with Kaylee Keller

Matt: 00:00:00

Alright, we are back on Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast.

Matt: 00:00:03

I am Matt Chastain, as the, uh, announcer said, and more importantly, we, here we are here with Kaylee Keller.

Matt: 00:00:09

Kaylee is, uh, an accomplished and talented, uh, actress, recording artist, public speaker, digital marketer.

Matt: 00:00:17

You're also a teacher.

Matt: 00:00:18

You give lessons and so you, you've done a lot.

Matt: 00:00:20

In the last episode, we were talking about, you know, really focusing on what it means to follow a calling, um, in this industry.

Matt: 00:00:28

And as you were going through this, this beautifully eloquent, um, kind of, uh, concept and, and, and the way you live your life.

Matt: 00:00:36

What, what I always do is in, you know, as you in conversation, I'm listening and I'm that.

Matt: 00:00:41

Vision of Moses appeared to me and I was about to come in and say, yes, Moses did the same thing in, in the desert, and you beat me to it.

Matt: 00:00:48

So, uh, clearly, uh, God was put in the same image in both of our heads.

Matt: 00:00:51

But that, but that is, that is so true.

Matt: 00:00:53

I mean, they wandered for 40 years and you even alluded to the griping, gosh, there was so much griping amongst the people.

Matt: 00:01:01

Uh, God didn't take us straight out of Egypt into, into the Promised Land.

Matt: 00:01:05

What's going on here?

Matt: 00:01:06

And I think for actors and, and artists.

Matt: 00:01:09

Such as yourself, you can feel like you're wandering for 40 years and, and constantly question whether or not this is my calling, but, uh, I love your, your, your attitude.

Matt: 00:01:19

You say the calling is to just follow him wherever he leads.

Kaylee: 00:01:23

Yes.

Kaylee: 00:01:23

I have had my own fair share of griping and the he is convicted me with his conversation of, You know, Kaylee, what is more important to me is who you are and the kind of person that you are.

Kaylee: 00:01:36

The faith that you have, the character, you have the fruit of your life than you know the thing that you do.

Kaylee: 00:01:43

And he can, you know, he puts passions in our life for a reason.

Kaylee: 00:01:48

I do think he's got special talents and gifts for everyone.

Kaylee: 00:01:52

He's got special purposes.

Kaylee: 00:01:54

Some of us get told at a young age, some find out later in life his timing in it all.

Kaylee: 00:02:00

But those are there strategically and for a reason.

Kaylee: 00:02:03

At the same time, they're not to be our God.

Matt: 00:02:07

Right.

Kaylee: 00:02:07

You know, God is God.

Kaylee: 00:02:09

And so God said, Hey, I put those in you.

Kaylee: 00:02:11

Now let me show you what I want you to do with those.

Kaylee: 00:02:15

Don't take those and run without me and think that, you know, I'm doing it in the name of God and I'm doing all these things for him.

Kaylee: 00:02:21

And it's, you have to ask, is he in this?

Kaylee: 00:02:24

Because he wants to be.

Kaylee: 00:02:26

And in my own life, that just looks like when I get so excited and I run ahead, it's like repenting and stopping and coming back and waiting for him and waiting on him.

Kaylee: 00:02:35

And like we talked about in the last episode, is.

Kaylee: 00:02:39

Waiting with excitement and anticipation and not being the kind that gripes in the waiting.

Kaylee: 00:02:44

And to be appreciative in the waiting and knowing that something's coming, and also knowing that in the waiting he's doing something, he's building you, he's putting the thing in you that you need to take to the next season.

Matt: 00:02:56

Agreed.

Matt: 00:02:57

I, I think he also wants us to serve him and these talents that he's given us, he wants us to, to grow them and to cultivate those talents for his glory.

Matt: 00:03:06

And I think that that's probably a, a big part of it is when we're, we're in that season of, of waiting and it's also a season of training.

Matt: 00:03:15

And so the craft of acting, I think, um, a lot of times Christians.

Matt: 00:03:22

I've seen Christian struggle with the craft of acting because it's, we come at it like, well, I am who I am and I ha I am who God made me.

Matt: 00:03:31

And it, it, it becomes kind of difficult to then do what you have to do to be an actor and, you know, bring what you have to the character, but become someone else completely.

Matt: 00:03:43

And so, uh, let's just talk about the craft of acting for a moment.

Matt: 00:03:47

What's, uh, how, how do you approach roles.

Kaylee: 00:03:51

That's a great question.

Kaylee: 00:03:52

Approaching roles.

Kaylee: 00:03:55

I find a lot of joy in getting to create a character.

Kaylee: 00:04:00

I think that's so fun.

Kaylee: 00:04:01

I think a passion of mine in acting is character acting.

Kaylee: 00:04:05

I love when.

Kaylee: 00:04:07

I'm grateful for any work, but I really do love when there's a fun challenge of getting to, you know, have an accent or getting to, to be somebody that's not like me every day.

Kaylee: 00:04:17

You know, every day I'm myself.

Kaylee: 00:04:19

So it's fun for me to get a break from me and get to go be something totally different and discover what that is.

Kaylee: 00:04:25

I'm always like, give me the, the crazy lady.

Kaylee: 00:04:27

Give me that crazy accent.

Kaylee: 00:04:29

Like, let me do something fun here.

Kaylee: 00:04:31

So for me, I just approach it by... like you said, creating a separation, right, of this is not me, this is the character.

Kaylee: 00:04:42

And I think that that for me is the best approach because sometimes I would or wouldn't do what is written in a script, but if it's necessary to.

Kaylee: 00:04:53

The project, then I need to be able to find a place and need to get there.

Kaylee: 00:04:57

So just kind of removing myself from it, pulling from feelings in real life, pulling from experiences I've had in life to relate, but just making it their own thing.

Kaylee: 00:05:06

I usually take a piece of paper, I write down a whole backstory.

Kaylee: 00:05:10

Sometimes directors in script will give you that, but sometimes you get to also make your own.

Kaylee: 00:05:17

So I'll come up with.

Kaylee: 00:05:19

Childhood memories around, you know, say I'm playing Lisa, you know, I'll come up with my own childhood memories for her and I'll come up with her favorite sense of style and I'll, I'll just kind of create a storyboard and make her feel real to me.

Kaylee: 00:05:34

So that way when I'm playing her, she actually feels like.

Kaylee: 00:05:37

A friend that I'm playing, or it's like somebody that I know that I get to kind of step in the shoes of.

Kaylee: 00:05:42

And the more I take the time to do that, I feel like the, the better I am and the more I get outside of myself to really serve the project.

Matt: 00:05:51

Yeah, to be authentic in that character.

Matt: 00:05:53

I, I think one of the.

Matt: 00:05:55

Pitfalls or one of the, um, stumbling blocks a lot of actors find is they can perform it, but sometimes it comes across a little inauthentically when, when actors are new and just getting started and they don't know how to get over that inauthentic, um, kind of external expression of the character.

Matt: 00:06:12

And I, I wonder sometimes does that come from, you know, as Christians honesty and, and being real is, is.

Matt: 00:06:20

One of the highest, one of our highest, uh, ethics.

Matt: 00:06:23

And so when, when, when you're, you're acting all this, like you say, you're, you're saying things and doing things that you, that you wouldn't normally do.

Matt: 00:06:31

And so there's this subconscious, uh, place inside of us that, that, uh, causes behaviors that, that, that we don't necessarily direct.

Matt: 00:06:40

Um.

Matt: 00:06:41

Behaviors when we're lying, that makes it obvious that we're lying.

Matt: 00:06:44

And that translates a lot of times as bad acting.

Matt: 00:06:47

And so it, it can be very difficult sometimes to take ourselves out of ourselves and perform a character authentically and, and be super honest as we're delivering dialogue, not just performing the role.

Kaylee: 00:06:59

I totally agree.

Kaylee: 00:07:00

I think, um, self-awareness can really affect your acting.

Kaylee: 00:07:05

There's a level of courage it takes to be silly and to be outside of yourself.

Kaylee: 00:07:09

And I think the more self-aware and self-conscious you let yourself get.

Kaylee: 00:07:14

The more in your head you get and the more it affects the role.

Kaylee: 00:07:17

So there's a level of being willing to look silly and being willing to look stupid and mess up.

Kaylee: 00:07:24

That takes courage.

Kaylee: 00:07:25

That as people is hard, even myself, like I push myself to try something that maybe I wouldn't normally do as Kaylee, but I think my character Lisa would benefit from.

Kaylee: 00:07:35

And oftentimes when you get out of yourself.

Kaylee: 00:07:38

It's, it's so much easier to have freedom.

Kaylee: 00:07:41

I also think what you said, you know, our Christian moral ethics code, if we're playing a part that is different than our ethics, we feel the confliction.

Kaylee: 00:07:50

Mm-hmm.

Kaylee: 00:07:51

And it shows, and this is where for me.

Kaylee: 00:07:54

I think all Christians across the board.

Kaylee: 00:07:55

Also, just as actors and stuff, knowing what you value and what you are and are not okay with before accepting a job.

Kaylee: 00:08:04

So for me, if the character's lying and I'm like, oh, I don't really like representing that, depending on how the storyline ends, if it ends in this really redemptive way of God showing up and the lying was used to glorify him, I see the big purpose of my character.

Kaylee: 00:08:21

Doing something I'm usually not okay with in a sense of it served the, it served a greater purpose and it's u it's being used to influence, but oftentimes in projects, a lot of projects don't bring glory to the Lord.

Kaylee: 00:08:35

And if you find yourself in something that you are feeling conflicted, playing, you're feeling like you can't relate to, you're feeling really uncomfortable about, then sometimes that's your spirit convicting you and saying like, I don't want you to do this.

Kaylee: 00:08:48

I, you know, this isn't meant for you.

Kaylee: 00:08:50

And I think.

Kaylee: 00:08:51

Being a Christian actor, being a Christian as a whole.

Kaylee: 00:08:54

Being a Christian in entertainment, you find you have to say no a lot.

Matt: 00:08:59

Mm-hmm.

Kaylee: 00:09:00

And you're probably going to have to say no to things more than you say yes to things.

Kaylee: 00:09:04

And that's something for me as an actor, I'm consistently saying no to things that I don't morally line up with or.

Kaylee: 00:09:11

Somebody's interested in having me for a part, I'll let 'em know the things I am and am not okay with wearing or saying or doing.

Kaylee: 00:09:19

And I know that the opportunity is for me and it's from the Lord when everything lines up and I feel, you know, like this is a project that's gonna glorify him.

Kaylee: 00:09:29

And it's something that I'm okay with being a part of, like being a part of morally.

Kaylee: 00:09:33

Um,

Matt: 00:09:33

well that comes to the subject of representation as well.

Matt: 00:09:37

You've gotta be represented by people who understand and respect that.

Matt: 00:09:41

'cause I've seen a lot of agents would get very frustrated with, with an actor turning down a lot of roles.

Matt: 00:09:46

Like, this is an opportunity, take it.

Matt: 00:09:48

I'm not getting my commission if you don't take this.

Matt: 00:09:50

And so I think representation is having someone who represents you, whether it be yourself or your, your mom or, or an act, an agent.

Matt: 00:09:58

Um, having the right representation to help you kind of.

Matt: 00:10:01

Pursue what you wanna do with your career rather than just trying to get that 15% of, of whatever they book you for.

Kaylee: 00:10:08

Yeah.

Kaylee: 00:10:08

That's really huge too, is the kind of agencies that you have.

Kaylee: 00:10:11

Right.

Kaylee: 00:10:12

So I'm really blessed to be in a season where I have two, one of them is a Christian agency where everything that they're sending me is faith-based projects.

Kaylee: 00:10:21

So immediately that filters out a huge portion of things that I would be saying no to because they already have.

Kaylee: 00:10:27

You know, a faith center, which I'm really grateful for.

Kaylee: 00:10:30

That's a really good fit for my personality and what I'm wanting to do in this career.

Kaylee: 00:10:35

So she's been amazing.

Kaylee: 00:10:36

I have another agent who is a secular agent, but she really respects my standards and my values and my Christian faith.

Kaylee: 00:10:43

So she sends me stuff and I say yes or no to it, but she's completely open to that and sends me a lot of work.

Kaylee: 00:10:49

Continually, and I'm really grateful for that.

Kaylee: 00:10:51

So I think, like you said, who you partner with is huge, right?

Kaylee: 00:10:55

Who you're in community with, who is representing you, it matters.

Kaylee: 00:10:59

And God wants you to also have a high standard for the people that you work with and the people that you surround yourself with.

Kaylee: 00:11:08

Having that community is, is huge.

Kaylee: 00:11:09

Having a good agent that you trust, um, working with people that you trust.

Kaylee: 00:11:13

You know, I have friends in this industry, even before I work with directors.

Kaylee: 00:11:17

If I know that there's mutual connection, I will, I will call and I will get, you know, reputation first.

Kaylee: 00:11:23

They'll be like, Hey, friend, who worked with this director in the past?

Kaylee: 00:11:27

What was your experience?

Kaylee: 00:11:28

And I just have created this trusted circle of people who.

Kaylee: 00:11:33

Is really important to find in any industry in your life and anything in your life.

Kaylee: 00:11:38

And even apart from that, I would say, you know, you've made a couple comments about being young and being grounded in this.

Kaylee: 00:11:45

I have a lot of.

Kaylee: 00:11:46

Appreciation towards my mom.

Kaylee: 00:11:48

I think, like you said, as like an older generation, um, for moms and dads, that influence is huge.

Kaylee: 00:11:54

And my mom has been with me ever since I was young.

Kaylee: 00:11:57

As my bio says, I couldn't even drive myself to my shows.

Kaylee: 00:12:00

Who do you think drove me?

Kaylee: 00:12:01

You know, not my agents, not my managers.

Kaylee: 00:12:04

It was my mom and she.

Kaylee: 00:12:07

The entire time of this career for me has been reminding me the principles of Christ.

Kaylee: 00:12:14

Mm-hmm.

Kaylee: 00:12:14

Um, and when I was tempted of compromise or when I was tempted with like, oh, but Mom, the producer said if I write this song or I put this song on the album, it'll make me more edgy, you know?

Kaylee: 00:12:24

And she would be like, who are we listening to?

Kaylee: 00:12:26

You know, the producer of God.

Kaylee: 00:12:28

And she would just keep me really grounded in that.

Kaylee: 00:12:31

And.

Kaylee: 00:12:32

You have to have that.

Kaylee: 00:12:33

You've got to find those, you know, whether it's a parent, whether it's a friend, whether it's just a mentor figure.

Kaylee: 00:12:40

It is so crucial that you're not doing life alone as a whole, but also that you're not doing the entertainment industry alone.

Kaylee: 00:12:47

You know, you need somebody to drive with you and go with you.

Kaylee: 00:12:50

Even to this day, I really.

Kaylee: 00:12:52

Unless I'm friends with people of the project.

Kaylee: 00:12:54

If it's a brand new project and I'm unfamiliar with the people there, or I'm a little cautious of the opportunity, I take my mom with me or I take somebody of trust with me to show up with me and to make sure that I am staying safe as well.

Kaylee: 00:13:08

So I'm a big advocate of finding that community and finding those wise voices in your life to, uh, help you keep God center

Matt: 00:13:16

good for

Kaylee: 00:13:16

you.

Kaylee: 00:13:17

And working, yeah, and working with, you know, people that support that.

Matt: 00:13:21

Yeah, the Hollywood is full of stories of, of parents who push their child off the deep end and just feed them to the monsters so that the parents themselves can kind of obtain that glory and that, and then those riches.

Matt: 00:13:34

And it's a, in fact, I think that happens more often than not with child actors.

Matt: 00:13:39

So it's, it's as, as a parent of a pretty talented young actor myself, um, we, we have to really find that balance of encouraging them without.

Matt: 00:13:49

Pushing them too hard and certainly not pushing them too hard in the wrong direction.

Matt: 00:13:54

And it really sounds like your, your mom has, has kind of found that perfect balance.

Kaylee: 00:13:58

Thank you.

Kaylee: 00:13:59

I think one thing that.

Kaylee: 00:14:01

Stands out to me about her.

Kaylee: 00:14:02

She's always told me, no matter what I'm called to do in life or whatever I feel led to do, she will support me in it no matter what.

Kaylee: 00:14:10

So if I, even though I've told her since I was young, you know, I feel called to the entertainment industry.

Kaylee: 00:14:16

She's like, you can do any job or any industry and I'm going to love you and be proud of you.

Kaylee: 00:14:22

Just the same.

Kaylee: 00:14:23

I think she's had such a level head to where she doesn't let fame and stardom and money and fortune be her God.

Kaylee: 00:14:32

You know, she's just like, I'm a supportive mom and she sees this as like, I need to protect and intercede and guide my daughter and care for her.

Kaylee: 00:14:40

Well, and I, like you said, not everybody gets the blessing of having even like a dad like you.

Kaylee: 00:14:46

You know, your children are blessed that you also have that mindset.

Kaylee: 00:14:50

It really, I'm

Matt: 00:14:51

gonna pour this part of it and played it for my daughter.

Matt: 00:14:53

I'm not sure she gets that all the time, but thank

Kaylee: 00:14:55

you.

Kaylee: 00:14:55

Aw, Tell her.. no, remind her.

Kaylee: 00:14:57

You absolutely should.

Kaylee: 00:14:58

She's very blessed to have a protective parent figure in her life.

Kaylee: 00:15:01

I think with any of us, whether parents especially, but even, you know, as we're talking my age, just having that, you know, stardom in check, I think.

Kaylee: 00:15:11

We look at success in life and we get on Instagrams and tiktoks and Facebooks and everything is so flashy and shiny and you see celebrities and sparkly outfits on big stages.

Kaylee: 00:15:22

And there's just success.

Kaylee: 00:15:25

You know, you see influencers, you just see what looks like success all the time.

Kaylee: 00:15:29

Um, and I think that in.

Kaylee: 00:15:33

A lot of spaces, there's been a lot of compromise to gain that success and that success is not always of God.

Kaylee: 00:15:38

It can be oftentimes it's not success from the Lord, it's actually success from the enemy, and that's the kind of success you don't want.

Kaylee: 00:15:45

It's not success at all.

Kaylee: 00:15:46

So just really being able to lay that down and ask the Lord, what does success look like?

Kaylee: 00:15:52

And help me not let the world skew my view of success.

Kaylee: 00:15:56

Because if we wa, if we read the gospel stories.

Kaylee: 00:16:00

Even Jesus came lowly and humbly, you know, and, and the people, the Jewish people are expecting a king that looked shiny, sitting on the throne overtaking Rome, you know, the whole thing.

Kaylee: 00:16:12

And Jesus came in a humble way serving people, being a carpenter, um, being humble with, with his walk.

Kaylee: 00:16:22

It had authority, it was power.

Kaylee: 00:16:25

It was the son of God's.

Kaylee: 00:16:26

Blessed us all, changed all of our lives forever.

Kaylee: 00:16:29

But it doesn't always, success is not the human eyes definition of success.

Kaylee: 00:16:33

It is the heart of God.

Kaylee: 00:16:34

And aligning with that is crucial.

Kaylee: 00:16:36

And when I sometimes get on Instagrams and the Facebooks and I start to find that in my own heart, I just shut it off.

Kaylee: 00:16:42

I'm like, oh Lord, they got that part.

Kaylee: 00:16:45

And I, you know, or, oh man, you know, I would've loved to been in the chosen right.

Kaylee: 00:16:50

Or whatever.

Kaylee: 00:16:52

Then it's like, you know what, God, you know my path and that was not meant for me, and that is okay.

Kaylee: 00:16:57

And I wanna be okay with that and not get distracted by that.

Kaylee: 00:17:01

And not that,

Matt: 00:17:02

that's absolutely great advice.

Matt: 00:17:04

I, I, I remember a, a Ted Talk, I saw, I think an acronym.

Matt: 00:17:07

George Joseph Gordon Levitt, I think is his name.

Matt: 00:17:09

And he was talking about this, just speaking to your, to the, you know, Instagram and what you're seeing on Instagram and, and is that really success?

Matt: 00:17:17

he kind of breaks it down into kind of one choice.

Matt: 00:17:20

it really affects you as an artist.

Matt: 00:17:22

We, we have to decide, do we wanna be artists and, and execute an art, um, or do we want to be performers to see, and he says, you could.

Matt: 00:17:31

You, either you, are you seeking attention or are you paying attention?

Matt: 00:17:35

Obviously 'cause as, as an actor, you're gonna be better when you pay attention, when you pay attention to the business around it.

Matt: 00:17:42

As you have, when you pay attention to the, the, the script and the story and what, what's really being told when you pay attention to what your character contributes to that story and, and how you contribute to your character.

Matt: 00:17:54

So if you're paying and you, and obviously as you're performing as an actor, are you paying attention to your, you know, your scene partners?

Matt: 00:18:02

Lines or are you just waiting for your chance to talk?

Matt: 00:18:05

And it seems like this, the Instagram culture has created for, and as far as I'm concerned, a bunch of bad actors.

Matt: 00:18:12

'cause it's all about seeking attention, seeking, look at me, look at me, look at me, look how successful I am.

Matt: 00:18:17

And that doesn't translate, I don't think to, to, to being a, a, to good at your craft as God has called you to do.

Kaylee: 00:18:24

I love that.

Kaylee: 00:18:25

That's actually a really powerful perspective.

Kaylee: 00:18:28

Um, I absolutely can see that, and I love how you worded that.

Kaylee: 00:18:32

I think it really comes down to, like you're saying to the principle of do you live for you or do you live to serve?

Matt: 00:18:38

Yep.

Kaylee: 00:18:38

Right.

Kaylee: 00:18:39

And.

Kaylee: 00:18:41

This world is full of me, me, me, my truth, my identity, my, you know, my attention.

Kaylee: 00:18:49

I'm a, you know, look at me.

Kaylee: 00:18:50

You know, even talking about being super self-conscious or, or, um, in our own heads, that's all self-focused.

Kaylee: 00:18:59

Really, God has called us, like you said, to get outside of yourself and to serve, to serve the project, to serve your other actor, to get outside of yourself, which is what Jesus came to do.

Kaylee: 00:19:11

He came and he laid down his life for us.

Matt: 00:19:14

That's right.

Kaylee: 00:19:14

Right.

Kaylee: 00:19:15

He came to serve us and that is what we are called to do in life.

Kaylee: 00:19:19

And anytime we get self-absorbed and self-focused, and me, me, me, me, you're gonna see that, um.

Kaylee: 00:19:26

Just that striving, the exhaustion, the striving, the not living in the fullness of what God's called you to do, but when you can get outside and yeah, serve and, and say, okay, God, what am I called here today for?

Kaylee: 00:19:37

How can I serve this scene partner?

Kaylee: 00:19:39

How can I serve this project?

Kaylee: 00:19:40

How can I. Use my social media to influence people and tore the gospel or to tell people truth that maybe causes me to lose opportunities or fans.

Kaylee: 00:19:51

You know, we're not called to just go with the world.

Kaylee: 00:19:54

We're called to stand apart and to speak truth and to live from that place.

Matt: 00:19:59

And when we do, that's a, that's a long-term investment that, uh, typically God will reward at some point with, with opportunities that allow you to serve him in that way.

Matt: 00:20:10

So it sounds like that's what you're doing.

Matt: 00:20:12

Well, tell me about some of the upcoming things we are, we'll be able to see you in.

Matt: 00:20:15

You said, you said there's a few projects that are.

Matt: 00:20:17

Either in production or post-production that are, that are waiting to come out.

Matt: 00:20:20

I wanna know about those.

Kaylee: 00:20:21

Yeah.

Kaylee: 00:20:22

So, um, recently I was blessed.

Kaylee: 00:20:24

I got to do, um, some Wayfair commercials.

Kaylee: 00:20:27

Um, the war, what do I need?

Kaylee: 00:20:29

The warfare, uh, warden's case files is out.

Kaylee: 00:20:32

Um, I'm in that, um, I just filmed a couple more commercials the past, uh, couple of months that will be released when they are, I don't know, um, hopefully this year.

Kaylee: 00:20:45

And then I am.

Kaylee: 00:20:47

I'm in process of, uh, getting a few things finished with some, um, films.

Kaylee: 00:20:53

So I am just recently did an audition for something and then my agent's working on some stuff for me.

Kaylee: 00:20:59

So hopefully, we'll, we'll do some more filming.

Kaylee: 00:21:02

Last summer I did, I had a bunch of filming, so where everything's coming out this year, so, um.

Kaylee: 00:21:08

Kind of coming towards the end of the summer.

Kaylee: 00:21:10

It looks like it's gonna be similar where I get to do some more filming and then it hopefully will come out, um, at the beginning of 2026.

Matt: 00:21:18

Are you, like most of us actors, you really prefer to do some narrative storytelling rather than commercial work?

Kaylee: 00:21:25

I, I think it's all quite a fun experience depending on what it is.

Kaylee: 00:21:31

It is fun to, my favorite thing about film or episodics is you really get to dive into a character where with commercial it's usually much more like, show up, you know, you're in the background or you have like a quick part.

Kaylee: 00:21:45

So I, I think they're just totally different styles of acting.

Kaylee: 00:21:49

Um, I really do love when I get to like, memorize a script and, and really.

Kaylee: 00:21:53

You know, be a character.

Kaylee: 00:21:55

That's my, my favorite kind, but I'm grateful for, you know, commercial work, national exposure.

Kaylee: 00:22:02

Uh, the paychecks are a blessing.

Matt: 00:22:05

Some of those make, I'll take paychecks, kind of bridge you too, because you mentioned earlier not being, uh, too money driven.

Matt: 00:22:11

And if you're a, if you're an aspiring actor in a, in the faith-based world, uh, that's a good thing that you're not money driven because we, these are, this is not the most profitable industry in the world, but I think it's profitable in the right ways.

Kaylee: 00:22:24

Yeah, absolutely.

Kaylee: 00:22:25

I think.

Kaylee: 00:22:27

I've noticed that, um, it is hard to make consistent money in, uh, the arts and in entertainment, both from a music standpoint and from an acting standpoint, and that's why.

Kaylee: 00:22:39

The titles on, on myself are getting lengthy in the sense of like, I do marketing, I do teaching, um, just finding other avenues of income that also still align with what I, you know, feel like God's gifted me with taking music and being able to teach lessons.

Kaylee: 00:22:55

And watch, you know, growing up other worshipers and other musicians is really purposeful.

Kaylee: 00:22:59

Yeah.

Kaylee: 00:23:00

And you know, I can count on more of consistency and paycheck.

Kaylee: 00:23:03

And same with digital marketing.

Kaylee: 00:23:05

I realized with me marketing myself as an actor and as a, um, musician and then me working for different companies over the years, I've just gained marketing skills.

Kaylee: 00:23:16

So during COVID I went to school for it got certified.

Kaylee: 00:23:18

So now I can take that with me and all of it can be remote.

Kaylee: 00:23:22

So it's flexible.

Kaylee: 00:23:23

So if I get hired for something or I last minute have to send in an audition, or I've gotta be on set in two days, the work, I can take it with me.

Kaylee: 00:23:31

So for me, just finding flexibility with different ways of making income for me to continue to be able to.

Kaylee: 00:23:39

Take the sporadic opportunities is, is working out in a season.

Matt: 00:23:44

I love that.

Matt: 00:23:45

Well, our listeners, you never know who's listening, who may need a, a great actress, a great recording artist, or even a great digital marketer.

Matt: 00:23:51

So how, how can people get in touch with you?

Kaylee: 00:23:54

Absolutely.

Kaylee: 00:23:54

I'm here for it.

Kaylee: 00:23:56

Um, you can follow me@www.kayleighkeller.com and from there you can, you know, send me a message or follow me on Facebook and Instagram at Kayleigh Keller Music.

Matt: 00:24:08

That's awesome.

Matt: 00:24:09

Well, Kaylee Keller, thank you so much.

Matt: 00:24:10

It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you today and uh, we look forward to maybe having you on again in the future on the Faith and Family Filmmakers podcast.

Kaylee: 00:24:18

I would love that.

Kaylee: 00:24:19

It's been an absolute privilege as well.

Kaylee: 00:24:21

Thank you, Matt.