We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.
Some career journeys are filled with unbelievable circumstances and grace that can’t be predicted and almost seem unbelievable. For Kimberly Walker, the dream and drive was always there and the rest, is well, history.
Walker, 31, started a career in media covering beauty trends and news for publications and brands including Uptown magazine, BET.com, AOL and curlBOX, and always had aspirations to get into film, and getting her foot in the door via journalism proved to be a boss moves.
Quietly honing her skills writing film and TV content, Walker got the opportunity of a lifetime when one of her screenplays was picked up by UPtv—even after she’d lost last year’s UPtv Faith & Family Screenplay Competition.
Her art has come to life as “Comeback Dad” (#ComebackDad), starring industry vets Tatyana Ali, Loretta Devine and Charles Dutton. It premiered this summer at the American Black Film Festival in New York City, and will debut on the UPtv July 12.
BlackEnterprise.com caught up with the young filmmaker on her experience working with Hollywood heavyweights, juggling two career passions, and her advice for other young filmmakers on the come up.
BlackEnterprise.com: What’s behind your passion for beauty journalism and filmmaking? And how did you balance the two to make a career transition?
Kimberly Walker: I’ve always been doing both, but screenwriting was more on the side at first. I have to give credit to my mom in terms of my interest in beauty. I was always mesmerized by anything improves your look. I just started playing with things, reading magazines, and anything that had to do with beauty, I wanted to do it. When I graduated from college, I’d send out clips from blogs or anything I’d written about beauty, and I got my first big beauty gig with Upscale magazine.
I studied creative writing and film at Michigan State University, so I’d been writing my scripts on the low and working on small sets, doing production assistant work. I had a lot of stuff that I’d written myself, but I’d never share with anyone.
I finally got the guts to let people read my scripts, and I started applying for contests. I always wanted to be a filmmaker but I had to keep trying to get my foot in the door.
I’ve been blessed to have worked for editors and brands who knew I had a passion for filmmaking, so they’d let me take on digital film and video projects as well. That allowed me to get experience within the industry and that allowed me to move into completely getting into the film industry.
Check out how young filmmakers can break into the big leagues on the next page …
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The cast is amazing. Talk about how were you able to get “Comeback Dad” optioned by UPtv and land veterans of the industry?
I’d applied for the UPtv Faith & Family Competition and became a finalist, but didn’t win. “Comeback Dad” is my first big produced project. The network liked my script and decided to option it. I met with executives, and the film went into production three months later.
I was sitting in a Starbucks and we’d finally gotten to a version of the script that the network. I got a call from the producer, and he just casually said, “Oh yea, you know, we cast the lead. It’s Charles Dutton.” It just blew me away. I was elated… just shocked.
From there Tatyana Ali and Loretta Devine agreed to do the film, and really… it’s just the story that was appealing, that resonated with them … humanizing fathers who aren’t there.
You never think your first film will have such big actors in it … It’s just amazing.
What advice do you have for young filmmakers who hope to see the success you have?
Join a film community of some sort. Find groups, professional opportunities where you’ll be among film peers, or collectives in your town. You want to be around others who will help you sharpen your skills and support you.
Get a film consultant or mentor. The consultant will cost but it’s an investment in finding out how good (or bad) your work is. If you can’t pay a consultant, find someone in the industry who is great at what they do who you can learn from.
Register your works with the Writer’s Guild of America. I always register the idea along with according to the type of work it is. This will help protect your work, it’s really simple and affordable. Also, try to own all aspects of your brand. For example, I went out and bought or claimed all the things —from social media to Website domain—that are “Kimmy Got Soul.”
Be consistent and current with your body of work. When you have something, don’t just sit it because it’s not ‘perfect.’ Work on it, revise it, send it out, get notes, polish and move on. Have at least three projects that represent who you are and what your work represents. People really just genuinely want good ideas, good stories and good characters—they’ll work with you to develop it further.
Comeback Dad airs on UPtv on July 12th, 2014 at 8pm EST. Find out more on Walker at KimmyGotSoul.com.