Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie McLaughlin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kylie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started college as a Marine Biology major. It didn’t take me long to realize that math and sciences were not in my stars, so after my first year of college I took some time off from school to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. My interest in photography began in middle school when my mom gifted me my first camera – a Sony Super Shot. When I graduated high school, I had saved enough money to buy myself my very first DSLR. Still believing it was just a hobby, I began taking photos of hip-hop artists in the DFW area. Then, during the time I took off from school, a friend of mine told me my Canon 60D was a good tool for video and asked me to help him film something. After capturing some mediocre footage, he taught me the basics of editing. From that point on I felt momentum to continue creating with this tool I had.
I went from taking pictures of hip-hop artists, to making their music videos. It became very clear to me what I wanted to do and a short time later I joined the film program at the University of North Texas. Still wanting to make music videos, I befriended Denton local artists like The Boombachs, Elijah Heaps, and Jessie Frye. Collaborating with musicians is still a large part of what I spend my time doing.
After getting my feet on the ground with classes at UNT, I was introduced to an organization that influenced my life in the most beautiful way. That organization was the UNT Short Film Club created by Wesley Kirk. This club opened my eyes in a variety of new ways as well as provided me a family away from home. It gave me opportunities to shoot, direct, and even act. I put as much time into this extracurricular as I did my actual classes. It was during this time that I, for the first time, felt confident in calling myself a filmmaker.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My greatest challenge arrived when I graduated college. The term “starving artist” is no joke. I made the decision to be a full-time freelance videographer straight out of the gate. With doing this, I tested the reality of how much I was willing to endure in hopes of fulfilling a dream. I can gratefully say that life got easier with the help of networking and portfolio building.
Kid K Media – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Kid K Media is simply myself, Kid K, making formative art with and for others. This is how I make my living, but it is more about creating something that will contribute to our present culture in hopes of inspiring and connecting others.
The leading objective behind Kid K is collaborating with other artists, primarily musicians, with the goal of developing a clients vision into a video or short film. I have a deep love of music, but my talent is in the creation of visuals. Kid K collaborations involve myself getting to do what I love and do best, alongside musicians doing the same. Bringing together visual and auditory art.
Beside video production, Kid K offers photo and SFX makeup services.
I take inspiration from the 80’s and 90’s and am anything but unsaturated. My first consideration when assembling a composition is its chromatic pallet. Color has been a staple of my work and I will forever be experimenting with color theory.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Winning Best Mixed Media Artist at the Denton Arts and Music Awards.
Contact Info:
- Website: kidfilmingkid.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kidfilmingkid @kidkmedia
- Other: https://vimeo.com/214897226
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
