Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Kessler. He shared his story with us below:
Being in front of the camera came first for Joe. Before honing in on his skills as a director and producer, Joe Kessler was a professional actor. Joe got his fair share of on-camera work acting in commercials for Walmart, Best Buy, and The NFL, among others.
Joe’s directing success lies in his ability to connect with anyone. He has an easy-going and relatable directorial style that gets the best from professional actors and non-actors alike. This results in highly approachable video content that connects with audiences everywhere.
Over the last few years, Joe has directed short films, mini-documentaries, commercials, branded content, virtual events, and corporate videos. The video production work he did for The NFL and The Philadelphia Eagles (his hometown), when the Super Bowl came to Minneapolis in 2018 still makes him smile.
When not making films or commercial content, Joe’s been working on a few passion projects around fatherhood. This comes directly from his deep love and passion for being a #GirlDad to 3 awesome daughters! Plenty of at-home movies and memories have been captured by Joe, his wife Haley and the 3 little filmmakers that run the house.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There’s been challenges and obstacles for days! However, viewing them as opportunities, is a lesson I wish I had learned years ago.
From the on-camera side of my work as an actor, you can easily fall into being your worst critic or biggest enemy. There’s a ton of self-worth work that needs to be done on the regular for anyone in the acting industry. You’ll quickly realize that your audition-to-booking-ratio is rather slim, given how many people are being considered for just 1 role. So, there’s a whole lot of “onto the next one” going on over here!
From the director/producer side, it’s a hustle every day. There’s a similar amount of self-worth work here too, as you constantly pitch ideas, concepts, creative direction and hope it lands with your clients, an agency or an audience. Owning and operating Kessler Productions has increased my hat-wearing skills (figuratively and literally). When you’re in the 1st few years of a new endeavor, it takes a ton of endurance and patience to get things off the ground. Been a fun process so far!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Kessler Productions?
Years before starting Kessler Productions, Director/Producer Joe Kessler made a living as a stand-up and improv comedian. and keynote speaker. Some advice Joe got early on in his career was “If you ever feel like you’re losing your audience, tell a story.” Years later, Joe and his team have tailored that same skillset of storytelling to video production. It serves as a unique approach when taking on any video project as they set out to tell THE BEST STORY POSSIBLE.
We have produced films, commercials, branded content, social media content, corporate videos, website videos and a number of unique video marketing offerings to meet the needs of agencies, companies, and corporations trying to stay visually present for their brand.
What sets us apart is our ability to make everyone we work with really comfortable on camera. We know how awkward it can be in front of the camera, with a microphone over your head, lights all around you, and a few strangers staring at you, hoping you deliver something great. We’ve been in front of the camera for years. We’ve even been camera-shy before. So, we can empathize with you AND still get your inner star to shine.
With a background in comedy and on-camera opportunities, a constant theme on any Kessler Productions set will be a mix of laughs, smiles and lots of cheering each other on!
What were you like growing up?
I grew up outside of Philly with an awesome family! Huge sports fan and baseball card collector as a kid. In the summer, if we weren’t swimming in our above ground pool or competing in our own neighborhood-kid-triathlon’s, we were trying to convince people to stop by our house for our self-made backyard carnival. I don’t recall getting many (or any) takers.
From an early age, I played sports year-round. Soccer season led to Basketball, which led to Baseball…and then all again the next year. I got into acting around Middle School and did a fair amount of sketch comedy over the years to follow before landing in MN for college.
Contact Info:
- Website: kesslerproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kessler_productions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Kessler-Productions/100063580658152/
- Other: https://vimeo.com/user119127690
