Alumni Spotlight #15: Maura Kelly, '09

Today’s Alumni Spotlight shines brightly onto 2009 Communication Studies graduate Maua Kelly!  Maura currently works as a producer in LA!  Let’s catch up with her!

Before we catch up with what Maura is doing now, I want to highlight a few of the things she did as an undergrad.  Maura minored in Film Studies.  Yes, you can minor in this here at USF!  (There are actually a ton of minor programs here, and, if you have “room” to pick up a minor, there is bound to be one that fits your interests).  During spring semester of her junior year, Maura attended the presigious Tisch program at New York University.  It was there she discovered her knack for film producing. 

2009 Communication Studies graduate Maura Kelly

Because of her interest in the film industry, Maura moved to LA after graduation.  Once there, she secured an internship on a feature film, and was promoted to a paid Coordinator position in only six weeks!  From there she built a networked with filmmakers and she has now collaborated on music videos, webseries, and various short films.  Most recently she produced “Homeschooled” a webseries about a kid who gets himself kicked out of school, only to find that the pains of high school have followed him home.  It was a finalist in the NYU Alumni Writer’s Lab competition and screened at the NYU Tisch West Showcase!  Congratulations, Maura!  “Azad”, a Farsi language short about two Iranian kids who find themselves in an abandoned mine field, just screeneda few weeks ago at the DGA (Directors Guild of America).

Maura has also worked as an assistant at Paramount Pictures, and she is currently at a talent agency in Santa Monica that represents cinematographers, production designers, and editors who work such projects as: The Dark Knight Rises, Harry Potter, Black Swan, Blue Valentine, Mad Men, and even those hilarious Old Spice commercials!   Maura is currently awaiting decision letters from law school, where she hopes to study intellectual property and contract law, because, according to Maura, “both I feel will make me a more competent Producer.  New technologies are transforming the way deals are made, and I certainly don’t want to be left in the dust.”

I asked Maura to share some advice with us based on her life after graduation.  Here’s what she said: “A piece of advice: Don’t underestimate the interpersonal skills you learn as a Communication Studies major.  I wholeheartedly believe that my course of study at USF has given me an edge against all the other interns and newbies in this industry.  I have learned how to identify and navigate different personalities, I understand the importance of using skills like ‘convergence’ in creating a good rapport with vendors and producers, and always carry with me the knowledge that nonverbal behavior speaks much louder than words.” 

I don’t know about you, but “producer” is a title that I hear all of the time, but I don’t have a clear idea of what the job actually involves.  So I asked Maura The Producer to fill us in: “The producer is the person who discovers material, gets money/directors/talent attached so that it can be created, supervises the project both creatively and logistically throughout the entire process, and then is responsible for marketing and distributing the property so that it makes everyone money.” Oh, is that all?  “I like to joke that it’s just a whole lot of babysitting: babysitting money, crew, actors, financiers, etc.  Lots of split second decisions and high pressure scenarios that demand excellent communication skills and the ability to anticipate 10 steps ahead of everybody else.”

Maura, The Producer

Congratulations, Maura, on all of your accomplishments!  Thanks for the excellent advice (I swear that is the advice Maura actually sent me.  I, of course, loved it!).  It is so wonderful to see our students go on to interesting careers.  Are you an alum up to something fun (check the rap!)?  Contact me at edoohan@usfca.edu.