Meet Ken Morris | Producer & Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ken Morris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ken, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
I read over 120 books last year (2022) and two of my favorites were “A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn (non-fiction) and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (fiction).

Both are radically different, one being an in-depth reflection on the untold and unsavory aspects of American history and the other is a forward-thinking dystopian novel set in 2024 but written in 1993 that predicts a lot of crises our world faces. But they both impacted me in the same way which is challenging the concept of narrative and which person or persons are allowed to tell it.

With Howard Zinn’s book, it’s literally our history – our awful and complicated history of offering one hand in friendship while holding a knife in the other. It’s long, upsetting, and difficult to read. Not because it’s written poorly but because it’s written so well. Only a robot could read about these things and feel unaffected. It actually took me about two months to complete because I would alternate one chapter with something more uplifting. But’s it’s important knowledge.

Octavia Butler’s book I couldn’t put down. I think I finished it in two days it was so compelling. She’s not the most well-known SciFi author which is an absolute tragedy because her vision and world building is unmatched by anyone alive today. She writes the book (and the sequel Parable of the Talents) in a series of journal entries discovered at a later date, so it really highlights POV. It also gives a really unique perspective into the insights of her characters. 10/10 should be required reading.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I really like helping people. My core mission when I’m working as a producer is to help the writer (or director) tell their story and to provide an environment where our team of collaborators (aka the crew) can be successful. If I do my job right, my impact is almost invisible. It’s the trucks arriving on time, lunch on time, the right tools for the right crew members, etc. The only time I want my name uttered is because people liked the catering.

In the development and post process, I want my impact to be equally as transparent. I work to elevate the voice of my fellow creatives rather than imprint my own on top of theirs. Every project has its own vibe, so figuring out how to do that is mission critical. How can I be a megaphone rather than a muzzle? Especially when budgets are tight and the schedule is unforgiven.

Recently, I’ve begun to pursue photography as a career rather than just a passion. The lessons I’ve learned as a producer in the entertainment industry have really amplified my ability to tell a story with my photography. I know I have a lot to learn still, but I maintain my same core mission: help people tell their story.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Whenever I have a friend or family member fly to LA, first thing we do is get tacos at El Cocinero in Van Nuys. They make the BEST chicharrónes and it’s completely Vegan. If the weather’s nice (which of course, it always is) we usually take a post lunch walk around Lake Balboa. There’s a wildlife refuge on the east side of the park which is great for birdwatching and enjoying a little slice of nature.

I love being outdoors, so depending on the time of year we might visit Descanso gardens in La Cañada or the Huntington Gardens over in Pasadena. Both are really beautiful year-round, but it’s really best to try and time a visit for when the flowers will be in maximum bloom.

Hiking is always on my list for visitors. There are so many accessible trails around the city it’s easy to find something for all activity levels. Griffith Park is obviously great because of the observatory and the Hollywood sign, but there’s also something called the “12 Peaks Challenge.” It’s a route that hikes to the 12 highest points in the park. I think it ends up being more than 10 miles and took me 8 hours to complete.

But beyond Griffith there are a lot of other fun places to hike that are within the city limits. Debs Regional Park over on the east side is a hidden gem, and the Verdugo mountains north of Burbank and Glendale are really, really rugged. If you’re willing to drive and really want to push yourself to the limit, there’s always Mt Baldy!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to shout out to Professor Mark Kerins at SMU in Dallas, TX. He was my first film professor ever and taught a few of the basic courses as well film (16mm) production and editing. The best thing about Mark was his ability to strike the balance between providing a safe environment to be creative while also challenging us to push ourselves to the limit.

My favorite class was actually a two-part directed study. In the fall he helped develop a creative project and, in the spring, he helped guide each of us as we completed it. For me, that meant writing a feature-length screenplay in the fall and then filming it over Spring Break, Professor Mark Kerins helped me make my first feature and I will forever be in gratitude for his mentorship.

Website: www.kenmorris.photography

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kenmorris.photo

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kenmorrisproducer

Other: www.kenmorrisproducer.com www.instagram.com/cine.glitch

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