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

Hi Caleb, why did you pursue a creative career?
I didn’t choose the thug life, it chose me. In March 2020, after working in sales for the better part of 20 years and securing what I thought would be my dream job selling season tickets and luxury suite memberships for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA, the entire world of sports came to a halt. We didn’t know if sports and live events would even be a thing moving forward, and the prospects looked grim.

But then in June 2020, my friend Kato Lawton, a brilliant production designer in her own right, asked me to be her art director on an indie feature being made that summer. She hired me not because of my eye for design or ability to keep a tidy budget, but because we would be traveling in a pod together to New Mexico and I was fun on road trips. She also recognized in me the ever-important skill of being charmingly ratchet (which I believe is a benefit to all of us working in the art department).

On our way to New Mexico on July 31, 2020, driving across northern Arizona, I was laid off from my job with the Sacramento Kings, and thought “welp, let’s see what it’s like to create images out of thin, high desert air”.

During that time I fell in love with the process of making films and the people who make those films. The care these people had for one another and the sense of collaboration was like nothing that I had experienced before. Competition and ego in the world of sales had been replaced by deep communication and trauma-bonding, and so without a thought I moved from Sacramento to Los Angeles and never looked back.

I know Covid was a difficult time for a great many people, but personally it was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

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.
My art and my process starts with one singular thought: “fuck it, why not?”

With that thought in mind, and the brilliant ideas of my colleagues and collaborators, I am spurred on by the intense feeling of not letting them down. As mentioned earlier, I feel so blessed to have come up with some of the most thoughtful and brilliant minds in the film industry, and my focus is always to not only create the vision that they have, but to elevate their vision to heights beyond what they had conceived. I get off on fellow crew members and clients stepping into a set for the first time and losing their shit over how objectively great it looks. Especially when we’ve sprinkled in some fun details and Easter eggs.

My hard work and effort was shaped by growing up as an athlete, knowing that through repetition we can hone our skills. Playing sports also has taught me that failure is not the end, but rather an opportunity to learn and get better and ultimately triumph.

Even before becoming a filmmaker, my brand has been and always will be defined by this statement: “I may not always be sure where we are going, or even how we are going to get there, but I can guarantee that we will have fun along the way.”

I know that there are countless people in the industry who have the same skills that I do, but I also know that I have control over my effort and attitude, and that has gotten me hired more than anything. Being capable will always get you hired, but being a joy to work with will make you unforgettable.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would probably only spend like 3 days, tops, in Los Angeles. One day would be spent on the westside, maybe skateboarding at the Inglewood pump track in the morning, some Ethiopian food on Fairfax, then laughing at people at The Grove who think they are the main character.

If its summertime, we’re definitely going to hit up either Cole’s or Phillipe for some French dip and head up the hill to Dodger Stadium for a ballgame (even though I’m a Pirates fan).

The rest of the week will be a road trip to Tijuana, Puerto Nuevo, and Valle de Guadalupe for some bangin food, golf, warm water, and maybe some discount dental work. Shoutout to all my non-union freelance film workers who haven’t had health or dental insurance in years!!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to the American Film Institute, and specifically the fellows who graduated in Fall of 2021. You all took me under your wing, showed me how this process is done, and have continued to bring me along with you and use my talents and efforts to their utmost potential. You have all changed my life for the better, and there is no way I can ever repay what you have given me. I have been reborn, and you are all my mothers. I love you.

Instagram: @official.calavera & @extreme.yogi.makeover

Youtube: https://youtu.be/6vtl-J4bb08?si=r9x5_9LLd0kZNUvl

Other: That YouTube link is a video of me jumping off an apartment roof 22 years ago and I think it perfectly encapsulates my sense of fearlessness and showmanship.

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