Meet KD Moeller | Screenwriter, Director, Producer

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

Hi KD, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
For me, making the choice to take a risk does not always lead to a positive or successful outcome in work or in life – it can be embarrassing to pursue bold action based solely on some uncanny gut instinct only to then fall on your face. A few years ago when I was still fairly new to the industry, I applied to a directing fellowship with a script that I knew wasn’t right for the judges panel but I had this irrational notion that maybe I could distinguish myself with the sample – ultimately I basically disqualified myself.
For a long time, the negative feedback I got in through that process blocked me from wholeheartedly working in film, but from a larger perspective, I do think taking a risk sends a bright signal that you are in your own corner, willing to jump off the cliff in service of what compels you, and that’s the porch-light that pulls me toward it like a moth. I’m now more rooted in the knowledge that I believe in me and my own resilience, which only hurls me even more into storytelling.

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.
When I first started out in the film industry, I worked alongside producers and creatives as an assistant in various capacities – rolling calls, maintaining calendars full of lunches and ski trips, running for coffee or finding a copy of an out of license DVD title. Mainly, I supported people who were making decisions on projects that sparked my imagination and fueled my desire to continue on this career path, but the day to day reality of those jobs only occasionally allowed for opportunities to collaborate on copy or locate key footage to help the story in Post. These few brushes with creativity in my early credits helped me I realize I had to use what I learned on studio sets to propel my own content, and started making short films and sketches for a Youtube channel with a group of other creative professionals after hours. The recent strike and work stoppage forced my hand and I spent the year working on solely independent projects, solely in creative roles.
The bottom line is I know I would not have galvanized my perspective as a content creator without this crucible. For me it’s all about expression, thoughtful intentionality, and discovering original ideas at the heart of the story.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think the best part about living in LA for me is not just sharing some of the many peak experiences that can be found all over the city. Once we escape the great maw of LAX, the world is our oyster, potentially literally if you want to hit the Malibu location of the Broad Street Oyster Company which has a fantastic menu we can sample while posting up on their lovely outdoor patio area. The next day we can go for coffee at Priscilla’s in the valley (I recommend the Nutty Mocha) then on to do some consignment shopping in Burbank until we hit Porto’s Bakery for a large delectable lunch featuring an assortment of Cuban delights. My favorites are the chicken croquettes and the life altering guava pastries. If we head to Ventura Blvd in Studio City we can check out some more shops before grabbing sushi at Iroha. We’ll spend a lot of time hiking – Temescal in Malibu, Fryman Canyon in Studio City – if we walk up a trail in Griffith Park we can climb all the way to the famous Observatory and take in a Planetarium show or explore the museum grounds while enjoying sublime views of the city. At some point in our week we will have to visit a theme park, even if it’s just Knott’s Berry Farm, but most likely Universal because they offer the studio tour as an attraction. We will grab In and Out on the way home from the theme park and it will be even more delicious after a day of walking around. It would be fun if we had planned to attend a concert at a classic LA venue like the Hollywood Bowl or the Greek. Regardless, I will send you off with an LA Dodgers hat, a nice golden tan, and a pair of sunglasses from a kiosk at the Grove.

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?
Shoutout to my amazing writing group, the Inkwell Collective, headed by Joan Mao. When Joan invited me to participate I could not have imagined how sharing scripts with such a thoughtful, creative team of writers would impact my writing. Bouncing ideas off of these pros is a huge boost to the development process because of the accountability to the group – they make me get the thing out of my head and onto the page.