Meet Krista Bradley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Bradley.

Krista, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Since I was four, I told my family “I want to make movies,” knowing that I wanted to act, write, and direct from the very beginning. It’s fun to look back on my childhood and revisit all the crazy productions I put my family and friends through. From making my little brother play Flounder in a skit from “The Little Mermaid,” to creating and staring in one-act plays during “Show and Tell” each week in Kindergarten, to winding up in the principal’s office for kissing a boy in my own adaptation of “Titanic” in third grade…I could go on and on. I was always creating something.

Four isn’t just the age I decided what I wanted to do with my life – it’s how old I was when my father passed away. After his death, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents who owned a movie rental store. Observing the customers and their renting habits, I started noticing how happy films make people…how happy they made me. I began to pay attention to how excited customers would get when their favorite new movie was released, or how they would rent all of the films from a certain director and binge-watch over the weekend. There were some who would just rent their same favorite film over and over again…like re-checking out your favorite book from the library each week.

I left my love for acting behind at the start of college and pursued Business with a focus in Law and minor in History. After school, I worked as a top business banker for almost five years. It was during this time I decided to give acting another “go.” Having achieved milestone after milestone in the corporate world at such a young age, I decided to put my efforts into my own passions and soon signed with my first agency.

Since then, I’ve worked on many commercial and film sets, with some of my most recent films being Netflix’s Walk. Ride. Rodeo, and the upcoming faith-based film The Penitent Thief. In addition to being in front of the camera, I also work quite a bit behind it, having earned my first assistant director credit for my work on The Penitent Thief before going on to write, produce, and direct multiple productions, as well as mentor child actors through the wonderful children’s organization “Talk to the Camera.”

Has it been a smooth road?
The road to filmmaking is never free of bumps, but I never expected a smooth road. Despite the challenges, there’s nothing else I’d rather do than making films – whether I’m acting, writing, directing, or producing.

The biggest bump in the road has always been the financial investment required to just “play ball” in this industry, especially as an actress. As a child, my family could not afford to put me through acting classes, so I largely taught myself and participated in the free drama activities my school offered. I’m so grateful to have always had teachers who nourished my love of performing, particularly Mrs. Wendy Leather Davis who’s guidance led me to win multiple acting awards and even scholarship opportunities.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
My primary discipline is acting while writing, producing, and directing are all tied for a close second. I’ve starred in a number of different films and commercials, as well as voice-over gigs and am most proud of my work in the film The Penitent Thief, my entire involvement with that production was a Cinderella story come true.

I joined the production as a background actor volunteering for just a few hours. They were filming in my home state and my agent invited me to check out the set, where I met the director, writer, and executive producers of the film. Much to my surprise, I woke up the next day to a phone call – it was my agent asking how quickly I could get to set as the producers wanted me to be a stunt double for the day (I had never done ANY stunts before or since this).

After giving that stunt EVERYTHING I had and working well with the young children whom I shared my scene with, I was called back in again the next day, only this time I was offered the principal role in which I stunt doubled for the day prior and was asked to help assistant direct the children on set for the duration of filming, this was my first experience ever with assistant directing. To be 100% honest, I didn’t even know that’s what I was doing until I was told that’s what I was doing. I was just doing whatever I could to be an asset on set, which is probably what sets me apart from most other actors and creators. I have such a range of skills that are helpful to any production and I’m genuinely happy to be able to use that skill set and be doing what I love! I’m incredibly grateful for each opportunity and truly look forward to working hard, pushing my limits, and giving each set 100% of myself in order to create a great production. It’s what I live for.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I believe the future of filmmaking is bright – especially for female filmmakers. The industry is revolutionizing itself and now more than ever we are seeing women writers, producers, directors, and leading ladies who play the hero in major blockbusters and not the damsel in distress. It’s not so much of an anomaly for a group of female filmmakers to get together and create an award-winning film nowadays.

Additionally, the industry has never been safer for women to partake in than it is today. We’ve come so far in the last five years with the Me, Too and Time’s Up movements. Viewers are demanding more diverse stories and characters, which is also allowing more people an opportunity to work in film and TV. The industry isn’t owned by old white dudes anymore – it’s owned by the viewers and subscribers, along with their wants and needs as to what they want to see more of on TV and cinema.

Looking ahead to the next five to ten years leaves me excited! I think there will continue to be more opportunities for content creators and filmmakers from all backgrounds as networks and distributors continue to see that diverse stories are wanted/ needed AND that filmmakers are more capable now than ever to deliver that content. I imagine this trend will only continue.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kristabradley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristadianebradley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristadianewhite

Image Credit:
Dana Patrick Photography, Amber Ashley Photography, Stills from the films “A Look at the Stars” and “Amygdala.”

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