Biography

Filmmaker, Kerry David, began her career at Paramount Pictures, in Business Affairs, where she learned the business and contract side of filmmaking.  She followed this with three years working exclusively for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman to learn the art of film production. Films with Cruise and Kidman include Mission Impossible 2, Without Limits, Portrait of a Lady, Peacemaker, Practical Magic, The Blue Room, and Eyes Wide Shut in the United Kingdom, with legendary director Stanley Kubrick.
 
Armed with this experience, Kerry started her own production company and produced; the award-winnin, Deposing the Usual Suspects (MGM), Agent Cody Banks and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (MGM), Perfect Romance (Lifetime), and the critically acclaimed audience pleaser; My Date with Drew, which won multiple awards, including Best Feature at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, NY Gen Art Film Festival, and the Audience Award at the prestigious Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland, among many others.
 
After "MDWD," came Expert Insight: Short Game Golf with Jim Furyk & Fred Funk, an educational DVD, winning a Telly-Award for Outstanding Instructional Content and Cinematic Excellence.
 
Kerry's next feature film was based on the NY Times bestseller Like Dandelion Dust, by Karen Kingsbury (20th Century Fox).  The novel was adapted by friend and Oscar nominee, Stephen J. Rivele (Ali, Nixon). Directed by Jon Gunn, and starred Cole Hauser, Mira Sorvino, and Barry Pepper. “LDD” premiered at the prestigious Deauville Film Festival in France to a 10-minute standing ovation, walking away with the Premiere Audience Award for Best Feature. In total, LDD won over 35 film festival awards, including the Palm Springs International Film Festival.   
 
Her next documentary was ‘Round Miles (HBO). Inviting many of the last living jazz legends who had played on stage with Miles Davis to reunite after decades apart and share their anecdotes and thoughts about the troubled, but genius musician, capturing a moment in time.

Kerry followed "Miles" by adding directing to her producer and writer credits, on, Seeking Happily Ever After (Lionsgate Films), SHEA was one of only 25 films accepted into the Sundance Film Lab and chosen by Stanford University's law department as a case study. SHEA was based on a United States Consensus that there were more single women, in their 30’s by choice (at that time), than at any other time in history.  A topic worthy of exploration!
 
In 2001, concurrent with her film work, Kerry Founded Indieproducer.net (iP), an online community to nurture new and emerging filmmakers. (iP) provided access and an insider's perspective to attaining a career in Hollywood. Leaning on her impressive industry contacts, Kerry invited notable guests to attend quarterly events for new filmmakers, which often evolved into mentorship opportunities. She later added an annual screenwriting contest and bi-annual short film contest, which culminated in a sold-out, sponsored, 'Annual Awards Gala' at the prestigious Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills. (Ip) reached 130 countries with over 86,000 members when she sold it in 2010.
 
From 2010-2013 Kerry took a leave of absence from Hollywood to build a musical village for orphans in Ghana, West Africa. As CEO and CFO, she successfully negotiated for the land with 3 tribal chiefs and went on to lead a team of architects and contractors to design and build the orphanage, including hiring all key staff. Never far from her filmmaking roots, Kerry produced several mini docs about the children to emphasize the school's value proposition for stakeholders and additional fundraising needs. After completing the orphanage, Kerry returned to the U.S. full time.  Fascinated by the advent of crowdsourcing, she embraced the new fundraising vehicle to spearhead crowdfunding campaigns for passion projects, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for various non-profits, productions, and artists.

In 2017, Kerry directed, produced, and wrote the award-winning feature documentary; Bill Coors: The Will to Live. "WTL" was Bill's legacy. It detailed his troubled, but impressive private life and documented many of the struggles he overcame as a son, husband, father, and titan of the brewing industry.  He bravely shared his long battle with depression and anxiety, and an obsession with finding a holistic cure for his ailments.  Kerry later cut a shorter version at the request of two universities in Colorado to include in their curriculums to address mental health and suicide prevention on campus.

Also in 2017, Kerry learned about the devastating effects that commercial poaching and its illegal trade had on Africa’s wildlife population.  She was moved to action and founded her now global non-profit, Over and Above Africa (O&AA).  Partnering with vetted orgs and individuals on the ground, O&AA funds projects that protect endangered species in Africa, and supports the communities they impact.  As a filmmaker, Kerry brings her skills to the all-volunteer organization, creating mini docs that of each project to promote awareness of the many challenges faced in this arena, and for donor satisfaction and appreciation. O&AA just attained GuideStar’s Platinum, Seal of Transparency, five years in a row.

During a research trip in South Africa, Kerry noticed how few women were working in the anti-poaching arena. After some initial enquiries, she learned there were many and was awed by their contributions and impressive stories. These women inspired her to write, produce and direct, her now multiple award-winning documentary, Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War (BTS). BTS premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival to a standing ovation. After accruing 17 film festival wins, (including winning the Jury Award for Best Doc, and the Audience Award for Best Doc, at both the San Diego Intl. Film Festival and the Durango Film Festival), COVID shut down their festival run. At which point, Kerry decided to turn down the offer of a theatrical release and license BTS to Wondrium. Shortly afterwards, she was asked to give a TEDx Talk about her experience.
 
In 2019 Kerry relocated to North Carolina where she was approached to write, produce, and direct, "Open Secret." O.S. is a feature documentary exploring corrupt governing bodies that allowed systemic racism and child sexual abuse to permeate New Hanover County’s School District - for decades. Countless children were betrayed by adults tasked with their protection. To understand how a culture became so toxic, the film traces its origins back in time to one of America’s most chilling, yet under-reported events. The film will be positioned as a healing tool for the community and a cautionary tale for other counties. Open Secret offers solutions and counter measures from experts and local citizens for a more safe and just tomorrow.  Currently raising completion funds for a 2024 release. 
 
In 2022, Hallmark green lit Kerry's feature film, "The Journey Ahead" by Erin Engman. "TJA" is a fictional drama about two women from different generations, race, and social realms (Holly Robinson Peete and Kaylee Bryant), who heal each other's broken lives during a long, road trip across the U.S.
 
To date, Kerry's box office cume is approximately $90 million. She has been a guest speaker, consultant, and mentor to students at The Rotary Club, University of Southern California, University of California at Los Angeles, Pepperdine University, UNCSA NC, NGOIFF Kenya, and the New York Film Academy. She has written numerous articles for various industry magazines and continues to be a student of life to appreciate all its exciting possibilities.