Kel Thompson I Filmmaker, Photographer, Comedian, Alaska Tour Guide
- Kel Thompson
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Here’s the short version of the long story: I’ve been telling stories my entire life weather it's on stages or on screens or even at family dinners. I’ve done it through cameras, microphones, scripts, and even as a Powerhouse Panel guest at Dances With Films. I’ve worked with celebrities, tourists, festival crowds, corporate execs, and comics in countless dive bars. I’ve built rooms from scratch and wrapped national broadcast spots with five and six-figure budgets. In short: I’ve been around, and I still lovin the ride.
It all started with photography. I studied at both Brooks Institute and Rochester Institute of Technology before earning my degree in Mass Communications from Texas State University in 1997, with a minor in photography. Even before that, I was hooked in high school, working on a student news pilot called C News. That led to owning and operating a commercial photo and video studio in Boca Raton, where I shot everything from corporate campaigns and product photography to indie music videos. It gave me a front-row seat to production logistics, commercial storytelling, and the daily hustle of running your own shop.
Around the same time, I spent over a decade doing stand-up comedy, performing and producing shows at The Improv in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, along with hosting a long-running open mic at Marina84 which, for a couple wild years, was voted the #1-ranked open mic in Fort Lauderdale. Comics got banned, cops got half-priced jokes, and the crowd got laughs. I also hosted shows at places like Spill the Beans, Mama Jennie’s, and the legendary Shade Balls at The Shade Post. That world sharpened my sense of timing and gave me an unshakable foundation in live performance.
After graduating from Palm Beach Film School, I dove into indie filmmaking. I produced shorts like La Caja (a satire about drug smuggling through adult products) and The Janitor’s Got Talent (about a janitor who stumbles into stardom). I worked across more than a dozen student films and helped first time filmmakers with their crazy shorts (some made me question my sanity and a couple even won awards!) I've acted, line-produced, and was even hired by the school to help manage productions. That chaos, and camaraderie, taught me how to support other filmmakers and adapt to just about anything.
From there, my path led deeper into broadcast and corporate media. I wrote, directed, and produced $50,000 budgeted sponsored segments for LifetimeTV that aired nationally and internationally. I’ve produced hundreds of corporate videos, filmed thousands of live events, directed and switched multi-cam shoots, run audio for live events, and worked as a helicopter videographer for News24Houston, with multiple stories picked up by CNN. I even served as the in-house videographer at Mar-a-Lago for 15 years. None of it was boring.
My documentary and TV work include the Telly Award–winning mini-series Show Boating, which aired on TUFFTV, and the feature doc Comedicness: The Quest for the Essence of Comedy, which screened at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. I’ve written, directed and produced shows like Military Makeover with Montel Williams and Designing Spaces, directed and switched over 800 live, remote productions for music venues and churches and worked with LiveControl.io on everything from jazz clubs to a three-camera panel shoot with Ethan Hawke at the Woodstock Film Festival.
Over the years, I’ve filmed or directed shoots involving Dave Chappelle, Katy Perry, Howie Mandel, Ed Sheeran, Jimmy Buffett, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Spike Lee, and hundreds of others I’ve all but forgotten, not because I’m above name-dropping, but because it’s just been that many years and that many people.
I spent seven years with the American Black Film Festival, two in AV and five as Director of Photography for Reel Critic with Reginald Ponder. I’ve had films screen at Dances With Films, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Delray Beach Film Festival, and the Awareness Film Festival. In 2021 and 2022, I served as a judge at Dances With Films and was invited to speak on the Power House Panel as the indie filmmaker rep.
My first feature film, The Terrible Adventure, was written, directed, and self-funded from the ground up. Shot in 2019 and
released in 2021, it won multiple festival awards, including Audience Choice at Dances With Films, Jury Prize for Raising Youth Awareness at the Awareness Film Festival, Best Family Comedy at Green Mountain Film Festival, and Honorable Mention at Lit Laughs International. It was a massive undertaking, built on grit, favors, and relentless determination.
Now, I’m in development on my second feature: The Alyeskan, a historical epic set in 18th-century Alaska during the Tlingit resistance against Russian colonization. This is a raw, grounded, cinematic story. We’re aiming to shoot a teaser in fall 2025, with full production in spring 2026 and a festival run in summer. The story is both deeply personal and culturally
important. Since moving to Alaska, I’ve also guided more than 15,000 guests through some of the most beautiful, remote parts of the state. My tours blend comedy, history, and storytelling, and the reviews have been consistently five-star. People have said things like, “You were funnier than the cruise ship comedian,” which, honestly, might be my favorite quote yet.
Photography is still a core part of my creative life. I’ve received multiple awards on ViewBug, including Staff Favorite, Judge’s Favorite, Member Selections, and Featured Recognitions. My eye for light and story shows up whether I’m behind a still camera, directing a scene, or composing a drone shot in the Alaskan wilderness.
At the heart of all this, from tours to films to comedy stages — is one thing: story. I’ve always believed in the power of a well-told tale. I finish what I start, I adapt under pressure, and I bring a voice rooted in truth, humor, and humanity.
Right now, I’m moving full steam ahead on The Alyeskan and sharing more behind-the-scenes content and insights through this blog. I’m also diving into AI-assisted creativity as a way to keep projects flowing without burning out. If any of this resonates, follow along, and if you're working on something of your own, feel free to reach out.
The next chapter’s already being written.
Written by Kel Thompson | Filmmaker, Photographer, Comedian, Alaska Tour Guide
561-843-6941
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