Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyle Olson.
Kyle, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have always had a passion for storytelling. At a young age, I discovered my love and passion for film and television and would film everything I could. I got a huge thrill out of telling and sharing stories with others; and while I was in High School, I directed a feature-length film with the help of the entire school and community.
Upon graduating High School, I moved to Los Angeles. When I first arrived here in LA, I didn’t know anybody and it was certainly a culture shock to say the least. I got a small part-time gig teaching film classes after school at a local High School and I loved it. It was there that I met some recruiters from the American Red Cross who asked if I would be interested in teaching classes for them. I told them that I had just moved to LA and didn’t have much time to volunteer – as I had pursuits of being in the entertainment industry. They told me (much to my surprise) that it was a paid position and that I would be able to teach classes at some of the biggest studios in Los Angeles. I went in for an interview and shortly thereafter was informed I got the job! I began teaching CPR / First Aid classes to clients all around town; slowly having more opportunities to teach at some of the biggest clients in the roster – which included studios like Disney, Universal, FOX, and Paramount.
It was during my time teaching at the studios that people started talking. I made some great friends and connections and I was lucky enough to have some incredible mentors that took me under their wing. When I taught my first class at the Disney Studios, an employee named Jeff gave me an unforgettable tour of the Disney lot that I will never forget. At Universal Studios, an employee named Nancy and I forged a bond that would turn into a beautiful friendship for years to come. It was an exciting time for me because I was still new to Los Angeles – but I was making friends and connections in all the right places.
One day, I received a call to do a class for an A-list celebrity. Without asking who, I immediately accepted. I was invited to a house in the Hollywood hills to teach a class for Tyra Banks. While teaching Tyra and her friends CPR, I had the opportunity to strike up conversation and we began to talk about the industry. By the end of our time together, she had offered me a job working as a PA on “America’s Next Top Model.” Within a few weeks, I started on Top Model and I was hooked. All my dreams were finally starting to come true – and thus, my formal career in show business began! I was quickly able to work my way up the ranks; and through the years – I have had the pleasure of working in Production on some of the biggest shows in Hollywood – such as “Encore” (Disney+), “Naked and Afraid” (Discovery), “The Bachelor” and its spinoffs (ABC / Freeform), “The Four” (FOX), and the upcoming Netflix series, “Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up!”.
During my time working on all of these shows, I have also found time to create some projects of my own. I am mainly attracted to documentaries – because I love telling real, raw stories that people may not have heard of before. That said, I’ve also had experience working a number of other “gigs” that have been equally fulfilling over the years.
My most recent project was a documentary called THE LAST SIGNAL. It is a documentary about two WWII veterans who reunite 70 years after they served on LST-218 together. The movie was recently honored with the 2019 Emmy Award for Best Documentary by the Mid-America Chapter of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been anything but smooth! Living in Los Angeles and chasing your dreams is definitely a “slow burn”. I think a lot of people think that success is something that can be obtained overnight. We often have these thoughts because that is what TV shows us *could* happen. Shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent are great and highly entertaining – but they don’t accurately depict how one becomes successful at their passions. It takes time, patience, and a whole lot of perseverance.
I often tell newcomers to Los Angeles that the first year is always the hardest. I know it was for me – and I know others who have experienced similar stories. If you can make it a year and really establish yourself, the rest will come.
I’ve never been one that is on a quest for fame — I am more interested in finding success in what I am passionate in. I also love using the “powers” that come with showbiz for good. We have a unique ability in our industry to tell stories to the world – so I really try to focus on finding projects that have positive stories to share. There are a lot of tempting offers that come along, though! Sometimes, the shows that are more “low-brow” are the ones that pay more — and the question of working these shows is a conundrum we must ask ourself. It’s just like Mufasa says in THE LION KING. “Everything here exists because of a delicate balance.”
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Being a freelancer, my business is really ME! Yes, I have a ‘technical’ business – which is “Kyle C Olson Productions” — but that is just a name to put my work under. Like I said earlier, I am a storyteller at heart.
To fully answer the question – I direct and produce documentaries as a part of my business. I am also dabbling with the idea of doing a documentary-style podcast. I also work on shows as part of the Production Team, typically serving as Production Manager. I also serve as a stage manager on a number of gigs throughout the year, too!
When creating documentaries, I think there is a lot that separates me from the others. I believe that we have the special ability to tell stories to the masses; and I like to find stories that are often unheard of. So many people do stories on the same thing. If it’s trending, there will be 20 documentaries and TV shows about it. (Just look at our current landscape with topical things like Donald Trump, for example). I prefer to sometimes go where many aren’t. I like finding the untold stories – the stories that take you by surprise.
The next few projects I am working on are all things that are guaranteed to enlighten audiences; as well as educate – about stories they have never heard of before – from some of the most unique perspectives ever.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My answer to this question would have been different two months ago; but now that I am an EMMY award winner, I would be lying if I didn’t say that this was a career highlight. This has, without question, been the proudest moment of my career. I don’t know if I have ever experienced pure joy in the way I felt joy the evening I won.
It wasn’t until I got backstage at the Emmy’s that I had a flashback to all these special moments in my career that lead me on the path to be in this very moment in time. The amount of stars that had to align *just right* to make everything possible were incredible. Some would say (and some did say) it would be impossible. Yet, here I was! I pushed through, made it work, and during the toughest times when I thought we were about to hit a roadblock – I took on a very “Jesus take the wheel” approach and embraced the circumstances. Somehow, every time, things managed to figure themselves out. Life is funny that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.KyleCOlson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/HollywoodTinman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/HollywoodTinman
Image Credit:
Tracie Hunter, Liz Klein, Mick Olson
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