17 Apr 31 Years of Spotlight: Kelly J. Kitchens on Arts PR, Film Festivals, and Embracing AI
Jeff Crilley sits down with Kelly J. Kitchens, CEO and Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Kelly Kitchens PR, a veteran publicist who has spent 31 years championing arts and entertainment across North Texas. Kelly traces her path from yearbook staff at age 14 to entertainment editor of The Student Voice, which evolved into The Met—a popular arts and entertainment weekly—before launching her own PR firm on April 1, 1995. She describes how 9/11 forced her to diversify her client base beyond entertainment, taking on doctors, lawyers, and childcare experts while always keeping at least one arts client on the roster. Kelly shares her deep involvement in film festivals including Dallas Video Fest, Dallas International Film Festival, Lone Star Film Festival, and her own creation, It Came From Texas, a Garland-based festival dedicated entirely to Texas-made films. The conversation also covers her longtime devotion to the TCM Classic Film Festival, where she and her husband have attended every year since its 2010 debut, and her upcoming collaboration with Bart Weiss on an AI film festival planned for later this year. Throughout the episode, Kelly's journalism background shines as a key asset—she speaks the language of the reporters she pitches, earning referrals directly from journalists and recognition as a master publicist from both the Fort Worth Business Press and The Dallas Morning News.
Key Topics
- 31 years of arts and entertainment PR
- the journalism-to-publicist pipeline
- film festivals across North Texas
- It Came From Texas film festival
- the TCM Classic Film Festival community
- AI's role in filmmaking
- surviving 9/11 as an entertainment publicist
- earning journalist referrals
Episode Timestamps
- 01:22 – Kelly knew she wanted to be a journalist at 14
- 02:30 – From The Student Voice to The Met: building an arts weekly
- 04:20 – Launching Kelly Kitchens PR on April 1, 1995
- 04:45 – How 9/11 forced a pivot away from entertainment-only clients
- 05:50 – Why arts exposure matters: growing up at Casa Mañana and Houston's performing arts scene
- 06:30 – Working Paul Rubens at Dallas Video Fest in 1999
- 07:45 – Why journalists refer clients to Kelly—the former-journalist advantage
- 09:15 – Founding It Came From Texas, an all-Texas film festival in Garland
- 10:30 – 16 years of the TCM Classic Film Festival and building a global fan community
- 11:50 – Planning an AI film festival with Bart Weiss
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Episode Chapters
- 00:00 – Introduction
- 01:22 – Meet Kelly Kitchens
- 01:56 – Early Journalism Roots and Yearbook Days
- 03:12 – The Met: Arts and Entertainment Weekly
- 04:17 – Launching Kelly Kitchens PR
- 04:43 – Navigating 9/11 and Diversifying Clients
- 05:40 – A Passion for Arts and Entertainment
- 06:22 – Film Festivals and Building a Legacy
- 07:32 – The Journalism Advantage in PR
- 09:11 – Recognition as a Master Publicist
- 10:30 – TCM Classic Film Festival Community
- 11:43 – AI and the Future of Filmmaking
- 14:05 – Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead