Interview
by JOSEPH G. NAZEL, JR.
Background:
After
some 14 years of hard work and perseverance,
Kevin Shelby is enjoying well-earned
rewards as a head of the multifaceted
marketing team that played an integral
role in the Academy Award-winning
run of the “Lord of the Rings”
trilogy, which won 11 golden Oscars
this year.
In his role as senior vice president
of Theatrical Marketing for New Line
Cinema, Shelby finds himself faced
with a wide range of marketing challenges
in managing a variety of departments,
including publicity, field and street
promotions, interactive/online media,
creative advertising, and talent and
filmmaker relations. The busy young
executive also contributes to the
studio’s strategies in promoting
new releases.
During his five-year stint with New
Line Cinema, Shelby has promoted a
number of highly successful films,
such as “Rush Hour 2,”
“Austin Powers in Goldmember,”
“Elf,” “Freddy vs.
Jason,” “The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre,” and, of course, the
“Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
Prior to coming to New Line Cinema,
Shelby honed his skills as vice president,
Creative Advertising for Artisan Entertainment,
where he promoted the independent
hit film, “The Blair Witch Project.”
Shelby also served as director, Audio/Visual
Advertising, for MGM, where he was
instrumental in resurrecting the James
Bond franchise with “Goldeneye”
and “Tomorrow Never Dies.”
Shelby began his career at Sony Pictures
as a manager in print advertising,
where he contributed to the promotions
of “A League of Their Own,”
“Bram Stocker’s Dracula,”
and “A River Runs Through It.”
Ironically, the motion picture industry
wasn’t Shelby’s first
career choice, he says. In fact, he
“did a lot of soul-searching”—for
almost 10 years after graduating from
Chapman College—and worked as
a bartender, a FedEx courier and an
executive courier before opting for
the motion picture business. He finally
“got serious, and asked, ‘what
am I going to do with my life?”
To find out what career might best
suit him, Shelby took an aptitude
test.
“It boiled down to, in terms
of my interests, being a school teacher
or a film producer,” Shelby
recalls. “So, I pursued the
film industry, not knowing what I
wanted to do.”
Shelby has been married to wife, Carol,
for 10 years. They have two daughters,
Tyler, 9, and Tristan, 6.
In a recent interview, Shelby reviewed
his career and his goals. |
