Behind the Scenes with Kelly Needleman

Kelly Needleman (MA Media Producing candidate) is currently at Wayfarer Studios (an independent production studio founded by Justin Baldoni) where he supports the team across development, production, and post. With a dynamic slate of projects in motion, Kelly said, ”I’ve been fortunate to collaborate across several areas and learn from some of the most creative minds in the business.”

A little over seven years ago Kelly founded Needleman Productions, where he continues to write, direct, and produce for film, television, and commercials. Along the way, he has directed campaigns for brands like Gold’s Gym, Albertsons, Sotheby’s, and Compass. Most recently Kelly wrapped post-production on the official 2025 Gold’s Gym commercial, which he wrote, produced, and directed. The spot aired on major networks including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, CNN, and ESPN, and also streamed on platforms such as HBO Max, Hulu, and Paramount+.

Kelly is in post-production on a slate of narrative films under the Needleman Productions banner. One of the films is Web of Deceit which is a proof-of-concept short that has been gaining meaningful traction and interest from executives and some legendary voices in the industry. Kelly is also developing a pilot and two feature scripts with guidance from his management team in Los Angeles.

Kelly is in his final semester of the MA Media Producing program and is working on his thesis. He said, “At the heart of it, I’m grateful every day to be surrounded by inspiring collaborators, and I’m excited to keep growing in this ever-evolving world of film and television.”

Learn more about Kelly on IMDb, LinkedIn, and Vimeo.