Revealing Unforgettable Stories With Kelly Lynne D’Angelo

Kelly Lynne D'Angelo is a Two-Spirit Tuscarora (Haudenosaunee) writer, performer, and activist who has done her fair share of storytelling in different mediums, including television, books, and stage musicals. Recent performing credits include Rutherford Falls (Kim) and writing credits TBS’ Miracle Workers, Netflix’s Spirit Rangers, and Adult Swim's Final Space. Her musical about Vincent van Gogh, Starry (Dahan & D’Angelo), is set to run on London’s West End in late 2023/24 through Ameena Hamid Productions.

D’Angelo appears on various platforms as a professional gaming personality and Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons and more. Awarded "Writer of The Year" at the 2019 LA Skin's Fest Annual Gala and listed on BroadwayWorld as one of the “Top 100 Twitter Accounts to Follow in 2021,” Kelly is also a proud Selection Committee member for Outfest’s Screenwriter Lab as well as Mentor and Coach for Creative Lab Hawai’i’s Ideation Program for Indigenous Storytellers. Kelly Lynne D’Angelo sat down with Forbes to talk about her creative past, present and future.

Goldie Chan: What has your career path been?

Kelly Lynne D’Angelo: My career path has been an interesting one, to say the least. When I was younger, and I’m talking thirteen or fourteen, it dawned on me – and by me, I mean this incredibly creative, strange little Native kid from the middle of nowhere who couldn’t stop asking questions about the world – that the best tool for my expression was writing. Having been a competitive dancer growing up, as well as a litany of other things, I experienced a wide range of rejection, animosity, and spite. And I never understood why. Why do we treat each other so horribly? From my broken heart, and curiosity, I found solace in words. The library was my best friend anyway. And eventually, words found me.

I started writing stage plays in middle and high school, and then from there, started writing sketch comedy through high school and college. By the time I graduated Syracuse University, I had two musicals, several pilots, and a feature under my belt. Pretty crazy, for a kid at twenty-one. But I still had a long, long way to go. Without any connections, or experience in the industry, I did what any anxiety-driven, overly-academic perfectionist would do and took on six different internships over the course of a year in Los Angeles. I took any assistant job I could find.

I eventually landed and got into the NBC Page Program, which helped give me a glance into the bigger inner workings of a studio. I took a seasonal editing job from there. And I just wrote. Worked on my craft, as much as possible, while paying my bills. To supplement my need to actively express, I created on the side. From improv at iOWest to playing Dungeons and Dragons to putting on musicals at the Fringe, I continued to try to make a place for things to just… exist. My thought was, if I helped build community, we could rise together. We could see what’s possible. Eventually, the dam broke when I landed my first few freelance episodes in animation. From there, I got staffed on different television shows, started playing Dungeons & Dragons professionally, and have a musical developing on the West End. And now, here we are, I guess!

Chan: What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on?

D’Angelo: Oh gosh, this question is like asking who’s your favorite child. Everything I’ve worked on has given me so much insight and growth and creative fulfillment. There isn’t any favorite, to be honest. Maybe one day that answer will change.

If we want to talk about which project I’ve put a lot into, for many, many years that I’m excited to see grow, that project would be Starry, a musical about Vincent van Gogh co-created with my writing partner for it, Matt Dahan. We’ve dumped our hearts, our spirits, into that thing. That project is very sacred to the two of us, and the others involved. We’re really excited to share it more with more people soon. It’s a story that needs to be heard - and actually, for those curious, feel free to give our Concept Album a listen. Matt and I recorded the whole thing in a spare bedroom with a few thousand dollars. It’s pretty wild what it’s become.

Chan: How would you describe your personal brand?

D’Angelo: I wield a heart of kindness, a spirit of compassion, and a mind of play. I wish it was more specific or complex than that, but it isn’t. I like to be informative to my truth, passionate to my causes, unpredictable to the masses, but kind. Essentially, if it's extra and full of glitter, or bloody & full of dragons, I’m your gal! I’m a dichotomy – not just because I’m bisexual and Two-Spirit, Native Tuscarora and third-generation Italian-American immigrant, and a list of other things – but because I hate to be put in boxes. My brand is quirky. It’s me. I think the most interesting thing about my brand is that I just speak my truth. I don’t hold back… even sometimes, when I probably should. I can’t turn it off. It’s unsettling when I’m not authentic, and I even experienced this growing up.

One of the many reasons I always stood out like a sore thumb. But, if I live honestly, I hope it inspires others to do the same. The more we witness and celebrate one another as we are, the less our projections and insecurities take hold. And I believe we can get there, thanks to my tactfully relentless optimism. It’s possible, in the words of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” (obviously referencing the one with Brandy and Whitney Houston).

Chan: What are you currently working on?

D’Angelo: Many things to which I cannot speak, such as (redacted due to NDA), (redacted due to NDA), and (redacted due to NDA) – which I can hopefully announce some day soon! Things move slowly in Hollywood, but ‘tis the nature of making good art. I’m really looking forward to the day when I can speak more at length about it all. Meanwhile, I can mention a couple things: Starry is heading to the West End, I’m returning to participate in D&D Castle next year in 2023, and I have a few shows I’ve written on that were just released, like Spirit Rangers and My Little Pony: Make Your Mark, both on Netflix. Would you look at that? Somehow, I’ve found myself in three careers simultaneously and love them all equally! I’m also working on training my beautiful puppy and working on learning a couple new languages, if that counts?

Chan: What is a dream project you’d love to work on or a collaborator that you’d love to partner with?

D’Angelo: Ha, what a great but difficult question! I sometimes get a little superstitious about these things and like to keep them to myself. I’m a little manifestor over here. Gotta keep some things sacred, don’t we? Funnily enough, many of the people I dream of collaborating with are simply the friends and colleagues I’ve made along the way. I will say, it would be a dream one day to work with Taika Waititi, Bernadette Peters, Richard Ayodae, and Stephen Schwartz. They’re all on my list and feel safe to speak into existence. It would also be incredible to write for Daniel Radcliffe again. We got a little taste together on Miracle Workers – and I need more! And I did recently hear that Community is coming back for a movie… it was one of my favorite shows of all time, so gimme a ring if you need me, Harmon.

Chan: What do you do to uplift others in your community?

D’Angelo: Uplifting is my favorite part of all of this. I’ve got uplifting-arms the size of an eighteen wheeler – and that’s come with practice and intent. For years, I’ve supported and linked people together through community, from hosting Hamiltion sing-along events to raise money for charity (yep, I did that!) or organize online groups for women in entertainment to help them get jobs and resources.

Additionally, I try to volunteer my time to read and look out for as many up-and-coming writers as I can, both through programs like Outfest, Creative Lab Hawai’i’, LA Skins Fest, Syracuse Alumni Mentorship, USC Industry Mentorship, Latinx Writers Initiative… just to name a few. I do try to focus on underrepresented writers, including those I’m a part of as well, like the Indigenous/ Native American and LGBTQA2S+ communities. And I’m active in my unions. All of this to say, I try to be proactive and contribute, wherever and whenever I can. We need one another, and it’ll take all of us to link arms and get things in a better place. I try to lead by example.

Chan: Any last branding or career advice?

D’Angelo: Do what serves you. And not just from a career or branding level, but from a deeper level, too. Do what serves your soul, your mind, your body – all of it, and everything else will come from there. Many people find a path because they find themselves. In many ways, it’s inexplicably and intrinsically linked. Your greatest gift is your inner voice and your intuition, then finding ways to connect that to the outer world. Build relationships everywhere, with everything. You are you, and it’s your story to tell, in whatever medium best serves that spirit. That, or just follow the latest TikTok trends. I’ve heard that works too!