Today we’d like to introduce you to Tehran Kelly
Hi Tehran, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I was born and raised in Lexington Terrace Baltimore City projects. That’s where I believe, I was introduced to being an entrepreneur.
It was at the early age of 7 when I would go to the store for my neighbors. I was DoorDashing before DoorDash I guess you could say. “Hooddash”
Ever since then I’ve always wanted to make my own money and I fell in love with the hustle. Some years passed and the neighborhood changed from Good Times to the Walking Dead, real quick!
With the drugs, people using, selling, beefing, broken homes, and incarceration. Shut my little business down. I had bigger fish to fry at this point. Because the drugs affected my household as well.
Me and my sister at that time was one of the only few kids in the neighborhood that had a mother and a father in the home that worked and provided for the family.
Which helped me from selling drugs because I seen it up close, I could just work for it.
That helped some but not enough to keep me out of trouble. Because my mother ended up falling victim to using drugs. But before her addiction, she was one of the nicest people would ever meet. She was very giving, outgoing, and a full time nurse. She will make dinner almost every night, and we would sit down at dinner as a family on a consistent basis. Checking up on me and my sister at the school and making sure we did our homework every night.
But once them drugs hit my family it was over., so no more checking up on me in school or checking homework.
I was Just confused, embarrassed, disappointment, ashamed and started rebelling, which resulted in me failing twice in elementary school because I didn’t know how to channel and understand my emotions.
Had to find other positive ways to control my emotions and creativity.
By playing basketball, drawing, writing poetry, and more…
But all of that still didn’t put me on a totally straight path. By middle school I was skipping school and just hanging where ever. Even though my father at home but he couldn’t check me because he was working in DC.
This one particular day, I decided to attend school. I was like a celebrity walking through the halls getting high fives lol
I made it to my English class after missing about a month. My teacher pulled me to the side and said” I don’t know but God must have sent you here today because it’s a program in our auditorium in an hour which with some requirements and testing, will help you catch up this year potentially and skip you to high school where you belong, if you meet the qualifications. Your very smart Mr. Kelly and I know you can do it.”
I went to the auditorium and spoke with the program Director and the requirements were. I couldn’t miss any more days of school going forward. I had to finish every assignment, including homework, and pass the required state of Maryland test.
By the grace of God, I stayed on track and made it to high school and that’s where I was introduced to Video Production by a wonderful teacher by the name Mrs Shelley Jordon Between playing basketball and video kept me out of a lot of trouble.
I’ve always loved to be creative and express myself and this was the perfect outlet for me to feel free.
I would just edit for hours and hours. We had news stations coming to see our video production classes. I finally found something that I loved and could be proud of. I receive editor of the year awards and more….
After graduation I attended Catonsville community college for video production. But for a very short time. Between working and going to college. One had to go, so it was college but thinking it would only be temporary until I could get a car, because I was out the door 5:15am catching 2 buses and the subway to get to school by 8:30am.
With all that I still carried the love for video production.
A few years went by working this place and that place but ended up landing a more stable corporate job, which allow me to get my first apartment and start investing in some video equipment.
I brought this old editing machine and a 8mm camcorder, but keep in mind no computer at the time, so I used an old tv and 2 VCR”s to edit with.
But it worked out and made me appreciate, have a lots of patience, and not take for granite of the new technology. still have it. lol
Few more years passed, had my first child, married, new house, and still at the same job.
I’m taking my son (Christopher) on video production jobs helping me film at around 7years old, funny around the same age when I start going to store for people. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
But I knew that the position I held at the job wasn’t me and for me, not the kid that started hustling at 7. I wasn’t trying to be old and grey in that cubicle full of regrets.
I left the job I had for over 15 years and stepped out on faith.
I started working as a video production teacher in Baltimore City after school programs.
Under contract with RE/MAX real estate agency.
Getting more gear and landing more production jobs.
I also started a landscaping service and named it after one of my favorite cousins that passed.
Jumped into fitness really heavy.
I’m working with my high school video production teacher on her documentary; Mrs Shelley Jordon after 30 years of graduating.
My cousin Ricky was the Director on the featured film Nanticoke and gave me the job of one of the cinematographer’s which now has giving me my first credit on IMDB.
I have to give a shout out to my dad (Charles Anderson) which is my executive producer on some of my projects. Always looking out by helping me with equipment and support.
I’m sure I left out a few things.
But what’s next for me… I want to start performing open mics and I just recently brought a guitar, and a few other things to keep my mind and skills busy.
more to come I’m sure.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Wow, where do I start? Lots of potholes.
My bumpy road started way before I was old enough to have a drivers license.
Growing up in an environment where if you didn’t sell drugs or somewhat being violent, you wasn’t a real one and didn’t fit in, and that’s being PC.
Getting bullied somewhat for being different but that didn’t last long. I was in between I would say and playing ball that made the road a little bit smoother at times.
Losing my mother really put a damper on my vision. I’ve always felt I lost her twice once to drugs and alcohol when I was just a kid and the other was death as an adult.
It was only a few months after leaving the job to start my own business, all within six months I experienced more death and loss.
2 of my closest friends, Steve and Bj, my 2 cousins one I named after the landscaping company after Huggie, (Kellyhugandson LLC) and my little cousin Ericka, going through a divorce and dealing with a different type of dynamic with my child.
All of this while still teaching video production, running a small video production business, landscaping business, and driving Uber and Lyft from time to time.
Took it amongst myself to get some therapy to help get balance and figure some things out.
Thanks to TNAT Holistic wellness center which provided me with One on one therapy, men’s groups, and more….
I just think God and not only before I eat that I made it this distance on this bumpy road.
I can clearly say it has gotten a lot smoother! I haven’t had a bad day in years!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I mainly specialize in my video production business mostly in all aspects of it., from being the Videographer, to editing, lighting, sound control, graphic design, teaching video production in Baltimore city schools, making short films, documentaries, interviews, advertising, commercials, music videos, photographs, music, the Business side of it all, and more….
I’m mostly known for playing basketball growing up but later my longevity in video production and going above and beyond expectation with projects for my clients.
I’m mostly proud of at this stage of my life that I finally have something that I’m proud of once in my life, other than just my son.
What sets me apart from others is my… I don’t give a F attitude what others think when expressing myself and finding new creative things to get into., from making music, bodybuilding, building things from scratch with wood, and making money to support my family and my dreams.
Not being afraid to express myself!
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I like best about Baltimore is that it feels like a small family oriented town with lots of hidden jewels from restaurants, historical places, sports driven, and we will come together when necessary. You feel me.
The thing I like least about Baltimore is the violence in some parts of the city.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kellyvisionproduction.com
- Instagram: kellyvisionproduction
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/598588754/videos/386019376348473/
- Twitter: https://x.com/kellyvisionfilm
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@kellyvisionproduction?si=JvEFN5hICdkoi7nX
- Other: https://youtube.com/@kellyvisionfilms?si=CVHWuZFOm3JaciMl
