Kallee Shannon Productions

My name is Matthew Reed, and for years, I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do with my life.  I mean, sure, when I was a little kid, I believed that I would one day become an astronaut/millionaire/dentist, but as I got older and looked around at the world and realized how big it was, how difficult it could be to get those jobs, and even how much harder it could be to be successful, I began to find myself slipping into the mindset of "get a decently paying job and shut up". It was lucky for me then that I had an angel of sorts that pulled me out of this mindset and helped me to get where I am today as a film editor/assistant. This "angel", who will be the focus of this story, was and is Kallee Shannon.

This story starts in only the most exciting and wondrous of places, the Introduction to College Writing class at Pine Falls University. But in all seriousness, this is honestly the only place I can think to begin everything without going overboard or just start rambling about something that has no point being said. It's at this place that this whole series of events I'm about to elaborate on for you truly got started.

As the class started, I looked around at some of the people there, just barely paying attention to the introductions going on now.  As I did this, I suddenly looked next to me and saw a girl sitting there. She was, I'll admit, decently attractive, with long hair the color of rich dark chocolate, passionate eyes colored like the sky after a soft rain, and skin that was a lighter hue with come red marks where the sun hadn't been kind to her.  As I looked at her, her long, strong looking fingers twirling around a pencil like a professional, I couldn't help but wonder if I knew her from somewhere since she looked oddly familiar.  Then, suddenly, it was her turn to speak, to which she stood up, towering over others at 6'2" -- which gave her a rather gangly look with how slim she was -- and told the class, "My name is Kallee Shannon, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

The minute I heard her name, my jaw dropped like a lead weight and my eyelids popped open so wide that my eyeballs could've fallen out.  Then, I found myself interrupting her when I involuntarily said, "K-, Kallee Shannon!?"

She turned to me, surprised by my exclamation before she saw my face, at which point she gasped, stared at me in shock for a second, then grinned and said, "Matt Reed! Is that you?"

"Y-, yeah, it is," I told her in response, still looking up at her with an expression of shock, never realizing that this meeting would end up helping me realize what I wanted to do with my life.

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After the class, Kallee and I decided, out of a desire to catch up, to have some lunch together, meeting up at one of the dorm cafeterias since, after all, we were being offered food that was already paid for and at least edible. She, in all her gutsy glory, got some foreign sounding dish that, to this day, I still don't know what it was, while I went safe and got some pizza.

As we sat down, she looked over at me and said, "You know, this is really such an amazing coincidence, isn't it? I mean, when I moved away after 4th grade, I thought I'd never see you again. Yet here we are, both going to Pine Falls of all places! I'm so glad I decided to come here now, aren't you?"

I just chuckled and replied, "Yeah, it really is," deciding not to tell her that this school wasn't my first choice. In fact, this school wasn't on my list, but because my grades hadn't been quite up to snuff to get into one of the fancier colleges out there, I ended up going along with my dad's suggestion to go here. But looking at her as I started to eat my slice of greasy pepperoni, I asked, "So, what was it like after you left?"

She chuckled, fork lightly poking the food on her plate as she explained, "Things were fine, really. I mean, granted, it sucked not having you around, but I was able to manage. What about you? Your dad still...doing, what he was doing...?" She quickly looked awkward, stuffing her face with her meal to try and get past it.

Over the sound of her gagging on whatever it was that she ate, I explained, "He was a contractor, and no, he isn't."

Once she had managed to force herself to swallow the food, having strained to get it down, she asked me a little weakly, "R-, really? So, what's he doing now?"

I took another bite of the pizza, feeling rather glad I'd gone the safe route, and told her, "Well, he stayed at home for a while, taking care of things, but eventually he got a job working for an amateur film studio, specifically with nature docume-"

"He works in FILM!?" she gasped in shock, startling the girl behind her enough to nearly choke on her corndog.

As I did my best to ignore the stares that were now on us from her sudden outburst, I told her, "Yeah, that's what I was saying."

She took a second to compose herself, realizing she'd been a little too loud, and said, "Holy... WOW man, that is such a coincidence. I mean, I've been getting SO interested in film lately. I'm actually taking a film studies class this semester and hoping to take some more later. Maybe he can help me out and stuff. That'd be so cool!"

"Huh, well, OK then, I'll see if my dad would want to talk to you then," I told her, still a little taken aback by how excited she'd gotten before. "So, what exactly got you interested in making movies?" I eventually asked her, finding myself vaguely curious about what it could've been to give her this interest.

Like any good entertainer, Kallee leaned in, like she was about to start telling me a juicy secret, soon explaining to me, "It all started in high school, when I was in class as the announcements started. It was history class and I was just bored out of my skull, praying for something to just either slap me awake or put me out of my misery. Then, the TV turned on to start the announcements."

Normally, I would've stopped her to clarify if I had heard her right, but instead I just unconsciously leaned in and said, "And so?"

She gave a knowing smile, and soon whispered, "And then I saw it...Folded White: Sock Detective."

In an instant, I was taken out of the moment by the absolutely ridiculous name I had heard, repeating in stunned confusion, "Folded White...SOCK Detective?"

"Yeah!" she said with an infectious grin before proceeding to explain it all to me. To save time, the show was a film noir parody involving sock puppets. It was apparently popular, though mostly due to it being hilariously dumb, with abounding clichés, obvious plot twists, and so much cheese it could've been served with crackers and wine. Unfortunately, it had to end its intended fifteen-episode season after only thirteen after a series of issues, including budget cuts, creative differences, and Folded White's puppeteer, only known by his nickname "The Lopez", was kicked out of school after coming in intoxicated and exposing himself to his English teacher, whom he was convinced had a thing for him.

As she eventually finished explaining all this to me, I sighed and asked, "So, what was it about, Folded White, that made you interested in film?"

"Oh, right, sorry," she said with a chuckle. "Got caught up in myself. Anyways, the moment I saw it, I suddenly had a moment of clarity. I saw everything that went into making the show. I noticed what made it good, what made it bad, everything! And in that moment, I knew what I was destined to be...a famous director! One of the greats, like Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, or Michael Bay!"

Hearing the last one, I repeated, "Michael Bay?"

She explained, "Sorry, I mean popularity wise, not in terms of skill." Then, shaking her head slightly, she told me, "Look, my point is, I really want to be a real director, and make a film that not only entertains people, but makes them think about it...at least, a bit."

Taking a sip of the Diet Coke I had poured myself, I gave her a nod and asked, "Well, how do you intend on doing that? I mean, you're in college right now. I don't think you exactly have the time to make one now."

She just chuckled knowingly, shook her head, and said, "Oh, ye of little faith. I mean, seriously, do you think I can't balance making a feature length film and homework?" I would've said yes, but she kept going, "Trust me, I'm not going into this blindly. I've already been doing quite a bit of scouting. In fact, I already know who I'd like to hire first."

Raising an eyebrow, I decided to play along with her and asked, "Oh really? Who would that be?"

And, in response, she pointed her right finger dramatically at me, announcing, "The one and only, magnificent Matthew, Christopher, Reed, as my film editor, first camera man, and overall assistant!"

Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on us, a few curious while others gave snickers, while I just sat there, staring at her with a shocked expression on my face. Then, eventually, I managed to tell Kallee Shannon EXACTLY what she could do with this offer. "...m-, my middle name is, actually Kristoph, not Christopher," I mumbled dumbly to her.

She blushed a bit, chuckling and saying, "Oh, right. Well, you get my point. But yeah, how's that sound?"

I groaned, letting my head fall to the table, then sat up and said, "Look, this isn't making a YouTube short or something, you're saying you want to make a full, feature length film here."

Before I could keep going, she interrupted me, "Matt, I know it isn't the same thing. I've made a few YouTube shorts in the past."

I looked at her with a surprised expression at first, then sighed, "Look, my point is, this is gonna take a LOT of time and a LOT of work. Do you really think you can do all that while still handling school?"

And then, with a look of confident, distinguished determination, she told me, "Yes, Matt, I do."

In that moment, with everyone in the cafeteria staring at us, along with the nearly infectious confidence Kallee was exuding, I gave a sigh and told her, "Well then, I suppose since you asked me...I accept your offer."

And in that moment, the cafeteria burst into applause, with words of encouragement being hollered, women crying (not really), and one person yelling at the top of their lungs, "I have no idea why we're clapping," seeming to cement my decision. I was going to help Kallee Shannon make a film. At the time, all I could think was, 'What the hell have I done?'