The American Film Market is an annual tradition in Santa Monica and the event is the premier opportunity for networking, acquisition and development that generates more than $1B in deals each year.
This year, Santa Monica resident Kit Rich is part of the action with her debut film, Isabel’s Garden. Taking inspiration from her personal life, Rich brought the film into existence through sheer force of will and she sat down with SMDP to talk about her lifelong passion for the arts and the challenges of making her first film.
How long have you been a Santa Monica Resident? Are you from LA?
I’ve lived in Santa Monica for almost 9 years but I’m born and raised in Los Angeles.
Before Writing and Directing Isabel’s Garden, what were you doing?
For almost two decades, I’ve been in the health and wellness space as a celebrity trainer and fitness entrepreneur. I’ve had the honor of touring the world with clients for movies and music tours. I’ve worked with incredible companies creating fitness content for their online platforms. I’ve worked with large brands to represent their companies. I’ve owned a gym. Had a product company. You name it, I’ve done it. It’s been quite a ride.
You went from Training A-listers to writing and directing a screenplay. How did that happen?
I was always writing. That’s why I got started in the fitness industry. I needed a way to make a living while I wrote. Fitness made sense because I could control my hours and it was a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t know that fitness would turn into a real career for me, but it did, and I am so grateful because it allowed me to feel safe knowing that I could always provide for myself. I met incredible people, I was able to help people and it changed me for the better. I also realize now how important it is to know you can always take care of yourself because life twists and turns in unexpected ways. But knowing that you can rely on yourself is a very big thing. When you know you can survive, it creates an opening to thrive. The fitness industry gifted me that.
Over the years, in my off hours, I wrote. I became a published essayist and playwright. I never thought I would go into film. This movie started out as a play and I quickly realized these characters wanted to be on the screen. I certainly never thought I would direct! But everyone I asked to direct it turned me down. So I was my only option. I had never been behind a camera before this movie. But that is how my life always seems to happen. I take big leaps.
This particular leap though was especially scary. I’m established in a different industry. Fitness is how people know me and see me. I’ve been branded with it. So to ask people to try to see me in a different light, that’s a very difficult thing. It’s hard for people to take me seriously. I’m also not in my twenties when it’s generally expected and accepted to take these risks. I heard that all the time when I was younger. Your twenties are when you take risks so that you’re comfortable when you’re older. But in my twenties, I was still trying to survive and didn’t have the confidence and trust I have now. As I said before, this was an important step for me. Learning how to survive on my own. But now, at 40, I know my capabilities. I know who I am. I’m better. It makes more sense to take risks.
It’s a little unusual for us to see someone kick off their career Directing and writing a full feature film. How did Isabel’s opportunity first pop up, and is there anything about that writing experience that now makes you think, ‘I’m so glad that will be screen credit #1 on my filmography?’
Yes, I know. Very unusual. I wrote Isabel’s Garden and I noticed that when people read it, even after the first draft, they had a reaction. Some very positive reactions and some very negative. But I noticed that it gave people an emotion. I couldn’t control the emotion but I was happy to hear that they felt something. That’s when I knew I was onto something. So many movies get made but they’re forgettable because they don’t make you feel.
I wrote Isabel’s Garden in 2021, we filmed in October of 2022, and it was just completed this month. It was done on a very small budget so I didn’t have the luxuries that other filmmakers have. So, two years later, I’ve learned a ton about this experience. The main thing I learned was that I knew nothing about filmmaking. But I was all heart and I’m a quick study and that is an important start for any endeavor. I learned what I didn’t know. I filled in the blanks. Now I feel confident. I know for a fact that I can make a movie from start to finish. I also know that I can do it really well. That is why I am so proud this is my first credit because this movie was my greatest teacher.
Getting into Isabel’s Garden, I read a quote from you that said, “This film had to be made, it had to be birthed etc. ” As a lover of films, that’s a very exciting approach to me, but I imagine sometimes it can be a challenging thing to know when you have a great idea and one that should be made into a movie vs something that is a great concept for just being published. What made you think that this should be your Debut feature?
I wish I could tell you that I was so intentional about it. I wasn’t. I never intended on taking it this far. I wrote it. I knew it had to be made. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I would write, direct and produce. I thought I would sell the script and that would be that. That was my plan. I got great feedback. I got many a “yes” that turned into many a “no.” I had people attached and then things fell through. My heart broke so many times during this process. But at the end of the day, I was the last woman standing and I had to make a choice whether to stop or keep pushing forward. So many steps happened after that. A lot of mistakes. A lot of triumphs. A lot of lessons. That’s how I wound up here. But now I know that it was leading me somewhere. Somewhere I was meant to be. Because I dared to try and keep going, I have discovered that.
I always love hearing about how ideas evolve throughout every single stage of the filmmaking process, so what would you say is the biggest difference between draft one of the Isabel’s garden screenplay and what we expect to see on the big screen when the film is released?
The heart and core of it is the same. But a lot has changed. I will spare you the details. You’ll just have to see the movie. 😉
You are a stepmom. Was your experience as a stepmom inspiration for this film? In what way?
Yes, absolutely. Most writers write from some personal experience. I took a core theme in my life and then created fictional characters and situations. I pulled from my own thoughts, fears, and I gathered stories from other stepmoms and mothers that have blended families. Isabel’s Garden is an amalgamation of so many experiences of different people.
Blended families are a very real presence in society and stepmoms are everywhere but we don’t often have a voice. If you ask someone who isn’t a stepmom what the experience of being a stepmom is, they rarely get it. Only stepmoms truly know. It’s a secret society because we don’t feel the liberty to discuss our experience because our role is often misunderstood. It’s so unique and the role is so delicate. There are entire platforms dedicated to this because it’s a relatively new concept but there are so many of us out there. I know the name “stepmom” gets a bad rep, but I love it because it’s so appropriate for what it is. Knowing when to step forward, step back, step to the side, and knowing what to step in. And so many missteps! Ha!
For me personally, I absolutely love being a stepmom. It’s one of my favorite titles. I have a beautiful situation where I get along so well with my stepdaughter and her mother. My family is wonderful.
Are there any spots in Santa Monica that inspire you when you write or locations you like to write at when not at home?
I love Cafe Bolivar on Ocean Park Blvd. and Lo/Cal on Pico blvd. Actually I’m writing this right now from Lo/Cal. I am drinking their Cold Brew and just ate their breakfast plate. Highly recommend it.
In your dream world, where are people watching this film, at a theater or at home? With who?
This movie is meant to be watched at home and for all ages. It’s female led, multicultural and multigenerational. This movie is for anyone who desires a place to belong, whether it’s finding home with their biological family or with their chosen family.
Every film gives people a feeling while and after watching, How do you think people will walk away feeling after watching Isabel’s Garden?
One word: Hopeful.
Other inspirations?
My biggest writing inspirations are Joan Didion, Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, and Celine Song.
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