Kaitlin Walsh
Kaitlin Walsh first ventured into television when she was a student at New Canaan High School. She wrote, directed and produced a TV pilot for her senior thesis. And nearly 11 years later, her passion for TV and film production continues to grow.
Walsh took her talents to California directly after graduating from Connecticut College. She ended up earning a master’s of fine arts degree in producing for film and television at Chapman University, and moved to Los Angeles right after graduating from Chapman to pursue a career in film and TV. She now works for a national television network and has collaborated with a group of young Hollywood professionals on a new web series, “Jewvangelist.”
Walsh and her friends developed what she deems a “quirky” web series about a female rabbi who, when she learns that she’s at risk of losing her family synagogue, turns to trying to convert people in order to save it.
“Jewvangelist” got started about a year ago when Becky Kramer, a longtime friend of Walsh’s, said she wanted to create a strong role for herself. The series is based on a character named Leah Levy who tried to learn from other religions. The two recruited another one of Walsh’s friends, Christian Ayers, to write the series, and Walsh took on the role of producer.
“The show is funny, warm, professionally made, and, perhaps most importantly, different,” Walsh told the Advertiser. “If you like shows like ‘Parks and Recreation,’ ‘The Office,’ and ‘Arrested Development,’ and if you’re interested at all in Judaism, Christianity, Mormons, gay culture, interfaith messages, quirky comedies or just about anything else, this show is for you.”
As producer, Walsh describes herself as the “mom” of the project.
“I’m the one that organized everything, got the entire cast and crew on board, took the lead on raising the money, scheduled and budgeted everything, found our locations, helped develop the story, served as the professional face of the project … the list goes on and on,” Walsh said. “If something needed to be done, approved, or organized, I took the lead on it.”
The show, according to Walsh, is about a rabbi who breaks many stereotypes about Judaism and about rabbis. She explained that Jewish people don’t proselytize — persuade others to join their religion — but in “Jewvangelist,” Rabbi Leah Levy turns to proselytizing in order to save her synagogue.
“At its core, ‘Jewvangelist’ is about following your heart even when other people don’t believe in what you’re doing,” Walsh said. “It’s about trusting yourself, being brave, following your gut, and breaking conventions.”
New Canaan, Darien roots
Walsh grew up in Darien for the first half of her childhood, then moved to New Canaan midway through the seventh grade. She attended Ox Ridge and Royal for elementary school, briefly attended Middlesex Middle School in Darien and then switched briefly over to Saxe Middle School in New Canaan before attending New Canaan High School. She was active in the theater and music communities in New Canaan and took part in many school plays and in the NCHS choir, the Madrigals.
She then went on to Connecticut College and double majored in government and a student-designed interdisciplinary major called “Producing and Directing for the Camera,” which was a combination of theater, film studies, and creative writing courses.
To check out Walsh’s series, visit Jewvangelist.com.