Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Kemper.
Hi Nicole, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Critical Crop Top Media was formed in 2016 by a couple of plucky ladies who didn’t really see the opportunities for themselves in film or in comedy that they would like to see. I think things have improved in that regard, as women continue to create powerful spaces where they can develop their own work and be heard. There’s still a long way to go but Atlanta is a great town and this community really believes in helping each other out. Together with my creative partner, Sarah Alison Hodges, Critical Crop Top has produced podcasts, web content, films, and live comedy shows. We’ve got over 230 videos on our YouTube channel right now which kinda blows my mind. Most recently, we shot a short film called Could This Have Been An Email and we’re getting ready to record new episodes of our show, The Adam and Andy Podcast.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think one of the biggest obstacles for any artist is money. Where does the money come from!? This is a constant puzzle we are trying to figure out. How do we gather the financial resources to pay the people who work with us what they are worth? How do we make this sustainable so we can get the next project off the ground? We have been fortunate to have received some grants in the past, but often financing has consisted of a combination of self-funded and crowd-funded. We have some long-form projects in development, features and series, but gathering the financial support for projects of that scale is a challenge.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It’s really important to me to tell stories that reflect the real women in my life. Whatever that looks like. Critical Crop Top tends towards stories that are filtered through a comedic lens, but ultimately we are looking to tell stories about women who are flawed and vulnerable. Love too much. Who are not what you expect. They are still trying to figure themselves out at whatever stage of their lives they find themselves in. This also affects the artists and crew we work with. It’s important to us to employ and collaborate with a lot of women on our projects, but also artists who are passionate about telling women’s stories.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Critical Crop Top has a lot of new projects coming up in 2022 that I’m very excited about. In addition to our short film, Could This Have Been An Email, we are developing a limited series called Mr. Pleasure. It’s a scifi/comedy/romance about a software engineer whose life becomes complicated when she falls in love with the android she is developing for a major sex toy company. It’s our most ambitious project to date and we have an incredible team of people working on it with us.
Atlanta is a really great town and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. Thanks to the influx of Hollywood productions there’s more studios, prop houses, and equipment than ever before, but what really makes Atlanta special is the people. There are incredibly talented writers, actors, and crew people here and the community is so open and willing to share resources. They are so eager to cheer each other on and support one another. I’m lucky to work here!
Contact Info:
- Email: criticalcroptop@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.criticalcroptop.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criticalcroptop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/criticalcroptop
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/criticalcroptop
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmPLRFWdV8kcEGizhIRZIA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/71vfm5HQJTvBhjZVaEewLy?si=185063bc7fa041f1
Image Credits
Lola Scott Julie Jones Ivey
