Matt Kay is the director and cinematographer for the A&E and Lifetime special event, TLC Forever. He has been making documentaries for the last 12 years. He spoke with A&E about creating films that contribute to social change, and the responsibility that comes with documenting pop culture icons.
As the director of TLC Forever, what were your day-to-day responsibilities?
As director, my general responsibility was trying to think about the story as a whole; thinking about how that’s going to develop, what narrative arcs we want to include.
TLC is an incredible group that spans around 30 years, and so there’s lots of history and massive ups and, unfortunately, massive lows as well that happened in their career.
Part of the job as director was to try and explore which of those highlights and lowlights we’d want to feature in the film, and how they’re going to flow from one to the other. That’s the overall roll. And then, included in that, on a day-to-day basis, I’ve been liaising with all of the crew, watching archive, thinking of questions for interviews, thinking about different shots and also speaking to the wonderful women [of the group], T-Boz and Chilli.
What inspired you to work in this field?
I’ve always been really interested in film, so initially I wanted to be more of a narrative director. But then …my friends were doing a project and wanted me to film with them. I directed and shot a documentary about their travels. It was really through that experience that I fell in love with the documentary process—having a camera and being able to follow real life scenarios and situations and really dive into different areas.
It seemed to be a great gateway to go to different places and meet interesting people I’d never normally meet. But it was mainly just because I was a bit nosy, and I wanted to travel a lot.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Ultimately the reason I make films is to try to amplify and empower people through their stories by sharing them with the world. My favorite thing is being able to show the final films and hopefully help educate, inform and entertain in some sort of way.
With this film, TLC Forever, it enjoyed a really big audience with A&E and Lifetime, so I’m delighted that we were able to broadcast on both of those channels. We’ve had really positive feedback.
TLC holds a special place in peoples’ hearts, especially a nostalgic element for lots of fans, so I was super nervous about the reception of this particular film. People have a particular idea of what they remember and how they want TLC to be remembered, so that was a nerve-wracking process.
Hearing what people think of it and knowing that you’ve contributed to that is really special.
What advice would you give someone who is interested in becoming a director?
Try and [follow your] instincts and know what you like, what you want to do, how you want to do things and be prepared to compromise. It’s a tricky balance of knowing what you want but also being able to incorporate other peoples’ perspectives and go on a shared, collaborative journey.
Filmmaking is all about being on a team. It’s very hard to make a film completely on your own, so you need lots of collaboration and help along the way. Be receptive to that help and see what other people’s strengths are and how they can contribute to the overall vision that you want to create.
There has been a push to increase diversity, equity and inclusivity in workplaces across the country. Have you noticed any changes in your field?
Yes, I think there’s been more of a push, which is great, and it’s definitely encouraging that diversity and inclusivity are on peoples’ radars. It is encouraging to see that people are being more cognizant of who they hire and how they treat people they hire.
It’s a long road and there’s still progress that needs to be made, but it’s good that it’s now a discussion, whereas before it wasn’t even talked about.
We are making headway and inroads, but it’s maybe slightly slower [now]. Also, I feel that potentially following the big push that was made after 2020 with Black Lives Matter, people got lots of [diverse] content but then, because of that, they were kind of inundated with issues of diversity, which then maybe created a turn the other way.
That’s always tricky with things that have dips and troughs and ebbs and flows. People just have to try and encourage those issues to continue to rise to the fore. And people [need] to always incorporate that into their thinking when they build teams and [determine] what they make films about.
What do you think are some benefits of having a more diverse workplace?
A diverse workforce really helps to have variety, from perspectives to ideas. When you have people from different walks of life, or different experiences, incorporating that and including those thoughts and ideas, it enhances and makes things stronger. It makes things more creative and allows people to have a different perspective.
Everyone’s life experience shapes them into who they are, and being able to show, and use, those [experiences], especially from people who’ve had a different past to what the archetypal production team would [have had], can only enhance and add value to the programs.
As a director, what’s a challenge you face that might come as a surprise to viewers?
People sometimes have the idea that, if you’ve made a couple of bigger films, people [in the industry] just always say yes to everything. That’s not always the case.
I’ve been nominated for an Emmy, I’ve got a few awards. I’ve made a couple of high-profile things, but there’s still always lots of ‘nos.’ Working within the film industry, whatever your role, you always need to have tenacity and a commitment to try and do something. But when things don’t happen and you’re not successful, you have to have thick skin to be able to continue persevering.
What professional achievement are you especially proud of?
I try and make films that can make a difference, and a couple of my films have contributed to social change, or actual legislation change. I’m particularly proud when that happens.
Where do you hope to be in the next 5-10 years?
I love documentaries and being able to interact with real peoples’ stories in a meaningful way, but in 10 years I’d like to be trying to work in the fiction world as well.
What excites you about the future of your field?
Filmmaking is ever evolving and changing along with the world, and we have the privilege to be able to document those changes in various ways.
One thing that excites me is the incorporation of different technology and where that could go. Obviously, cameras are increasing in resolution, but in terms of size and accessibility, cameras are also becoming cheaper and smaller. [This] allows people who may come from trickier financial backgrounds that weren’t able to buy cameras in the past, to be able to get these tools of storytelling and try to tell and create their own narratives.
What can A+E Networks do to help further diversity, equity and inclusion?
I think often networks revert to different databases that they have, both for crews and talent, so to speak. I think it’s always important to continue to robustly interrogate those databases, and to see how they can offer fresh voices a chance to tell stories and give a new perspective.
While recruiting, think more outside the box for people who maybe wouldn’t have been able to afford to give up a year of their life working for free or volunteering to get on the ladder of a set. And how they can incorporate changes for entry-level jobs so that people who may not be able to afford that time would still be able to apply for those opportunities.