The husband-wife duo of Brey Browne and Kelsie Key each have over 200 film credits to their names. However, their latest project holds a special place in their hearts - and their family.
First, it is the inaugural release under the name of their new company, Something From Nothing Productions. Second, the documentary short film titled Bearcats: We’re Still Here will feature their son and his youth football team.
Oh, and it’s premiering at the Dallas International Film Festival at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27 at the historic Texas Theatre.
This is also the first project Browne and Key have made with just the two of them. Key said they chose the story of the Tregellas, the team, because it was her son Liam’s first year as a starter.
As fate would have it, the season was special for other reasons. They went undefeated and won the championship of the fifth-grade division in the North Central Texas Super Bowl.
“He worked so hard over the summer leading up to the season and we were so proud of him. With permission from the parents and coaches, we initially planned on just capturing some highlight reels of the team, but as the season went on, we were hearing the speeches the coaches were giving to the boys on a daily basis, and we were really inspired,” Key said.
So, they documented practices, games, and some interviews and Key said the story came together naturally.
“We were very intentionally acting as flies on the wall so that we weren’t a distraction to the boys. This meant capturing audio via the camera - a practice not often done when creating a film - and we also did not have any crew besides just the two of us,” she said. “All of the coaches were completely dedicated to this team. They showed up 3-4 days a week no matter the weather or what they had going on in their own lives. We are so grateful they allowed us to document their season.”
Browne said that, as someone who did not play football himself, it gave him a whole new perspective on the importance the sport has during the formative years of a child, especially in a place like Aledo, where the high school team has the state championships (12) in Texas history.
“It can teach them the power of hard work, teamwork, and the pursuit of a common goal,” Browne said.
Thus, what started as a highlight reel shifted to a documentary as the season progressed.
“We noticed how dedicated the coaches were to making these boys the best team they could be,” Browne said. “That was when I started to film more practice speeches and interviews to help showcase how inspiring the volunteers were to the boys.”
Browne, 28, and Key, 32, met on the set of Hulu/Freeform’s Cruel Summer during the pandemic in 2020. They went on to work several production jobs together, and quickly fell in love.
In 2021, Key accepted a job as the creative director for the Dallas-based nonprofit EarthX & The EarthX Film Festival. During her time working there, she often hired Brey to help edit promotional videos, work on graphic designs, and to create branding for events.
“We collaborated on various campaigns and we always made amazing art together,” she said. “It was during this time that we realized we have incredible working synergy together and we often talked about one day starting our own creative and production company.”
After documenting the Tregellas’ season, they decided to take a leap of faith and start their own business. The name, Something from Nothing Productions, or SNF, comes from learning to be resourceful, and to truly make something out of nothing, Key said.
“Several of our collaborations have come from having very limited resources, but finding a way to make it great,” she said. “We love storytelling and hope to continue to empower brands, people, and just about anyone, to tell their story. No idea is too big or too small for us.”
Browne said he and Key have worked in just every position there is in the film industry, from starting out as a production assistant, to art department set dresser, all the way to editor, and director.
Browne said it was during his time in communication studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley that he developed his filmmaking abilities. He produced nine short films and a television pilot.
“Most of the short films went on to become very successful in the film festival circuit. When I moved to Dallas I worked primarily in the commercial industry, but also worked on various narrative feature films and shorts,” he said. “We both realized it was time to put our years of experience and skills into our own company.”
Something From Nothing Productions launched on Feb. 1, 2024.
Key was in the assistant director’s department and Browne worked as an art department set dresser on Cruel Summer.
“Meeting for the first time was extremely unique. It was during the pandemic so we all had masks on,” Key recalled. “I remember seeing him walk on to the set and all I could see were his bright green eyes. I immediately went and asked a fellow crew member who the cute tall guy in the art department was before walking up and introducing myself. We hit it off right away as friends.”
Browne said since the show was shot during the pandemic, he was only able to lock eyes with Key, which in hindsight, was all he needed to know she was the one.
“I was only day-playing, (hopping on to work as needed) but Kelsie was on for the full run of the show. Somehow, even though we had countless mutual friends in the industry, we had never worked together before this show,” he said. “I feel like the universe was finally allowing us to meet. After Cruel Summer, we worked job after job together and we both saw the signs, and I quickly knew she was my person.”
Browne said the mission of SFN is to focus on every kind of story from documentaries, narratives, commercials, or even social media content. And in doing the telling, they strive to find their own unique vision.
“We love to think outside of the box and try new things. We did this on our Instagram, where we asked our followers to give us movie titles, and we turned them into original movie posters,” he said. “It ended up being a really fun way to connect and engage with our new online community.”
Key said she loves finding a way to tell impactful stories in creative ways. This includes working with businesses, brands, and/or organizations, branding identities and more.
“From captivating videos to beautiful designs, we're a one-stop destination for top-tier video and film production, creative editing, dynamic graphics, as well as social media, and strategic marketing consulting,” she said. “I love utilizing both my filmmaking and creative directing backgrounds to have a unique approach.”
Browne and Key are in pre-production stages for a couple of short films and some documentaries, and they currently have a few social media, marketing, and content creation clients. They recently completed branding/logo designs for a few different clients as well.
Browne noted they are also finishing up post-production editing for a short film for YouTube Originals, which is set to begin its festival run in May.
As for Bearcats: We’re Still Here, they have submitted it to other film festivals across the country and are awaiting selection. In the meantime, Key said folks can follow them on social media and their website https://sfn-productions.com/, which is also where tickets can be purchased for the screening on April 27.
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