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Meet Kelsey Dickerson of Superhero Faces Productions in North Central Phoenix

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Dickerson.

Kelsey, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story has always been pretty unconventional, even from the beginning. Ever since I was born, my mother struggled with drug addiction and I didn’t meet my father until I was about six years old – this led to a lot of uncertainty, moving in and out of different facilities and, as one may imagine, a lot of turmoil and heartbreak from a young age. However, I was extremely lucky in the fact that my grandmother was a literal angel on earth who made many sacrifices to quite literally save my life. She eventually gained sole custody of me by the time I was in junior high and worked to instill many important lessons and characteristics that helped me become the woman I am today.

Because of my grams’ amazing strength, love and selflessness, she gave me the support I needed and truly saved me from falling victim to the cycle of addiction and going down the dark path my mother went down. Something I truly believe in is that you make your own luck and I have worked hard to be as fortunate as I am in life. Thanks to a mix of academic scholarships and grants, I attended the W.P. Carey School of Business and Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University, where I graduated with honors receiving a BA in Business with a focus in Communication, as well my International Business Certificate.

During my last semester of college, I was offered a management position with a local sports ad agency, as well as an opportunity to intern for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. After much debate, I chose to pursue the latter option and started shortly after I graduated. While there, I interned for both teams, worked my way into an assistant position for their Public and Community Relations departments and eventually was fortunate enough to have a coordinator position created to retain me full-time in PR.

During my almost five years with the Suns and Mercury, I fell in love with telling stories and decided that not only did I want to help identify these narratives but also wanted to try my hand at being the one to tell it. This eventually led to the fateful day where my coworkers Brad Faye and Arvind Navaratnasingham, asked me to join them in building Superhero Faces Productions, a multi-media company exploring how superheroes and comic book characters positively affect the world around us in very real ways.

Initially, this venture started with us writing articles for the website, going to comic-cons for interviews and other unique storytelling opportunities of that nature. As we spoke with more and more people, it led us to the discovery that so many people not only loved these characters but were able to truly embody them for good – no matter their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. We quickly realized that these were not only stories we should tell, but that we need to tell.

We had no idea that pursuing this path would lead our team creating a documentary called “Geek, and You Shall Find,” which (still to my amazement) is available for the world to see on many different platforms including Amazon Prime. By pursuing our passion, in addition to working other jobs, we have created an inspiring film that showcases how fictional characters and those who love them are creating a better world for others. This venture also led us to meet and interview Stan Lee, George R. R. Martin, Kevin Eastman and so many other incredible, wonderful people – an amazing experience I will never take for granted. 

The Superhero Faces team is now working on a few more projects and hopes to keep inspiring others around us through the unique, heartwarming and eye-opening stories we tell.

In addition to filmmaking, somewhere in all that craziness, I found myself landing an amazing job as a Spokesperson for the Arizona Humane Society, where I also host Arizona’s longest-running TV show, “Pets on Parade,” every Saturday on 3TV. It is humbling to see the incredible, life-saving work so many dedicated and passionately giving people are able to do in an effort to save homeless pets. It is an honor to be a voice for the voiceless and I do not take the opportunity to help these sweet babies lightly.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It most certainly has not been a smooth road and more often than not, it wasn’t even a road at all but a seemingly never-ending jungle full of question and doubt. But that is life and every bump you navigate and every path you carve is critical to growing and learning this world. As hard as parts of my life have been, especially when I was younger, it gave me a solid foundation in which I had to grow up quickly, battle adversity and take everything that came my way in full swing. While there have been many challenges, perhaps the most earth-shattering one was losing my grandmother to ovarian cancer in 2016. My grams raised me practically from birth and was always my guiding light in times of darkness.

Diagnosed in late 2015, her health quickly deteriorated and led to me and a few family members caring for her before her passing. This horrible disease eventually overcame her in July of 2016 and my world has never been the same ever since. Eventually, I had to return to the job I had at the time, but there were many signs from the universe telling me that I had outgrown that place. This led me to quit within a few months of her passing with no plan or safety net. Additionally, the relationship I was in also ended within the same timeframe. To say I was lost is a gross understatement.

However, it was this – the darkest time of my life, with nothing else to lose – where I truly took a leap of faith. This was when the Superhero Faces Team started to intentionally work on our documentary, “Geek, and You Shall Find,” even though we weren’t quite sure of the exact story we were going to tell or the path it would lead us on.

Time after time, the universe continued to tell us we were on the right journey because we were following our bliss, and now we not only have a documentary that helps inspire others but truly shines a light on those who are working to change this world for the better. As horrible and as lost as I was during this time, I am so beyond grateful to my grams who taught me to never give up and continues to guide me. I hope anyone who is reading this now knows they are not alone, it gets better and that giving up is never an option. It will always get better, I promise.

Superhero Faces Productions – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Brad Faye, Arvind Navaratnasingham and myself started with just an idea and a website when we created SuperheroFaces.com, an interactive site where we began by writing articles and creating video content covering comic-cons, superheroes, comic books and the artists who created them. However, the more we explored these topics and the more we talked to not just creators but those who enjoy these stories and characters, the more we realized how much further it goes beyond “just entertainment.”

As we took a deeper dive into the fandom and explored the “why” behind the creation of these stories and people’s love for them, we discovered how much influence they have had on history and society, and continue to inspire us for the better. This led us on a path where we discovered how this medium helps everyone from students taking a criminal justice reform course that uses Spider-Man in its teachings to soldiers suffering from PTSD benefitting from Comic Book Therapy and even a non-profit here in Arizona that visits children in long-term hospital care by delivering comic books while dressed up as superheroes. It did not take us long to realize that these amazing stories not only should be told but needed to be told.

Continuing to follow our passion led us to some amazing opportunities we could have never dreamt of, including interviewing some of the world’s most renowned artists and creators who believed in what we were doing. Thus, Superhero Faces Productions was born and our independent documentary, “Geek, and You Shall Find,” came to life featuring Stan Lee, George R.R. Martin, Kevin Eastman and many other amazing people who continue to do the work of real-life superheroes each and every day.

Superhero Faces Productions continues to work on upcoming projects while everyone on the team has separate, full-time jobs. Even though it is a struggle at times, we are dedicated to following our bliss and continuing our work in hopes of inspiring others to find their own inner superhero. Even if just one person discovers our work and is encouraged to help others, that is a success beyond measurement in our eyes.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success can be so many things, but for me personally, I believe that above and beyond everything, it is staying true to yourself and using your skills/voice/energy/whatever it may be to do good in this world. Who are we if we can’t uplift others and work to make sure that we do all we can to better this place, even if just a little bit?

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Image Credit:
Alex DeForest

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