Kelly grew up in Custer, South Dakota, and participated in the program in grade school through high school. He attended the University of South Dakota, where he started in pre-med and then switched to Theater Design, a place where his creativity could really flow.
In NYC after college, Kelly started working in a small costume house, then got a job at The Julliard School. He began work with As The World Turns, Saturday Night Live, Broadway, television (including the first two seasons of Sex and the City), and the Metropolitan Opera. Kelly now lives in Los Angeles, where he makes clothing for a list of private clients. He has worked on 30 films and counting, including tailoring Jim Carrey’s clothes Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and Fun With Dick and Jane.
In talking about the program, Kelly says, “I found a place I could go where I could explore without ever having to leave home. A place where my shyness disappeared and a more confident me came forward. In the program, I blossomed… It taught me that I can do; I can be; I can accomplish anything I desire without fear or self doubt. It has been the single greatest influence in my life. It changed me from a very small shy boy with limited imagination into a man who sees no limit on the possibility
of the human spirit.”
