Somewhere, in an alternate universe on some distant shore of a quiet tropical river, it’s not hard to imagine Kelley Franklin working behind the bar in a place of her own design, making drinks, taking simple photos of patrons, frozen memories, and wandering the jungles in her off-time looking for sights that have yet to be discovered by the human eye, preserving each and every one with the help of her camera.
It’s a story only she could tell, and maybe one day, in some way or another, she will—so we’re glad she’s here with us, for now.
Kelley Franklin is the Creative Director and Head of Videography for Aelieve Digital Marketing, which means it’s her job to manage the creative team and help guide their efforts into a coherent and memorable brand style for every client. It might sound simple enough, but creatives can be as cooperative, and as motivated, as cats, and herding them takes effort, patience, and a forward-thinking vision. Luckily, Kelley’s cut her teeth everywhere, from the watering holes of Iowa City, to the jungles of Thailand, so she knows what it takes to bring out the best in the people she’s working with and how to achieve, often surpass, the goal she’s set out to accomplish.
Kelley pulled triple-duty while she was studying Film at the University of Iowa—not only did she pursue her coursework in screenwriting, editing, cinematography, and direction, she also worked as a Recruitment Chair for the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority and as a manager for Martinis Bar. In the last two leadership positions, and all three together, she learned what it felt like to manage people her own age—how juggle the role of interacting with someone as a peer, while still being able to run the show, and doing both while commanding the confidence and respect of those around her. This delicate and wildly important skill is one few even begin to learn, much less develop, and in Kelley’s work, both directorial and marketing-wise, it can be found in plenty.
Afterwards, she followed up her college career by volunteering in Thailand for a month. She taught English, helped construct a permaculture plot for a local elementary school, filmed her own documentary on the experience, and, just for fun at the end, built her own bamboo raft and floated down-river, stopping at remote villages to bungee jump, sight-see, and snap some photos.
There is a necessary lived component of all good work, and Kelley pursues both her life and her work with boundless, cinematic energy. Until she decides to build another raft and float to some new shore, Aelieve is more than grateful to have her with us to help tell our story, one adventure at a time.
