Share
News

Taylor Swift's Boyfriend, Travis Kelce, Produces New Movie, Boosted Financially by Biden

Share

Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is one of the executive producers of an independent film, due out March 9, that will be the first to take advantage of a provision of President Joe Biden’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act from 2022.

Kelce is listed as an executive producer for “My Dead Friend Zoe,” which probably means he did nothing but invest in its production, particularly since most of the production work appears to have been completed during the football season when Kelce was otherwise occupied.

According to a Feb. 13 report from Variety, the “low-budget dark comedy” had a budget of less than $10 million; Kelce’s net worth is reportedly in the $40 million-plus range.

The IMDb page for the movie lists a total of 11 executive producers, all of whom are likely to have invested in the movie. The specific amount of Kelce’s contribution was unreported but seems likely to have been somewhere in the six figures.

Kelce — who has gained a lot of attention in recent months because of his relationship with pop star Taylor Swift — may be new to the movie business, but not everyone associated with the production is. The cast includes such notables as Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, as well as Sonequa Martin-Green from “The Walking Dead” and “Star Trek: Discovery,” Gloria Reuben from “ER” and Utkarsh Ambudkar from “Free Guy” and the sitcom “Ghosts.”

Producer Mike Field funded part of the film’s production through the sale of surplus energy credits made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Fellow producer Ray Maiello, a former head of business affairs for Netflix who is now Field’s partner in Radiant Media Studios, said the credits help offset some of the risks in movie making.

“Hollywood is risky, right? On a scale of one to 10, Hollywood, it is a 9.5,” Maiello told Variety. “Especially in terms of independent film.”

Is this a red flag?

“These federal tax credits take the risk down to like a five,” he explained.

“[Field] and I wanted to branch out and we’ve been talking about [expanding] for years. And then Biden really incentivized it,” Maiello added. “Biden saw that people can’t plan what their tax liabilities are going to be. People don’t want to take risks.

“And so he really opened it up with these federal tax credits and we’re combining that with Hollywood,” he said. “That’s the idea.”

“My Dead Friend Zoe” may be the first motion picture partially financed by the sale of energy credits, but it’s certainly not going to be the last. Variety reported that Field, Kelce and Maiello are also funding a documentary called “King Pleasure” the same way.

“Kelce, Maiello and Field could spark a trend in Hollywood of employing the Inflation Reduction Act as a way to raise funds and bolster the flagging indie film sector,” the outlet reported. “These types of deals have become common outside of Hollywood and now represent a market worth between $7 billion and $9 billion.”

Related:
Rob Schneider Announces He's Aiming to Take Down 'The View' with New Show

The outlet noted that former NFL quarterback Tom Brady had been producing films as well.

Kelce, who has appeared in commercials for State Farm and Campbell’s soup, among other brands, has looked to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a model for his own career, according to the New York Post’s Page Six.

Rachel Richardson, a former SnapChat executive who now covers popular trends in her Highly Flammable newsletter, told Page Six that Kelce could become a bigger household name than Johnson.

“He’s been open about his acting ambitions and how much he admires The Rock,” she said. “Looking at the trajectory he’s currently on I think he could even surpass Johnson’s career.”


A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:

 

I heard a chilling comment the other day: “We don’t even know if an election will be held in 2024.” 

 

That wasn’t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.

 

Gen. Flynn’s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.

 

The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

 

All of this means that without you, it’s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we’ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can’t continue the fight.

 

Can we count on your support? It may not seem like much, but a Western Journal Membership can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. 

 

A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content — news, commentary, and premium articles. You’ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America’s soul in 2024.

 

We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you join us in the fight? 

 

Sincerely,

Josh Manning

Deputy Managing Editor

The Western Journal

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , , , , , , , , ,
Share
George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of "WJ Live," powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English as well as a Master's in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
Birthplace
Foxborough, Massachusetts
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Beta Gamma Sigma
Education
B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG
Location
North Carolina
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics




Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.

Conversation