Honey Head Films Rewrites the Industry Script

Kristi Ray and Honey Head Films are recreating the way Wilmington views film production

By Emily Luther

In the early morning, Kristi Ray and I meet for coffee and to chat about her new production company, Honey Head Films. From the moment I met Kristi Ray, a founding member of Honey Head Films, I knew that she was one of those people that was going to be a leader within her industry. Her natural spark, love of life, and creative and positive energy is undeniable and contagious.

Kristi Ray can’t help but smile when considering the conception of Honey Head Films. “There was a casting call in Wilmington for 33 N, 77 W, a film by Erika Edwards, so I submitted my resume and demo reel and was cast in the film. When I showed up on set and met Erika for the first time, I knew that I had met my creative soulmate and best friend,” explains Ray. After furthering their individual careers, Ray and Edwards began considering creating a film of their own. Ray and Edwards wrapped their first co-produced film, Somnium, in December of 2016. “It was a low budget film using many downtown locations featuring a diverse local crew who were simply passionate about indie film and wanted to be involved,” Ray says.

After the completion of this successful production, they received an outpouring of positive feedback, which helped drive this creative passion they had for the production side of film.

As the concept for Honey Head Films began manifesting, Ray invited long time friend and fellow actress, Devan Allyce, to help in the conceptualization process. Allyce was thrilled of the idea of working in film production, a long time dream of hers. At this point, Honey Head Films was launched and production meetings began. These ladies are working in great strides to recreate the way that we view film production. On a Honey Head Films set, you will only experience positivity and encouragement. “We are focused on creating a personality shift behind the scenes and on set, running our productions a little differently,” explains Ray. “We achieve success with our great planning and being women, I think we overly communicate with each other which helps a lot. We are very detail oriented and are conscious of not letting stress take over a set, so everyone is having a good time, because that is what makes the machine work,” states Ray.

Since launching this woman-led film initiative, Honey Head Films has worked on indie film, Interitum, as well as a documentary for the Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue. They also work with clients needing marketing of films on social media platforms. “Wilmington being such a small town, we get a lot of work from word of mouth and social media. Through social media, people began to see the traction we were generating and were curious about what we are doing,” says Ray.

It is obvious that the intrigue in these ladies is their positivity in combination with the quality product that they produce. “You can be talented and spit out good work for big money, but if you are not nice, nobody is going to want to work with you. We are working to create a special set by developing a company culture that is consistent and contagious, and which creates positivity and an appreciation for the art,” explains Ray. They are building momentum within the local Wilmington community. Film has been a life long love story for these ladies, and they do not anticipate slowing down anytime soon. Honey Head Films is going to be part of the movement that helps keep film alive in Wilmington, and that is something to be excited about!

Emily Luther is a Broker with Nest Realty Wilmington. Emily’s goal is to always exceed her clients’ expectations while making real estate exciting and transparent!