Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig talks about his career in the entertainment industry

Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig. Photo Credit: Johnny Jones

Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig chatted about his career in the entertainment industry as a Hollywood executive, producer, and distributor. 

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, he said, "It's new. It's definitely new, especially as a distributor and as a producer. The times these days are certainly different, especially with more things being consumed on digital than cable."

Transition from the U.S. military to entertainment

He served 32 years of Active Duty military service in the U.S. Army retiring as a Sergeant Major, the highest-ranking non-commissioned officer in the Army.

His distinguished time in service took him to 50 countries around the world, where he served in six combat campaigns, conducted humanitarian and natural disaster operations.

After retiring from the U.S. Army, he became well-known for his previous position as Disney Film Distribution Executive, where he managed Central Division Theatrical Sales and Distribution for 20 theatrical demographic market areas for all of Disney's film silos such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Disney Animation Studios.

In addition to his primary duties at Disney, he was the president of the company's diversity resource group Salute, charged with supporting military veterans employed by the studio by helping them integrate, strengthen and grow their careers while providing a sense of community within the organization.

"I've had a lot of soldiers in Germany, and they often said that they didn't get the entertainment that they deserved. So many years ago, I started bringing entertainment over to Germany. I've spent 25 of those years in Europe," he said.

"I had an agent in LA, and I would reach out to the agent to bring the talent over to Europe," he said. "This talent included James Brown, B.B. King, Tina Turner, and as I elevated in the ranks, I started reaching out even more."

He remarked, "I got a call one day from Disney asking to bring a film over to the troops over the combat zone, so I met them in Dubai and escorted them to Afghanistan to show them movies to the troops."

"From then, they invited me to the studio in Burbank, California, and they offered me a job where I became a film distributor, where for the most part, I negotiate contracts, terms and conditions with the theaters to make sure that we only get the best pictures out there," he explained.

Future plans

On his future plans, he shared, "Obviously, I have a media and distribution company in Beverly Hills, and we are getting ready to go to Cannes Film Festival. For the most part, we will just continue doing what we are doing."

"I am Co-CEO and founder of Porter and Craig Film and Media Distribution out in Beverly Hills," he said.

"We acquire films and we put them in the theaters and give them theatrical releases. We let the network executives take a look at them, and we shop them on Netflix and Hulu and streamers of that nature," he added.

Advice for hopefuls that wish to go into the entertainment industry

For hopefuls that wish to go into the entertainment business, he said "Be very resilient and to have persistence. It doesn't happen overnight. Make sure you have a plan. Don't go to Hollywood unless Hollywood calls for you. It is important to have a plan."

"There are 1,000 people that go to Hollywood every year looking for stardom, and there are 1,000 people leaving Hollywood each year realizing that it wasn't as easy," he added.

Dream collaboration choices

He would love to someday work with director Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney as his dream collaboration choices in the contemporary entertainment landscape. "I just love what we do," he admitted.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, "Stage III, the Transition." "I am presently writing a book called 'The Blueprint for Film Distribution' on how to navigate the business and the legal landscape," he said.

"I want to publish it and get that out for people, especially anybody that is starting out, to have a blueprint," he said. "That way, it can help them get from Point A to Point B."

Success

On his definition of the word success, he stated, "Being able to help or steer or champion independent filmmakers, especially since there are thousands of films being made annually. I want to help independent filmmakers find the right homes for their films."

"Most filmmakers think that filmmaking is only three phases: pre-production, production, and post-production," he said. "I find myself talking a lot about the last three stages, which is where they spent the most of their money on and that's branding, marketing, and distribution."

"Success, for me, is being a brand champion to the independent filmmakers and helping them to not make the same common mistakes that I am seeing being made over and over again," he concluded.

To learn more about Sgt. Major Keith L. Craig, check out his IMDb page, and follow him on Instagram.