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Kelly McPherson

Writer and producer

Writers Guild Award nominee

Kelly McPherson grew up in suburban Dallas and studied film and television at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation, he moved to Los Angeles and went to work for Oscar-winning producer, Arnold Shapiro as a producer, and later, a writer. Kelly segued from the early days of reality television to writing and producing historical documentaries including the successful mini-series Las Vegas, Gamble in the Desert for A&E and The History of Sex for History. In 1998 he was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for outstanding documentary writing for Lusitania: Murder on the Atlantic (A&E). In 2002, Kelly adapted Joseph Ellis' Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Founding Brothers" for History and was nominated for a second WGA award for outstanding documentary writing for the project. In 2006, Kelly moved to Authentic Entertainment, where he served as executive producer/showrunner for six seasons on the hit Food Network series, Ace of Cakes. In 2007, Kelly collaborated with Oscarwinning writer/producer Randall Wallace (Braveheart, We Were Soldiers, Pearl Harbor) to create "Fight or Die" - a Discovery special on the first major battle of Vietnam. Kelly served as EP, co-creator and writer on the project. In 2008, Kelly started Karga Seven Pictures with partners, Emre Sahin and Sarah Wetherbee. Since establishing Karga Seven Pictures, Kelly has executive produced the series How Booze Built America with Mike Rowe for Discovery, Futurescape with James Woods and Alien Encounters for Science Channel, as well as numerous series and specials for networks including History, Discovery, National Geographic, TLC, Travel Channel, ID, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Animal Planet, Weather Channel, and MTV.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 64 days to Oct 27

What are Kelly McPherson's films like?

Across their 22 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
26%
Survival
17%
Society
15%
Morality
13%
Self
11%
Power
11%
Bonds
7%
Truth10 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith4 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
11
Contemplative
11
Thrilling
6
Warm
5
Hopeful
6
Other
15

How their films linger

Thought-provoking11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous14

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Kelly McPherson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on discovery+ (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Kelly McPherson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page.

  • Testament: The Story of Moses(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Good Sex(2022)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Midnight at the Pera Palace(2022)

    Show Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • Vampires in America(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch(2021)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • Rise of Empires: Ottoman(2020)

    Show 12 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Atlas of Cursed Places(2020)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • Bin Laden's Hard Drive(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Paranormal Declassified(2020)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Contact(2019)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Duff Takes The Cake(2019)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Killing Time(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Untold Story(2019)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Legends of the Lost with Megan Fox(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Buried: Knights Templar and the Holy Grail(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Hard to Kill(2018)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • The Hunt for the Zodiac Killer(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • Shot in the Dark(2017)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Booze Traveler(2014)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • How Booze Built America(2012)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sniper: Deadliest Missions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Writer

  • Sniper: Inside the Crosshairs(2009)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Ace of Cakes(2006)

    Show 27 episodes · Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows

  • The True Story of Hannibal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Writer

  • UFO Invasion at Rendlesham (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Producer · Writer

  • The New Roswell: Kecksburg Exposed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Producer · Writer

  • Deep Sea Detectives(2003)

    Show Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Founding Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

  • Sensational Cities: New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Co-Producer · Writer

  • The History of Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 5 episodes · Writer

  • History's Mysteries: The Enduring Mysteries of Stonehenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer

  • Lusitania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 1998 to 2024.

Highest rated

Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020)

Midcredits 90th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing11 of 17: 7 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing10 of 17: 6 only producing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score42nd

17 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s5 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1999–2003.

  1. 2003
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Documentary - Other Than Current Events
  2. 1999
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Documentary - Other Than Current Events

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Kelly McPherson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

15thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th10
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 23 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic6
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · producer

Duff Takes The Cake (2019)

94th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Booze Traveler (2014)

Midcredits 93rd · 89% liked

Reviewers score the plot and story 39/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 18. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Kelly McPherson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Kelly McPherson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Kelly McPherson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Emre Sahin shares the most, 21.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles