Kent Kay
Film & Digital Media Educator • Instructional Technology Leader

Profile
Media educator and creative director with nearly 30 years in television production and 13 years as a Creative Director at a group of television stations in Southern California. Teach digital imaging and video post-production; develop curriculum in directing actors, film auteurs, and generative AI for creatives. Student-centered instructor focused on practical skills, industry pathways, and inclusive learning.

Academic Appointments

• Adjunct Faculty, College of the Desert  — Present

  • Courses: DDP-101 Digital Imaging (Photoshop), DDP-120 Video Post Production (Premiere Pro), DDP-106 Generative AI for Creatives, DDP-142 Digital Storyboarding (Storyboarder Pro).

  • Responsibilities: Course design (Canvas), lecture capture, assessment rubrics, accessibility, and student support.

  • Guided Pathways Committee - Pillar 1 co-chair

  • Generative AI Certificate Steering Committee - Team 1 - Creative Programming

  • Staff Prioritization Committee

Education

• Ph.D., Leadership (Instructional Technology),  — In Progress

• MFA, Film & Television Production,  — In Progress

• MA, Photography, Academy of Art University

• BA, Film, University of Nevada Las Vegas

Certifications

• Adobe Certified Professional:

  • Adobe Visual Designer

  • Adobe Premiere Pro

  • Adobe Photoshop

• Canvas LMS trained

• Distance Education Certification

• ACUE Certification

• Storyboard Pro Certification - in progress

Presentations & Workshops

• Presenter, AI Symposium, College of the Desert — “Demonstrating AI Tools in Adobe Photoshop” (August 13, 2025).

Curriculum & Course Development

• Generative AI for Creatives — launched course with student-facing virtual AI assistant (Playlab.ai).

• How to Direct Actors — practice-based directing pedagogy for community college learners — in progress.

• Major Directors in Cinema — Study of the works of major filmmakers through the auteur theory and other approaches. Different individuals studied each time course offered. May be repeated to a maximum of nine credits — in progress.

• Launching speaker series and film lab initiatives to fund student productions and experiential learning — in progress.

Courses Taught (Selected)

• Digital Imaging (Photoshop) — DDP-101

  • Non-destructive workflow, selections & masks, tonal/color correction, retouching.

  • Creative AI: Adobe Firefly & Generative Fill for concepting and iteration.

  • Certification prep aligned to ACP Premiere Pro objectives.

• Video Post Production (Premiere Pro) — DDP-120

  • Editing fundamentals: timing, continuity, audio leveling, color basics, web/broadcast delivery.

  • Certification prep aligned to ACP Premiere Pro objectives.

• Generative AI for Creatives — DDP-106

  • Prompt engineering, ​

  • Certification prep aligned to Certiport objectives.

  • Use Generative AI legally and ethically to create content of all kinds—text, images, video, audio, and more.

  • Develop content using the ideation design process, improving critical thinking skills while using GenAI software.

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• Digital Storyboarding — DDP-142

  • Creating visual story images from written concepts

  • Structuring narratives for different media formats

  • Applying camera techniques, sound, and timing

  • Using digital drawing tablets and professional storyboard software

  • Exporting and sharing work in industry-standard formats

Student Mentorship & Outcomes

• Faculty Mentor Certificate

• Supervised student crews on short-form productions; select work entered into regional festivals.

• Career coaching toward internships, scholarships, and transfer pathways.

Creative Work (Selected Films)

• Name Tag — Producer / Director / Cinematographer / Editor.

• Perfect — Producer / Gaffer 

  •  Selection: HollyShorts, TCL Chinese Theatre.

• The Last Tear — Producer / Gaffer / Camera

  • shot over two days; student-forward crew model

• Surprise — Producer / Director / Editor.

Awards & Honors

• 5× Emmy Awards (NATAS Pacific Southwest Chapter)

• 2× Edward R. Murrow Awards (regional)

• Golden Mike Award

• LA Press Club Award

• Promax Award 

• Bronze Quill Award

Professional Service & Leadership

• National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Pacific Southwest Chapter)

  • Board of Governors - Education Committee Co-Chair

• Palm Springs Women in Film & Television (PSWIFT)

  • Former Board of Directors & Scholarship Chair.

• Cathedral City High School digital academy student mentor

  • ​Inspired, guided, and critiqued high school juniors and seniors as they worked toward completing their digital media projects. 

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Professional Experience (Industry)

• Creative Director, KESQ News Channel 3 — Palm Springs, CA (13 years)

  • Led brand creative across broadcast/digital; produced, wrote, shot, and edited thousands of promos and commercials.

  • Managed writers, editors, and designers; coordinated with clients, community partners, and campaigns.

• Various positions such as Executive Producer, Director of Photography, and Content Producer over two decades at several major market television stations in Houston, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas and Reno.​

• Independent Filmmaker — Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Gaffer, Camera, Editor

  • Short films and branded projects with student-integrated production models.

Skills & Tools
Premiere Pro (Advanced) • Photoshop (Advanced) • After Effects (Intermediate) • DaVinci Resolve (basic) • Audition (basic) • Storyboarder Pro • Google Workspace • Canvas LMS • Chatbot training (Playlab.ai) • DSLR & DSLM cameras • ENG / EFP cameras • Strobe & video lighting • Lighting modifiers • Grip equipment •  Microsoft Word • Microsoft Excel • Microsoft Power Point • Apple Pages • Apple Numbers • Apple Keynote 

References
Available upon request.