Danielle Kelly

Production Designer + Art Director

Creative Direction Across Spaces & Screen

“Production design isn’t about filling a frame; it’s about revealing the world a story already lives in.”

— Danielle

I’m a Boston-based Production Designer and Art Director who tells stories through space, texture, and atmosphere. With a background in visual art and interior design, I approach each project as a balance of architecture and emotion. Whether transforming raw locations into narrative environments or sculpting the visual rhythm of a scene, I design worlds that shape how stories are seen, felt, and remembered.

Currently based in Boston. Available for film, commercial, and branded content nationwide.

SELECTED WORKS

From short films to commercial campaigns, each project explores the emotional architecture of a story—how texture, color, and form guide the audience’s eye and heart.

Black Business — Production Design

Beyond Measure Films | Dir. Noah Christofer

A grounded portrait of modern hustle and community in Boston. Production design emphasized texture and truth — the lived-in world behind the narrative.

Bridge Together — Production Design & Costume Design

Anawan Studios | Dir. Brahmas Girard

A quiet study of connection and creativity, Bridge Together unfolds inside a hand-built workspace layered with tools, sketches, and memory. The design mirrors the characters’ process — improvisational, intimate, and deeply human.

Billy Somethin’ — Production Design & Costume Design

Anawan Studios | Dir. Brandon Scales

Set in early-1980s Boston, Billy Somethin’ reimagines ambition and survival through texture and tone. The world was built with layered period details — raw interiors, muted glam, and tactile styling that trace the tension between power and place.

Love of a Lifetime - Production Design

David J. Curtis Productions | Dir. David J. Curtis

A tender portrait of love tested by time. The production design balances softness and realism — intimate domestic textures that ground the emotional rhythm of the story.

Recipe — Production Design

Paranoia Productions | Dir. Emanuel Fidalgo

A story of creativity, chemistry, and connection. The set was built to echo a layered domestic workspace — blending color, pattern, and texture to reflect the characters’ creative process and quiet tension.

Hollywood Demons Documentary — Set Design

ID Channel | EP. Emily Bernstein

A vérité-style documentary capturing legacy, resilience, and identity. The set design focused on building intimacy within real spaces — layering personal history through props, light, and composition to honor the subjects’ lived worlds.

Bose 50 Years of Hip Hop / Black at Bose — Art Direction & Set Design

Dir. Shanda Foster | Internal Broadcast

Created to honor 50 years of Hip Hop, this set fused legacy with contemporary design. The environment centered rhythm and reflection — using circular motifs, bold contrast, and curated cultural references to frame dialogue and celebrate artistry across generations.

MBTA / Keolis Commuter Rail – “Just Take the Train” Art Direction

Sweeter The Juice | Wendy Films

A multi-spot campaign reintroducing the commuter rail as a relaxed and connected travel experience. The design approach centered around natural light, color storytelling, and the rhythm of everyday motion — turning real transit into scenes of joy, ease, and belonging.

Whatever Lola Wants — Creative Direction & Production Design

Dir. Danielle Kelly | Self-Produced | Concept Short | 2025

A stylized concept short exploring desire, duality, and design as performance. Through layered vignettes, Whatever Lola Wants blends cinematic storytelling with interior worlds — transforming costume, color, and set into narrative architecture.

A Letter’s Journey – Globe Santa Art Direction

Element Films | The Boston Globe

A winter campaign film following the path of a single letter through The Boston Globe’s Globe Santa program. The design approach balanced warmth and realism — using muted palettes, natural light, and tactile props to evoke care, nostalgia, and community.

CAPABILITIES & SERVICES

Production Design & Art Direction
Concept & Visual Development
Team Building & Department Management
Interior-to-Cinematic Environment Design
Set Design & Prop Fabrication
Costuming & Continuity

From Concept to Construction

Each frame begins as an idea — sketched, modeled, and materialized. My process bridges the narrative and the physical, collaborating closely with directors and cinematographers to align story with spatial rhythm. From digital renders to hand-built sets, I translate emotion into texture, transforming concepts into living environments.