# Kelly Blatz

Kelly Steven Blatz (born June 16, 1987) is an American actor, director, writer, producer, editor and musician. He is best known for playing the lead role in Aaron Stone.

## Career

Blatz made his acting debut in Simon Says (2006), then appeared in The 7 (2006). He appeared in the 2008 remake of Prom Night with Brittany Snow and Idris Elba. The same year he went on to play the psychopathic son of a preacher in Phedon Papamichael's intense thriller From Within with Thomas Dekker and Jared Harris, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2009, Blatz played the lead in the independent feature film April Showers, based on the Columbine shootings. He has since become known for his role as Aaron Stone in the Disney XD television show. In 2010, TBS cast him as the lead in their first hour-long comedy, Glory Daze. In 2012 he starred in the film Lost Angeles, where he played a homeless convict who gets caught up in the world of paparazzi.
In 2014, he was cast as the lead role in Marcus Nispel's Exeter. Following that, he starred in Charles Olivier Michaud's drama 4 Minute Mile alongside Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger, and Analeigh Tipton. He played Drew Jacobs, a talented high school runner who is mentored by his neighbor (Jenkins) to escape a life of drugs alongside his brother (Cam Gigandet). Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times called Blatz's performance "so deep and affecting it often evokes Timothy Hutton's Oscar-winning turn in "Ordinary People". The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in June, 2014.
He was cast as the role of Brandon in the second season of AMC's Fear the Walking Dead in 2016. He also played John Wilkes Booth in NBC's series Timeless.
He starred in the horror film Hex set in Cambodia and co-starring Jenny Boyd and Ross McCall. In 2020, he starred opposite Jacqueline Bisset in the film Loren & Rose, written and directed by Russell Brown. He plays Loren, a promising young filmmaker who develops a friendship with an iconic actress.

## Directing

In 2015 he directed a series of short documentaries on numerous artists in Los Angeles. In that same year he co-directed, edited and starred in a narrative short film titled "The Stairs" co-starring Anthony Heald. The film won the Jim Teece Audience Award for best short film at the 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at the 2016 River's Edge International Film Festival.
He directed, co-wrote, produced and edited his first feature film titled Senior Love Triangle based on the award-winning documentary photo series by Isadora Kosofsky featured in TIME magazine. The film stars Tom Bower, Marlyn Mason and Anne Gee Byrd, and follows the romance between three senior citizens in East Hollywood. The film premiered at the 2019 Rhode Island Film Festival and went on to play at over twenty festivals, receiving numerous awards including Best Feature and Best Writing at Breckenridge Film Festival and Best Feature at Syracuse International Film Festival and Defy Film Festival. It was showcased at Newfilmmakers Los Angeles' October 2019 program and was nominated for Best Feature Film of the year. It was acquired by Gravitas Ventures and was released on August 4, 2020 to very positive reviews. The film has an approval rating of 100% on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
He wrote and directed his second feature film titled One Fast Move starring KJ Apa, Eric Dane, Maia Reficco and Edward James Olmos. The film is an action drama about a young man down on his luck who seeks out his estranged father to help him pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer. It was shot in Atlanta, Georgia and was released worldwide by Amazon MGM Studios on August 8, 2024. The film reached #1 Worldwide on Amazon Prime following its release.

## Music

Blatz was the lead singer in the band Capra for seven years, playing in numerous Los Angeles venues including The Viper Room and The House of Blues. The band self-released their first album in 2007 titled "Gypsy Jones". After signing to Hollywood Records, the band's single "Low Day" was featured in the movie "Skyrunners" which Blatz also starred in. "Low Day" was also featured in a national Expedia commercial and Guitar Hero 5. The band made a record with producer Matt Wallace. Before the record came out, Blatz left the band due to differences.
In 2011, he released two solo albums, Black Box and White Noise, under the name Scott Kid. The popular music blog Pigeons and Planes described his music as an "indie rock version of The Weeknd--like the chapter to a book that tells the story of courting, love, separation and the gritty rekindling of something forbidden."
In 2021, he released an acoustic EP titled "Uzes".

## Filmography

Film :
| Year | Title | Role |
| 2006 | Simon Says | Will |
| 2006 | The Oakley Seven | Zeke Guthrie |
| 2008 | From Within | Dylan |
| 2008 | Prom Night | Michael Allen |
| 2008 | Whore | Rapper #2 |
| 2009 | April Showers | Sean Ryan |
| 2009 | Skyrunners | Nick Burns |
| 2012 | Lost Angeles | Jared |
| 2013 | Reaver | Chris |
| 2014 | 4 Minute Mile | Drew Jacobs |
| 2015 | Exeter | Patrick |
| 2018 | Hex | Ben Trepanier |
| 2019 | What Lies Ahead | Kyle |
| 2020 | Love By Drowning | Davis Martin |
| 2020 | Sinister Savior | Daniel |
| 2022 | Loren & Rose | Loren |
Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Zoey 101 | Gene | Episode: "Dance Contest" |
| 2009–2010 | Aaron Stone | Charlie Landers / Aaron Stone | Main role |
| 2009 | 90210 | Max | Episode: "Life's a Drag" |
| 2009 | Sonny with a Chance | James Conroy | Episode: "Sonny With a Chance of Dating" |
| 2010–2011 | Glory Daze | Joel Harrington | Main role |
| 2013 | Chicago Fire | Officer Elam Smith | Episode: "Let Her Go" |
| 2014 | Chicago P.D. | Officer Elam Smith | Episode: "Stepping Stone" |
| 2015 | NCIS | Petty Officer Kyle Friedgen | Episode: "Day in Court" |
| 2016 | Lucifer | Kevin | Episode: "Manly Whatnots" |
| 2016 | Fear the Walking Dead | Brandon Luke | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Timeless | John Wilkes Booth | Episode: "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" |
| 2018 | The Good Doctor | Aidan Coulter | Episode: "Heartfelt" |
| 2019 | S.W.A.T. | Kai | Episode: "Bad Faith" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2016 | Ashland Independent Film Festival | Jim Teece Audience Award for Best Short Film | The Stairs | Won |
| 2016 | River's Edge International Film Festival | Special Jury Prize Best Short Film | The Stairs | Won |
| 2016 | Palm Beach International Film Festival | Best Short Film | The Stairs | Nominated |
| 2019 | Breckenridge Film Festival | Best Drama Feature | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | Breckenridge Film Festival | Best Writing | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | Syracuse International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | Burbank International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | Defy Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | Another Hole in the Head Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Senior Love Triangle | Won |
| 2019 | NewFilmmakers Los Angeles | Best Feature Film of the Year | Senior Love Triangle | Nominated |
| 2019 | Film Threat Award This | Best Indie Feature Film of the Year | Senior Love Triangle | Nominated |
| 2019 | Film Threat Award This | Best Director | Senior Love Triangle | Nominated |