GLORIA CALDERÓN KELLETT is an acclaimed producer, writer, director, and performer with seemingly endless amounts of inspirational creativity. Her work has been hailed for providing audiences with hope by allowing us to see ourselves and each other as relevant, valuable members of a shared modern and diverse American culture. A champion for women, people of color and the LGBTQ community, Calderón Kellett has used storytelling as a tool to unite us as an audience at a time when our world can feel undeniably divided.
Calderón Kellett is a multifaceted talent, who has written and created projects that are not only culturally relevant, but engaging, relatable, and hilarious. Her current project, the television series “One Day at a Time,” is a poignant reimagining of the classic 1970s sitcom from Norman Lear that has shifted its focus to now center around a Cuban-American family. As the daughter of Cuban immigrants who came to America during Operation Peter Pan, she pulled from her own family and personal experiences in crafting the show. Since its debut, “One Day at a Time” has earned praise from critics and audiences alike for offering humor and heart, while still bravely tackling such timely topics as racism, sexism, LGBTQ issues and deportation, as well as mental health & addiction subjects like PTSD, anxiety and alcoholism. The series, co-created by Calderón Kellett, is currently in production on its highly-anticipated 4th season, which will debut on POP on March 27th.
Additionally, Calderón Kellett is poised to have another exciting year ahead as later this year she will make the exciting move to Amazon Studios under a new overall deal that will see her create and develop television series and films through her production company, GloNation.
Calderón Kellett spent her early years as a writer/producer on numerous shows including Devious Maids, Rules of Engagement, and How I Met Your Mother. Her acting credits include Jane The Virgin, Angie Tribeca, Dead To Me, How I Met Your Mother, One Day at a Time, and ABC’s upcoming United We Fall, for which she also wrote. One of her proudest moments was appearing as a narrator on Drunk History (New Orleans). In directing, Calderón Kellett has worked on episodes of One Day at a Time, Mr. Iglesias, Merry Happy Whatever, United We Fall and the Mad About You revival. Among the honors she has earned for her work are a Television Academy Honors award, Mental Health America Media Award, American Latino Media Arts Award, Imagen Award, Vanguard Award, National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Award, Sentinel Award and The Voice Award, not to mention nominations from the Primetime Emmys, The Peabody Awards and the People’s Choice Awards.
Along with her work in television, Calderón Kellett’s theater roots run deep and she’s be lauded for her stage work. The first play she wrote, Plane Strangers, earned her a Kennedy Center/ACTF Achievement in Playwriting Award, a Del Rey Players Achievement in Playwriting Award, and the Loyola Marymount University Playwright of the Year Award. Her play, When Words Are Many, was a finalist for the London Writers Award. Her co-authored play, Dance Like No One’s Looking, won the International Student Playscript Competition. This April, Calderón Kellett will also be honored by the Geffen Playhouse for making an indelible philanthropic mark on the community at their annual “Backstage at the Geffen” event, which supports their ongoing commitment to bring the power and inspiration of the arts to youth and adults in communities across the patchwork of Los Angeles.
Throughout her artistic journey, in each of her roles as performer, writer, and creator, she brilliantly defies stereotypes, while paving the way for women and for people of color. Her work has ignited a positive change that will last for generations to come.
