#103 - Kay A Oliver: Leaving Hollywood Without Leaving Storytelling

#103 - Kay A Oliver: Leaving Hollywood Without Leaving Storytelling

From Was It Chance? by Alan Seales, Heather Vickery & Broadway Podcast Network

December 16, 2025 · 1h 9m · Episode 103

About this episode

Kay A. Oliver discusses her journey in Hollywood and the importance of storytelling on her own terms.

Award-winning author and Hollywood veteran Kay A. Oliver joins Was It Chance to unpack a career shaped by creative persistence, hard-earned reinvention, and the courage to walk away from systems that no longer fit. With more than three decades in Hollywood—spanning writing, production, consumer products, and studio work—Kay shares what it really takes to survive (and stay sane) in an industry driven by power, timing, and compromise. After being laid off during a breast cancer diagnosis, Kay made a pivotal decision: stop waiting for permission and start telling stories on her own terms. That choice led her to novel writing, where her work has earned more than 30 literary awards and sparked interest from streaming platforms for adaptation. In this episode, Kay breaks down the creative and business realities of Hollywood, the difference between writing for screen versus page, why failure is a prerequisite for success, and how trusting yourself can be the biggest creative risk of all. This conversation is candid, sharp, and deeply grounded in lived experience—proof that sometimes the most important “chance” is deciding not to play by someone else’s rules. Connect With Us: 📩 Email us…

People in this episode

Hosts: Alan Seales, Heather Vickery

Guest: Kay A. Oliver

Topics covered

  • storytelling
  • Hollywood
  • creative persistence
  • reinvention
  • failure
  • success

Keywords

  • storytelling
  • Hollywood
  • creative risk
  • literary awards
  • screenwriting
  • novel writing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Hollywood, Broadway Podcast Network, TikTok, LinkedIn

Books & works: Was It Chance

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