Hi everyone,

My name is Kevin Clayette, and I’m an actor and filmmaker from New Caledonia, a small island in the South Pacific that rarely makes it onto the map.

Growing up there, the idea of Hollywood and the movies, felt like another planet. The journey from that tiny island to Los Angeles has been anything but easy, it’s been full of obstacles, uncertainty, and countless moments that tested my resolve. But it’s also a journey that forged my tenacity and shaped who I am today.

Over the years, I’ve built my life across Australia, London, and now the United States on an O-1 artist visa, the only path that allows artists like me to work here. I’m now renewing that visa one last time while I work toward permanent residency, but the renewal costs are incredibly high, and I can’t cover them alone. (The final cost will be roughly around 9k. I deliberately set a lower goal on here because I truly intend to fund as much of it as possible myself.)

This past year has been my proudest and hardest.

I self-funded and directed my first short film, GALA, a project I created under the O-1’s work restrictions. It’s now in post-production and will be released next year. I also appeared in the feature Bad Karaoke, a horror comedy that I can't wait for everybody to see.

I've come close to major big roles which only strengthened my resolve that the fruits of my labour are starting to pay off.

I feel like everything I’ve worked for, the craft, the sacrifices, the long years away from home, are finally aligning.

But the reality behind the dream is tough.

I haven’t seen my parents in six years, and I live paycheck to paycheck in a changing industry.

The O-1 renewal is expensive and urgent, but it’s what allows me to stay in the country that now feels like home and to keep telling stories that matter.

Asking for help like this is scary. But I’ve learned that nobody makes it alone. So if you’ve ever watched one of my stories, followed my journey, or believed in artists chasing something bigger than themselves, your support, no matter how small, truly makes a difference.

Thank you for reading, for believing, and for helping me take one more step toward the life I’ve been building since that little boy on a faraway island first dreamed of being on the big screen.

— Kevin