As K. Nichols Studio’s resident “Shakes-pert,” some might assume Kelly would be a stickler for the rules and a tad stuffy, but that is not the case! Kelly infuses her lessons on Shakespeare or "Billy Shakes" as she lovingly refers to him with play. This sense of play extends throughout her teaching and performing.A native of Massachusetts, Kelly studied musical theater at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. There, Kelly discovered a passion for voice and speech work. Kelly’s studies sent her across the pond to study Shakespeare in Performance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Most recently, Kelly’s love of travel and acting combined; she toured the country playing Laura in ArtsPower National Touring Theater’s LAURA INGALLS WILDER. Kelly was a member of the inaugural ensemble of the Shakespeare Academy @ Stratford and has trained in the Lucid Body Method as well as with Shakespeare & Company. When Kelly is not performing, she works as the Program Director for the Shakespeare Academy @ Stratford in Connecticut. In her free time, Kelly enjoys doing yoga, cooking, and exploring all the best restaurant deals NYC has to offer.

Christopher A. Raines is producer, writer, and director with Raines Down Productions in Memphis, TN. He is the go-to guy for K. Nichols Studio students self-tapes and for shooting ‘reel-y’ great reel material. Chris and Morgan head the the screenwriting program for kids and teens to develop and write their own material, and then Chris shoots the project on location with students. Both kids and teens alike find Chris’s passion for film and the creative arts absolutely contagious and always have a blast! His first film, Inner Child, won Best Tennessee Short Film at Knoxville Film Festival. Since then, he has directed 8 other short films and a Dorito’s commercial. Along with writing, directing, and producing, he works for a small mom and pop package delivery company, called FedEx. He lives in Memphis, TN with his incredibly cute dog, Cooper.

As K. Nichols Studio’s founder, Katelyn is at the hub of all creative goings-on as the head coach and oversees the company’s business development. Katelyn grew up on a Christmas Tree farm in Mississippi where she was frequently spotted welcoming guests as an Irish Dancing Christmas Elf (yes, really). No stranger to the stage, at age five she started traveling the country as a competitive championship Irish Dancer for 8 1/2 years and was seen performing in over 25 award winning roles in productions like “Becky Shaw” and “Time Stands Still”. She graduated magna cum laude from University of Memphis (Go Tigers!) where she earned a BFA in Theater Performance and a minor in Leadership and Communication, and later graduated from the 2-year Meisner intensive at the Maggie Flangian Studio in NYC.  

Katelyn worked behind the scenes for several years building her knowledge of the business by working for Jonas Group Entertainment (clients included The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Jordin Sparks), talent agencies in both LA and NYC, and three casting offices for Broadway and Off Broadway shows, TV/Film, and commercials. Her wealth of knowledge provides students with an inside look at what really goes on behind the scenes and gives students a grounded approach to auditions and the business as a whole.

In addition to working with kids and teens, she works as an Executive Coach to business leaders around the world with clients from multiple Fortune 500 companies, including GM, Cisco, GE, and BorgWarner. In her spare time, Katelyn continues to work toward earning additional yoga certifications (she’s already certified as a Kids/Teen yoga instructor) and works with Charity: Water to raise money for a well she hopes to fully fund by 2025 in Uganda.