Channel 5
Andrew Callaghan, the 27-year-old director and journalist known for his popular Channel 5 YouTube videos, is back with his most intimate project yet: “Dear Kelly.”
The documentary is Callaghan’s first major project since his debut film “This Place Rules,” which premiered on HBO in 2022. It also marks his return to filmmaking since he took a hiatus from his career in light of allegations of sexual misconduct in early 2023. After apologizing for his past behavior, Callaghan took a break, began therapy, and completed a 12-step program from Alcoholics Anonymous. He is currently on tour bringing “Dear Kelly” to his fans across the country and plans to distribute it independently later this year.
“Dear Kelly” originated at a 2021 White Lives Matter rally in Huntington Beach, California, when Callaghan encountered a pro-Trump protester who called herself Kelly J. Patriot (real name: Kelly Johnson). In his typical man-on-the-street style, Callaghan interviewed Johnson for one of his Channel 5 videos. In a bizarre and memorable segment, Johnson alluded to his participation in the January 6 riot at the Capitol, peddled conspiracy theories about Kobe Bryant’s assassination and was arrested for waving a flagpole during the protest.
However, one particularly bizarre moment from the interview stood out to Callaghan: Johnson claimed that a man named Bill Joiner stole his house using falsified legal documents. So Callaghan decided to dig deeper. He arranged a second interview with Johnson and learned that he was a former lawyer and father of three who had applied for a $100,000 loan from Joiner’s company years ago. Johnson alleged that Joiner falsified documents and sent a notice of default that led to Johnson’s family being evicted from their multimillion-dollar home. Johnson has never met Joiner in person, but has since led a private crusade against the financier and blames him for ruining his life.
In “Dear Kelly,” Callaghan investigates what really happened between Johnson and Joiner. The filmmaker goes to creative lengths to unmask Joiner, including staking out his building in ghillie suits with Johnson. He interviews Johnson’s children and ex-wife to discover how a typical family man transformed into an obsessive conservative who protests Planned Parenthood and Antifa. Throughout the documentary, Callaghan develops a close relationship with Johnson and uncovers the tortuous truth behind his “stolen” house. At the end, he also reveals that an unexpected call from Johnson could have saved Callaghan’s life.
During an emotional family intervention, Callaghan plays a voicemail message Johnson had left for him amid the controversy surrounding Callaghan’s sexual misconduct allegations. Callaghan reveals in the film that he was researching how to kill himself when Johnson asked him to stay strong and get up when you get knocked down.
“It definitely played a big part in saving my life,” Callaghan says. Variety. “At the time, my personal support system had kind of evaporated. He was one of the people who was there to check on me and ask me how I was doing, and that was enough for me to realize, “Okay, keep working. »
And while Callahan is “not quite ready to speak publicly about this period yet,” he says there will be “a time and place for that.”
“I didn’t want to include too much of my personal experience in this film,” says Callaghan. “It’s alluded to a little bit, but I didn’t want to say too much about what it took away from Kelly’s story. But there will definitely be a time when I will talk more openly about this break and what I experienced. For now, I’m just focusing on work.
After a nine-month hiatus, Callaghan returned to YouTube last fall with longer, more documentary videos. Each Channel 5 video is regularly viewed millions of times, with its most popular projects focusing on drug addiction in San Francisco, Las Vegas’ homeless population living in underground tunnels, and a group of teenage car thieves in Connecticut, known as the Kia Boyz.
“I take my job a lot more seriously now,” says Callaghan. “What do I really like to do?” What do I feel like I was put on Earth to do? Not to get rich, not to make successful Hollywood films, but simply to continue doing journalism. It’s a film in which I said to myself: “I’m going to do this because it’s close to my heart.” I think it can benefit the world. I think a lot of people have a Kelly in their family and don’t know what to do. This movie may not give you the solution, but it might give you a place to start.
While “This Place Rules” premiered on HBO and streamed on Max, “Dear Kelly” is an entirely independent feature from Channel 5. Callaghan plans to make it available to rent later this year and then purchase it on a bigger platform for syndication.
“We finished this film literally 30 minutes before the tour started,” he says. “On our first day in Atlanta, we did the computer export right before, so it was cool to bypass the typical Hollywood post-production process and give it directly to the fans. People love it. I’ve never seen anyone cry while watching a Channel 5 video before, and seeing tears is just crazy. I didn’t know I was capable of creating such a range of emotions.
Callaghan tinkered with the final cut of the film after each showing of the tour and asked packed crowds what should be added or removed. He currently estimates that “Dear Kelly” – the last scene of which was filmed in late May – is about 85% complete and still needs audio mixing, color changing and animation added before it is finally finished.
The director still keeps in touch with Johnson, but the documentary’s namesake has yet to see the film. Plus, he and Callaghan still haven’t met Joiner — who is now suing the “Dear Kelly” team.
“We released a trailer on our Instagram and YouTube. He misinterpreted the trailer. He has a false idea of what the film is,” Callaghan says. “He filed a lawsuit against me and everyone who filmed it because he seems to think we are adopting Kelly’s grievances and narrative, which is not the case. Hopefully when he sees the movie, the problem can be solved. I don’t think he’s that unreasonable. I just think he has the wrong idea, which is unfortunate.
What began as a chase to discover the person who allegedly robbed Johnson’s house ended up being an in-depth study of the character of a man pushed toward far-right politics after a personal tragedy. “Dear Kelly” ends with a comprehensive overview of Johnson’s current situation and the impact he has left on his family. Like any Channel 5 video, there are plenty of awkward interview moments, freestyle raps and colorful characters – but this one might leave viewers shedding a few tears.
“The film was never about de-radicalizing him or keeping him away from politics,” Callaghan says. “It was about helping him prioritize his family over political obsession.” That’s the main thing, you just have to change these roles. But it seems that he has moved away from his family a little and is less present than ever. Maybe this movie could be part of his recovery, because it will help him see things from a bird’s eye view. Sometimes it’s hard to see how you act when you’re immersed in your own shame cycle, like him.