LINDSAY KEYS Filmmaker, Photographer & Writer*~

About Me

It’s been a winding road. I was raised in a rural farm town (Salem, New York—pop. 1,000) where at an early age, the arts became my escape from the mundane. In high school, I decided I would orient my life toward cameras. Why? It was a hunch, or maybe it’s in my DNA. My paternal grandfather, Sonny, was a blue-collar worker who often had a camera in his hand. Only after his death did I realize he had an extraordinary eye.

I received a Bachelor’s in Studio Art with a concentration in photography at Wesleyan University, which is where I discovered the darkroom and the world of filmmaking. Upon graduating in 2011, I moved to New York City to freelance in photography and film production. Various scripts of my own started to take shape, and I even acted in a couple films, but then my health unraveled due to years of undiagnosed Lyme and tick-borne disease.

At age 26, my life was thrown into trash bags and I was moved home to upstate New York. Through a chance encounter at a local doctor’s office, I connected with another filmmaker in the same situation. Together, while navigating debilitating symptoms and medical treatment, we created a feature documentary exposé—The Quiet Epidemic—in association with the legendary Pennebaker Hegedus Films (who we also met through a chance encounter).

In 2022, The Quiet Epidemic was the official selection of more than 20 film festivals (Hot Docs, DOC NYC, Hamptons Int’l Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival), which sparked a limited theatrical run across North America. The film received positive press and reviews, was endorsed by celebrities (thanks, Mark Ruffalo) and was even featured in a clue on Jeopardy. You can now watch The Quiet Epidemic at home.

I’m co-leading The Quiet Epidemic’s impact campaign to leverage the film for change. I’ve been interviewed on Morning Joe and PBS Newshour, for a written piece in TIME, and I penned an op-ed that was published in Newsweek to raise awareness about the cause and our mission. Our current focus is on Congress—to bring the film to Capitol Hill and call for a congressional hearing into our health agencies’ negligence of Lyme and tick-borne disease.

I also host a virtual writing community called Pressure Release, to encourage people along birthing projects of their own (whether professionally or just for fun). From September through May, we have weekly drop-in group co-working sessions, during which I am working on various screenplays and short stories. This year we’re starting to have writing workshops, and I also support people 1-on-1 through private monthly / bi-monthly calls.

Photography will forever be one of my great loves. I still appreciate any opportunity to pick up my cameras. I am most passionate about documentary and portrait photography, but really, I enjoy photographing everything. If you want me to point my eyes and camera at something—or collaborate on anything at all—reach out.

Lastly, my health has improved significantly over the past decade. I am lucky to be alive—with an even greater sense of purpose—and hope to make the most of however much time I have left here on Earth. A big thank you to everyone who supported me, my health and dreams along the way.

Let’s collaborate

I wear many hats: director, producer, photographer, writer, cinematographer, project launcher, fundraiser, graphic designer, creative coach and who knows what else? If you have an idea / project that you may want support with, reach out!