Draft:Kevan Ali - American Film Director

Submission declined on 18 July 2025 by RangersRus (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia. If you would like to continue working on the submission, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. If you have not resolved the issues listed above, your draft will be declined again and potentially deleted. If you need extra help, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. Please do not remove reviewer comments or this notice until the submission is accepted. Where to get help If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews. If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed. How to improve a draft Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia. Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Add tags to your draft Editor resources Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs Declined by RangersRus 3 months ago. Last edited by RangersRus 3 months ago. Reviewer: Inform author. Resubmit Please note that if the issues are not fixed, the draft will be declined again.

• Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest policy, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Kools6578 (talk) 15:27, 18 July 2025 (UTC)

Kevan Ali is an American filmmaker, director, and creative executive, recognized for combining emotionally driven narratives with high-concept filmmaking. He is the founder and first-appointed Chief Creative Ambassador of the Sparta NJ Film Commission, where he leads a first-of-its-kind initiative to establish Sussex County, New Jersey as a film production hub.^[1]

Ali’s efforts contributed to Sparta becoming **the first officially designated film town in Sussex County** when it was certified as "film-ready" by the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission in 2024. The designation allows the town to attract film and television projects through streamlined permitting, production-friendly policies, and the leveraging of New Jersey's growing tax incentive programs.^[2]

Ali first gained regional attention with Emerald Ties, a **drama short film** that featured a cameo by actor Mark Pellegrino. The film explored emotional themes and regional identity, blending traditional storytelling with a dramatic arc focused on human connection.^[3][4]

In 2025, Ali wrote and directed Subversion, a 14-minute psychological thriller about a former federal agent confronting hallucinations and paranoia after a covert assignment. The film blends glitched visual storytelling, immersive sound design, and themes of identity, control, and technology’s role in human consciousness.^[5]

During the production of Subversion, Ali launched the Sparta NJ Film Commission, becoming both its founder and first-appointed Chief Creative Ambassador. The commission’s goal is to grow Sparta and Sussex County into a region that can support film and television production at a studio level, taking advantage of New Jersey's tax credits and encouraging local economic development.^[6]

For Subversion, Ali personally recruited Bryan Smaller, a senior colorist from Company 3 Los Angeles. Smaller’s credits include John Wick 4, as well as projects with Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber.^[7]

The film’s sound team includes designers and engineers credited on Avengers: Endgame, Arrival, Mr. Robot, and Rick and Morty.^[8]

The cast features Geoffrey Owens (The Cosby Show, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Todd Haberkorn (X-Men ’97, Ben 10, Fullmetal Alchemist), and Frank Dolce (Law & Order: SVU, Sons of Tucson). Technical production was supported by Briteshot, which provided the same lighting and production equipment used in Bridge of Spies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, West Side Story, The Fabelmans, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.^[9]

Emerald Ties featured a score composed in a **John Williams–style orchestration**, blended with **Irish Celtic music** to enhance the film’s emotional tone and thematic elements.^[10]

The score for Subversion was composed by the independent electronic rock band ROMES. The band is known for blending cinematic textures with experimental sound design and recently worked on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Their involvement in Subversion was announced during Ali’s interview on SOS Radio Live.^[11]

In June 2025, Ali appeared on SOS Radio Live, in a segment titled "The Art of Storytelling: A Behind-the-Scenes Look," where he discussed his creative approach, the development of the Sparta NJ Film Commission, and the evolution of his filmmaking style from Emerald Ties to Subversion.^[12]

Ali’s work on Subversion represents a unique model of combining filmmaking with regional economic development. By building infrastructure and collaborating with top-tier partners, he has positioned Sussex County as a location for high-level film production.^[13]

Subversion serves as a calling card for the region, demonstrating that Sussex County can host major productions and attract Hollywood-level talent. The project led to scouting interest from Netflix, including location visits for Happy Gilmore 2, signaling a broader shift in how nontraditional regions participate in the film industry.^[14]

Ali’s work bridges independent filmmaking with large-scale creative and logistical innovation. His focus is on expanding the scope of where and how high-concept content is produced, creating opportunities for local communities to engage with the film and television economy.^[15]

Category:American film directors Category:American film producers Category:People from Sussex County, New Jersey Category:Living people Category:21st-century American filmmakers