Personality Profile

THE STARS HAVE ALIGNED FOR ALEXANDRIA’S Kevin Peck

JUST DROPPING A FEW NAMES:

Oliver Stone John Sayles Samuel Jackson Rita Moreno Kevin Costner Patty Duke Astin Barry Bostwick Tim Roth Alexis Arquette Rory Cochran Glenn Close Mary Tyler Moore Madonna Marley Matlin William Hurt

Have you ever had everything come together for no apparent reason than kismet? If you have, you are very lucky. After many years of being in the business of film production with some professional acting thrown in, event planning and production, restaurant management, and all things food service related including bartending and catering, Kevin’s worlds collided at the first event he was pulling together at his latest gig as Restaurant and Catering Manager at Café 1823 on the campus of the Virginia Theological Seminary here in Alexandria. First of all, I had no idea that the campus had a restaurant and pub that “regular” people can frequent. Guess it really is a “best kept secret”.

The day I conducted the interview for this column was the day before the event and Peck admitted that he was a bit on the nervous side. Said event was a reception and unveiling event for a TV Pilot Episode, Being Van Black, that Kevin has a role in as Maurice, the agent to the main character, Van Black who is a journalist who is drugged and goes off of the rails (think the guy from the movie Network) and lots of intrigue ensues. At the time this event was booked, Peck had no clue that the reception was for the unveiling of a production that he was in and that the people who booked it had ties to his old high school. The unveiling went off beautifully with the food, the venue and the company enjoying every aspect of it. Compliments abounded for Kevin and his team. Not every day your acting career combines with your catering career.

I have known Kevin since the mid 90’s. We met at the now defunct Fleetwood’s on Canal Street where he assisted with getting the place open. We think it may have been when Bonnie Raitt was playing and before I was involved with the Old Town Crier. Anyway, I’ve always thought there was something special about this guy. Until I did the interview I didn’t realize what a versatile character he is.

He is a local kid whose entire immediate family – mother, 3 brothers and 2 sisters - still resides in the Alexandria area. He attended high school at then Groveton now West Potomac where he said he wasn’t exactly the model student. That being said, immediately after high school he moved to the Big Apple to attend acting school. He says while he loved the school part, he wasn’t very good at the drumming up auditions part. This is when he decided he was a fabulous fit for the behind the scenes and production end of film making. He has held several positions as Associate Producer and told me he is pretty handy at smoothing over testy situations that pop up in the business. He says that’s because he takes after his father who was an excellent flirt and was pretty persuasive in his day. He has met and worked with a plethora of famous people who were both in front and behind the camera in the film business. He has had a few stints on screen as well and was lucky enough to attend the Grammy’s backstage in 2004. He has lived in the notorious Chelsea Hotel in NYC, danced at Limelight and the Palladium - all at very young age. He has danced with Angela Bassett, sang with Jeff Goldbloom, got acting tips from Lloyd Bridges, lunched in Donald Sutherland’s trailer on set and rubbed elbows with many others.

As time went on, Kevin made the move back home to Alexandria in 1992 and got back into the hospitality business. He has opened many a local restaurant and worked as a server, a bartender, a general manager, an event designer, director of special events….and the list goes on.

In between some of those gigs he used his film production expertise at United Way Worldwide, Rafferty and Weiss Film & Media and Castle Gate Media & Ogilvy Worldwide to name a few.

Kevin has a very easy way about him. Again, he attributes that to his late father. He is very witty and obviously very talented. I have watched him morph into a few different looks over the years and I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of his pandemic inspired long hair, just didn’t suit him. I guess he has the long hair in his “Being Van Black” role so if it makes the big time, you may be able to check it out for yourself and form your own opinion.