6 minute read
TO SERVE AND PROTECT
IF THERE’S ONE THING KEITH WALLACE LIKES TO DO, IT’S HELPING PEOPLE
By Gaylene Salomons
When he was 5, Keith Wallace’s family moved to Naples from Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Lely High School in 1992; his first job was in the mailroom of the Naples Daily News. While there, he saw an internal posting for a graphic designer. Thinking it would be a “cool job,” he applied, got the position, and stayed at the local newspaper—eventually working as a sales account manager—for an impressive 24 years.
In 2009, Wallace enrolled at Hodges University, obtaining his associate’s degree in criminal justice in 2012, as well as a bachelor’s degree in the same discipline in 2014. During his years in protection services—a part-time career he started in 1997—Wallace provided personal guard duty for local dignitaries, such as U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio. In addition to some private investigation work, he has worked with G4S, a security services provider now owned by Allied Universal, and was chief of security for the Collier County government for six years. Today, he serves as the area asset protection manager for Saks Off 5th locations in Tampa, Naples, Fort Myers, and Ellenton. One day while exercising and staying in shape for his job, Wallace found himself in a moment of self-reflection, thinking: “I work out all the time. I look okay. I’m active. I have a personality. Who am I doing this for? Why?” Without missing a beat or second guessing himself, Wallace found an agent in Naples and began booking modelERIK KELLAR ing and acting gigs in his spare time. “Basically, I was bored,” he explains. His first job offered no compensation. Local opportuni-
ERIK KELLAR
GERARDO ARAGON
ties were scarce, and Wallace frequently found himself traveling to Miami or Orlando for acting-based work.
Slowly, Wallace was able to begin building up his “entertainment” résumé in his spare time, modeling in local television commercials and eventually playing a lead role in the independent film Tacklebox, shot in Naples; he has acted in such movies as One Evening, Chill Out, and The Red Tide Massacre. He has also worked with national brands like Dunkin’, Best Buy, and Coca-Cola. His latest audition was as a doctor for a Walmart commercial. And yes, he got the job.
About his after-hours career Wallace says: “I never had the urge to go to L.A., but I did have the goal to see myself somewhere famous—like a movie or so.” His big break was a nonspeaking role in Avengers: Endgame, playing on the same “stage” as Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Redford. Released in April 2019, the film, with its all-star cast, set numerous box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing film of all time from July 2019 to March 2021.
His role, playing a S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division) agent came naturally to security officer Wallace. It also fulfilled his desire to appear on the big screen. Believing “nothing can top this,” Wallace decided he had made it as far as he wanted to go. He began wondering what was next. In 2021 he launched Wallace Entertainment (WE) with the intent to bring awareness to the talent in Naples, to pass on the knowledge he had gained while working in the industry, and to produce feature films locally. Wallace had established numerous connections during his dual careers, as well as credibility, and as he says, “this business relies on referrals and recommendations.” The WE company initials printed on promotional ball caps and T-shirts have become an unintentional slogan for his company: “It’s not me, but we,” he chuckles. To give all those in the business a platform to connect, Wallace created a private Facebook page for aspiring actors, producers, photographers, singers, and more. “It’s like an online classified section,” he explains. Wallace also manages the @collier_county_entertain ment handle on Instagram. In addition to his company website, Wallace has an IMDb page, which is touted as the world’s most authoritative source for movie, television, and celebrity information. COURTESY OF GUERILLA MEDIA
JAMES MOBLEY
Although still employed full-time in the security world, Wallace can feel himself getting pulled into the entertainment world more and more. His vision—for the next two years at least—includes “making Wallace Entertainment the number one resource for all things entertainment, to be part of four films, and to get Naples noticed as a great destination to make movies.”
The entertainment industry in Southwest Florida is in its infancy, but Wallace sees great potential for Naples, believing that if you live here and you want to break into the business, there is ample opportunity to practice locally. “Naples is a small market, but it’s not necessarily small-market talent,” he adds.
With his protective good-guy nature, Wallace has successfully parlayed his security persona into the entertainment business. “There are so many scams in this business,” he explains. “Because of my desire to protect people from evil, I also take this attitude in the entertainment business.” He feels good about providing that layer of defense to Naples. «
Film in The Sunshine State
Did you know that Jacksonville, Florida, could easily have become the Hollywood of the world? Once considered an international winter film capital, the city played an important role in the early history of film. As the motion picture industry developed and “going to the pictures” grew in popularity, the big city on the Atlantic coast of Florida was an attractive destination for filming with its warm weather, natural settings, architectural diversity, and a location easily accessible by rail from East Coast cities.
A silent film studio was first opened in Jacksonville in 1908; more studios followed, including Metro Pictures, which eventually became MGM, now a Hollywood giant. Florida became the location for many films from the early nineteenth century on, including Midnight Cowboy in 1969, and Jaws 2, the sequel to the 1975 Steven Spielberg film released by Universal Studios. More recently, popular movies filmed on location in Florida include the story of a rambunctious dog, Marley & Me; Transformers: Dark of the Moon, partly filmed at the Kennedy Space Center; and the goofy comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Eventually, the spotlight switched from both New York and Florida to California, where the film industry still flourishes today. To ensure Florida remains a world-renowned production center, The Florida Office of Film and Entertainment (filminflorida.com) in Tallahassee provides the state’s film and entertainment industry with support and services. The film commission reports that Florida is home to the third largest talent pool in the United States. With 825 miles of beach—much of it uninhabited, an array of cityscapes, and year-round sunshine, there are numerous advantages to shooting a movie in Florida.
The Paradise Coast Film Commission (paradisecoast.com/film), a fullservice agency of the Collier County government, actively markets Naples as an option for location filming. Maggie McCarty is the film liaison. As she says, “It is always exciting to share the many facets and beautiful locations our destination has to offer.”
