Kelly Masterson is a playwright and screenwriter who made his debut with the original screenplay "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead". Prior to his screenwriting career, Kelly was a Franciscan Brother who left the seminary just short of his ordination to pursue a career in theater. His award-winning play "Touch" was produced off-Broadway in 1987, bringing him to New York. Despite achieving several modest successes in the theater, Kelly maintained a day job at a prominent bank in Manhattan.
During this time, Kelly continued to write plays and work towards becoming a full-time writer. His plays have been produced throughout the country in regional theaters, including "Dare Not Speak Its Name", which won the Connecticut Critics Circle award for Outstanding Play. He has also had several New York and Los Angeles productions, including "Against the Rising Sea", "Armageddon North Dakota", "True Story", and "The Word is Out", which won the Critic's Choice Samuel French One-Act Festival.
Kelly adapted another play, "Into the Light", as a teleplay and sold the script to Hallmark Hall of Fame. In 1999, Kelly wrote his first original screenplay, which was finally produced eight years later, marking the culmination of his long and patient journey to success.
In addition to "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead", Kelly has written screenplays for "Snowpiercer", directed by Bong-Joon-ho, "Good People", directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, and adapted the best-selling book "Killing Kennedy" for National Geographic Channel, produced by Scott Free T.V. He has also sold original pilots to AMC, USA, and ABC.
Kelly lives in New Jersey with his partner of over 25 years and their dogs, all of whom are Yankee fans.
