Behind an unassuming garage door at a private residence in Westport is a hand-crafted television studio set which includes a desk based on the dimensions of Conan O ‘Brien ‘s talk show perch, along with lights, cameras and a model train set that delivers drinks. More than a mancave, it is the production home for Brian Kelsey ‘s “Ten Minutes With, ” an internet talk show that fuels Kelsey ‘s personal quest to find the most famous person he can book for an interview.
“I can ‘t say it without laughing, ” Kelsey said with a chuckle after describing his current job as the host, crew, editor and booking agent. His friend Pete Scifo, referred to as “The Professor, ” performs the vital task of opening the garage door for guests and also assists in some aspects of production, but for the most part Kelsey is on his own.
Earlier in his career, Kelsey hosted Martha Stewart ‘s satellite radio show and appeared alongside the celebrated tastemaker in televised segments. He also worked on the production teams of several radio stations and served as the “station voice ” who represented the persona of numerous radio shows.
Kelsey also does carpentry in his spare time, so between that pursuit and his broadcast experience he thought “Ten Minutes With ” would make an interesting project.
“I just kind of started in on a whim, basically like Kramer did in ‘Seinfeld, ‘ ” he said. “And then I realized there were a lot of celebrities in the area, some of which I ‘m friends and acquaintances with. And it ‘s just kind of grown and grown and grown. ”
When Covid hit, Kelsey found himself with even more time on his hands to refine and tune the set. He set up high-end mirrorless cameras to record the show from three angles at once, picking the best angles while editing on his laptop after the show. He even installed a studio PA system which he controls during the show, complete with a mixing board on the replica O ‘Brien desk.
Kelsey ‘s technical setup is built around top-shelf entertainment industry gear that is all available to the general public, while the set itself was built with plain lumber. The real investment was in terms of time and know-how, which Kelsey was able to use to elevate the passion project into the next stage of his career.
Kelsey signed a deal with the streaming platform Moko to produce further episodes of “Ten Minutes With, ” and he hopes that the partnership will allow him to grow his audience and attract bigger names to his garage for an interview. Moko offered him a generous degree of creative freedom with how he runs his show ”“ and in keeping with the platform ‘s ethos on providing positive and upbeat content, Moko also donates $1 of its $3.99 a month subscription fee to charities.
“It ‘s a very low overhead, ” Kelsey quipped about how the expenses covered by the agreement have been put to use. “Only one employee so far. ”
Kelsey said that while he has been doing similar work for years, running his own show is the realization of a dream.
“I ‘ve always been obsessed with late night talk shows, just forever, ” he said. “I ‘ve always made videos about that on my YouTube channel. ”
Since starting his show Kelsey has focused on getting local celebrities to visit, ranging from Stew Leonard Jr. to Craig Melvin from NBC ‘s “Today. ” He said he also hopes to partner with local businesses and has already started reaching out to potential sponsors of segments or providers of guest beverages.
“My dream guest is Jimmy Fallon, just because I ‘m such a huge fan ” Kelsey admitted, adding that he ‘d love to have his former employer and one-time Westport resident Martha Stewart in his studio.
While he said he has plans to take the show further, he expressed hope that it might inspire younger generations to try pursing their dreams.
“All the tools you need are in your pocket, ” he said. “Whether it ‘s a podcast or a YouTube channel, anything. I think about when I was younger and I can ‘t even imagine having the internet or high-quality video on your phone. Take advantage of that and just go for it! “
