Hollywood holdout: Transylvania alumnus making films, music videos without moving from small Kentucky hometown

Blake Judd ’04 is living proof you don’t have to move away or change who you are to pursue your dreams. He’s a director, producer and writer who’s made videos for famous musicians like Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus — while remaining a resident of his native Greensburg, Kentucky, which has all of two stoplights.

Judd credits Transylvania University with helping set him on this authentic path — from flirting with computer science to majoring in English to producing a range of video content not only for recording stars but also the likes of NBC, Rolling Stone and Candleberry Candles. He’s also claimed the HorrorHound Convention’s top prize with his short film “Shooter Jennings’ the Other Life” — and his feature documentary “Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin’ the Devil’s Cage” with George Jones and Emmylou Harris premiered at the Nashville Film Festival.

Finding his unique style, his way in life, started back in college with an 180-degree turn. Judd’s initial focus on computers with an eye toward graphic and web design morphed into English — and new worlds opened up. He watched insightful documentary films and read groundbreaking comic books and novels. He made theater friends. “It was a culmination of all these things that kind of helped me realize what I could do,” he said.

Learning from professors how to write well was also key. “Everything you do with film starts with writing,” Judd noted — from pitching story ideas to emailing collaborators.

Writing also allows his authenticity to shine through. “If you spend any time with me, and then you read something I’ve written, it sounds like my voice,” he said. “And that’s what sets you apart is that voice that people hear and remember.”

Judd also benefited from Transylvania’s small class sizes and tight-knit community, which offer some of the same perks as small town life. “I had a personal relationship with my teachers,” he said, pointing out how that might not have been the case at a larger school. “My professors here knew me, and I knew them. And they knew what I was going through — sometimes even if I didn’t tell them.” 

Plus, there’s the accountability of them knowing when you’re not in class — and the fact that a professor is going to pay attention to what you write and comment on it so you’ll improve. “I felt like every paper had to matter because I was going to get feedback,” Judd pointed out. “I couldn’t imagine going to a bunch of classes where nobody knew who I was.”

After graduating, he took what he learned and forged his own path. “Being from a small town, if you wanted to do film-related work, you thought you just had to move to Hollywood or somewhere like that or go to film school. But I figured out that that wasn’t necessary.” So he started out in local television before finding his niche in film and music.

Being from a small town, if you wanted to do film-related work, you thought you just had to move to Hollywood or somewhere like that or go to film school. But I figured out that that wasn’t necessary.

Blake Judd

As he’s remained close to his roots in Greensburg, Judd also keeps in touch with his alma mater. “I’ve managed to stay connected at Transylvania through the relationships that I’ve made with professors and classmates,” he said.

Judd also participates in Alumni Weekend, including this year when he served on the TOPs (Transy’s Outstanding Pioneers) Alumni Panel sponsored by the Center for Academic and Professional Enrichment.

His children have also attended coach Brian Lane’s basketball camp, and Judd himself played for the Pioneers, starting in the Beck Center’s first game.

Nearly a decade later, Judd was tapped to make a video about the historic Battle on Broadway exhibition game between the Transylvania and University of Kentucky men’s basketball teams.

He’s currently producing a variety of projects including the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony featuring Black Stone Cherry and Sturgill Simpson with an appearance by Danny McBride. Judd is also working on two documentaries: “David Allan Coe and His Nine Wives” for Johnny Knoxville alongside Julien Nitzberg, a longtime friend and director of “The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” — and a tour documentary from Kid Rock’s Rock The Country festivals featuring the musician, Jason Aldean and other celebrities like Tucker Carlson and Theo Von.

Judd, whose production company is called Operant Conditioning Chamber, expects these three projects to be released next year.

“You can live in Greensburg, Kentucky, and do that,” he said. “And you can go to Transylvania University and do these things.”