Kairos Productions is the brainchild of two driven individuals.
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Its creative vision was born in 2003, when Cornelia Duryée felt
the call to make moving, life-affirming films that she wasn’t seeing
anyone else create. As a founding member of Seattle’s classical
theater community, she felt she could bring thought provoking
projects to the screen.
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Larry Estes, a veteran producer, recognized the uniqueness of Duryée’s voice, and signed on as her business partner. He is using the know-how he gained producing 80+ feature films to ensure that Kairos flourishes. With these two creative forces at the helm, Kairos Productions was formally incorporated on St. Patrick’s Day, 2008.
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To date, Kairos has made five feature length films, all of which are available on multiple streaming platforms, and co-produced one web series, Journey Quest.
Hi there! We're Kairos Productions.
Kairos Productions' founders Cornelia Duryée and Larry Estes
Meet the Team
Cornelia Duryée - Founder
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Cornelia has had a long and prosperous career in the arts. It was her relationship with Madeleine L'Engle that led the former playwright and stage director into the world of film. L'Engle (well-known writer of works such as A Wrinkle in Time and the Austin Family series), Cornelia's Godmother and mentor, invited her to adapt several of her novels and plays for the screen.
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With Madeleine's encouragement, Cornelia adapted two of Madeleine's novels: Camilla Dickinson and Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun. The latter was a finalist in the First Glance Screenplay Competition, a semi-finalist at Slamdance, and has received numerous other accolades.
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In 2018, Cornelia directed Language Arts, starring Ashley Zukerman, Sarah Shahi, Pamela Reed, Erin Cummings, Mariana Klaveno, Kevin Alejandro, Jane Ryan, Elliott Smith, Lincoln Lambert, and many, many more. This moving drama about a lonely man finding peace and connection is available on most streaming services.
In 2017, Cornelia directed Portal Runner, starring Elise Eberle, Sloane Morgan Siegel, Carol Roscoe, Brian S. Lewis, Matt Shimkus, Denny McAuliffe, and Shaunyce Omar; a light-hearted science-fiction feature film.
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In 2015 Cornelia directed West of Redemption, starring Billy Zane, Kevin Alejandro, and Mariana Klaveno; a tense, award-winning thriller, which won the Best Feature award at the Jefferson State FlixxFest, Best Dramatic Direction at Eugene FF, and Staff Pick Award at Manchester FF, among many others. It is available on many streaming platforms.
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In 2012 Cornelia directed Camilla Dickinson, with a cast including Adelaide Clemens, Cary Elwes, Samantha Mathis, and Gregg Sulkin. The film garnered critical success, winning, among others, the 2012 Best Narrative Feature and 2012 Best Director awards from the Women's Independent Film Festival, as well as the Best Narrative Feature award from the Eugene International Film Festival. It's available on Amazon, Youtube, and iTunes.
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In 2006 Cornelia wrote and directed The Dark Horse, which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and went on to win Best Feature Drama at the International Family Film Festival, among other awards. It is available on Amazon.
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Cornelia co-founded Seattle Shakespeare Company, directed there, and served as its casting director for seven years. A classically-trained actor/director, she directed stage plays for twenty years before moving behind the camera. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. Her enjoyment of filmmaking extends into the realm of production, where she served as Executive Producer for cult favorite JourneyQuest Season 1, a producer of JourneyQuest Season 2, and as a casting director for The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, as well as many other Seattle productions. Cornelia, a proud member of Women in Film Seattle for several decades, is in the process of writing and developing numerous projects for Kairos.
Larry Estes - Producer
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Larry has produced and overseen productions for over 30 years, and brings his considerable expertise and knowledge to the table in every Kairos production. He has produced Kairos Productions movies since its beginning, including Language Arts, Portal Runner, West of Redemption, Camilla Dickinson, and The Dark Horse.
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Larry began his corporate career acquiring videodisc rights for release on RCA’s SelectaVision VideoDisc system. In 1984 he became Senior Vice President of Feature Film Acquisitions at RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. From 1987-93 he developed and operated an arm of Columbia TriStar Home Video’s acquisition program, specializing in quality independent feature film development and financing.
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Some of his films at CTHV include Steven Soderbergh’s sex, lies and videotape, Carl Franklin’s One False Move (co-starring and co-written by Billy Bob Thornton), Allison Anders’ Gas Food Lodging, and John Sayles' City of Hope and Passion Fish, among many others. He supervised production of more than 60 movies during his time there.
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In 1992 Estes was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the Entertainment Business by both Entertainment Weekly and Premiere Magazines. After producing films for Showtime Networks he joined ShadowCatcher Entertainment, producing the landmark Native American film Smoke Signals, as well as Executive Producing The Book of Stars and Getting to Know You.
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He returned to indie producing in 2001 with Sherman Alexie’s debut as writer-director, The Business of Fancydancing. He also served as Executive Producer of The Heart of The Game, a popular Seattle-based documentary feature that premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was the first film acquired for distribution by the post-Weinstein incarnation of Miramax Films.
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Larry launched the careers of several industry giants, among them Steven Soderbergh. Recalling his early years as a filmmaker Quentin Tarantino had this to say: "Everyone was trying to get to Larry Estes. He was the one with the keys. He was the cool guy [...] I actually wrote a movie that Larry financed. [...] I met with a bunch of people, but never as big as Larry Estes and RCA/Columbia." Excerpt from I Lost it at the Video Store, by Tom Roston.
J.D. Henning - Editor, Screenwriter, Cat Wrangler
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J.D. Henning is a screenwriter, film editor, producer, and attorney. J.D. 's kaleidoscope of talents run from preproduction all the way through post, including writing the feature film Portal Runner, which Kairos released in 2019, up to post production credit on Language Arts, a Kairos film. J.D. writes independently and for Kairos in a multitude of genres, from spies to spaceships to grounded dramas. In his off time, J.D. and his wife chase after their daughter and spend evenings relaxing with good tea and board games.
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J.D. holds a BA in Film from Montana State University, and a law degree from the University of Montana. He's a licensed attorney in Montana and Washington (but he's not a jerk).
Kat Ogden
Kat Ogden is a multi-faceted storyteller engaged in writing, producing, and acting. Her portfolio includes numerous television series and films, such as Z Nation and Safety Not Guaranteed. Kat’s most recent short story, Leda and the Swan Hat, is featured in volume eight of Creative Colloquy Magazine. She also wrote, produced, and starred in the original short Infested, and is currently developing her directing debut.
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Residing in the Pacific Northwest, Kat is the Chair of the Seattle Film Commission and a proud member of both the Director’s Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. She deeply values the community and camaraderie of the Seattle Film Community.
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In a past life, Kat appeared on one of the first reality shows. She was also in a roller derby league and loves street skating. Kat can read a book in a single sitting, is a left-handed blackberry picker, and holds the unofficial record for the highest bungee jump off a building.
Garrison Dinsmore - Assistant Editor, Archivist
Garrison Dinsmore is a lifelong lover of film. He made movies with friends as a kid (and still does!), and knew he wanted to be in the business at age 13, but life had other plans. After many detours, he returned to film in his mid-twenties writing for several short films and joined Kairos Productions where he serves as Assistant Editor and Archivist on multiple projects.
His first film memory is watching the original Star Wars on VHS (Han shot first!), and his most recent film memory is being completely petrified by Skinamarink!
In his free time you can find him reading the news, listening to Serial while playing Diablo IV, or listening to This American Life while waiting for the bus.
Alia Thomaier - Director of Marketing & Communications
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Alia's journey with Kairos Productions began when she crossed paths with the founder of Kairos Productions, Cornelia, during a writing workshop. Their connection was instant and eventually led Alia to join the Kairos team.
Within Kairos, Alia takes on the role of Director of Marketing and Communications, where she channels her passion for connecting with others and her showcasing Pacific Northwest talent. Her work at Kairos includes social media management, public relations, website design, and BTS photography.