Former Oakland Raider Makes Filmmaking Debut

Kenny Shedd was a wide receiver with the Oakland Raiders, followed it up with a 20-year police career, and has only been retired six months from that, but he's well on the way to directing his first feature film.

"Iowa's Finest" is due out next year, and while it's set closer to Chicago, much of it will be filmed in the East Bay, especially San Leandro. Shedd is looking to cast some minor roles here and hire local people as extras for crowd scenes.

The film is about two Iowans who leave their small town convinced anyone can be a big-city cop and have fun doing so. A few days on the Chicago police force convinces them there may be a few things they need to learn. 

"Filmmaking was always the work I was striving toward, despite my two prior careers," said Shedd. 

"With the NFL, the police, there's lots of stress every day. Filmmaking alleviates all that — it's the flow of creativity."

Shedd, in fact, credits filmmaking and writing with having saved his life during dark times. He'd been making short films before he retired from the police, and several of them were about suicide prevention. 

Shedd and his team are five months from the start of shooting the film.  

"Most people don't realize how much goes into making a film before you start shooting," Shedd said. "But we do already have our own page on the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com." 

"Right now, we're finding actors and making changes to the basic story, such as having one lead character be a woman," he said.

Making a film simply isn't possible without financing, and Shedd sings the praises of a familiar name around town in this regard. Gordon Galvan, a Castro Valley resident who has held several elected positions locally, has helped pull banks and other financial backers together.

Shedd grew up in Davenport, Iowa, and played football at the University of Northern Iowa before being drafted by the New York Jets to play in the National Football league. 

He played wide receiver for the Raiders as #84 from 1996 to 1999.

A 20-year police career followed, all in San Leandro. He served as a patrol officer, training officer, and detective.

Shedd and his team need to cast several minor characters to move forward with "Iowa's Finest." He suggests local actors send headshots to him at kshedduncuffed@gmail.com 

"Actors can often use more exposure, and this is an ideal project for that," he said.  

"We may set our films elsewhere," Shedd said, "but we believe in giving back to the East Bay because they've supported our past films." 

Shedd suggests you visit his podcast, "KShedd: Uncuffed," while you're waiting for the film. Retirement from the police does have its benefits, he says. 

"When you're on the force, you're limited in what you can say about issues and events," Shedd said. "Now that I'm retired, I can say more."