How a Career in Animation Became a Ministry of Mentorship

Sometimes life's most devastating setbacks become the very catalysts that launch us toward our greatest purpose. Kelly Loosli's journey from aspiring NFL player to co-creator of BYU's nationally recognized animation program demonstrates that God often closes doors we desperately want opened, only to reveal pathways we never imagined possible.

Kelly Loosli brings unique credentials to discussions about faith and career transitions. As co-creator of BYU's animation program, his work has earned an impressive 22 student Emmys, seven student Academy Awards, and even a 2024 Oscar nomination. His career began at entertainment giants DreamWorks and Disney, where he worked on major productions before making the surprising decision to leave Hollywood behind. Now 25 years into teaching at BYU, Kelly serves as both professor and mentor to hundreds of students while raising his own family.

In a recent episode of the Why We Believe show with host Nathan Gwilliam, Kelly revealed that his most significant spiritual growth came not through success, but through surrender. His story teaches us that divine redirections often appear as unwanted detours, and that our greatest talents may be meant to bless others rather than elevate ourselves. Kelly's journey illustrates that when we align our careers with spiritual promptings, even the most unexpected paths can lead to extraordinary purpose and fulfillment.

The Accident That Changed Everything  

A single moment at age 14 altered the entire trajectory of Kelly's life. While riding his BMX bike, an accident resulted in the bicycle pedal chopping through the back of his leg, effectively ending what he believed would be his sports career and NFL dreams. This devastating injury forced a young Kelly to redirect his energy and attention toward other interests, particularly art and animation.

The accident represents one of those pivotal moments where apparent tragedy becomes hidden blessing. Instead of dwelling on what he lost, Kelly channeled his creativity into developing skills that would eventually define his career. During his recovery and the years that followed, he spent countless hours perfecting clay animation techniques that would later catch the attention of industry professionals while he was still in high school.

This early experience with unexpected life changes prepared Kelly for future moments when circumstances would require him to trust divine timing over personal plans. The injury taught him that our perceived setbacks often contain the seeds of our greatest opportunities, a lesson that would prove essential when later career decisions required choosing faith over financial security.

Hollywood Success and Spiritual Awakening  

Kelly's talent in animation earned him recognition early, with professionals discovering his work when he was just 14 or 15 years old. This led to opportunities to create television commercials throughout high school and eventually recruitment to BYU's film program. During his freshman year, he received an apprenticeship opportunity with the LDS Motion Picture Studio working on a film called "An Easter Dream," where he helped create the cross that Christ would carry through Jerusalem.

The moment that changed Kelly's spiritual trajectory came during filming when the actor portraying the Savior walked past carrying the cross Kelly had made. As their eyes met, Kelly experienced what he describes as the spirit hitting him deeply, transforming his entire perspective on missionary service. Prior to this experience, Kelly had resisted the idea of serving a mission, even joking that since his name was Kelly, he would go on a "girl mission" because it was shorter.

This spiritual awakening demonstrates that divine moments often come through our work and service, even when we're not actively seeking them. The experience taught Kelly that God can use our talents and circumstances to prepare us for greater purposes than we initially envision. The same creative abilities that earned him recognition in the entertainment industry became the vehicle through which he received spiritual direction about his future service.

Leaving Hollywood for Higher Purpose  

After building a successful career at DreamWorks and Disney, Kelly faced a decision that seemed to make little financial sense. When family members began passing away, including his father-in-law who died suddenly just before retirement, Kelly and his wife found themselves as the only married couple without children who could help his mother-in-law. Despite having no animation program at BYU and no apparent career opportunities in Utah, they chose to move back and provide needed family support.

This decision required Kelly to prioritize relationships over career advancement. While working to help his mother-in-law, a former faculty member approached him about teaching at BYU on a temporary basis. Despite lacking a graduate degree and having mixed feelings about his own BYU experience as a student, Kelly accepted the one-year position. That temporary opportunity led to creating and building the animation program that has now produced award-winning work for 25 years.

Kelly's experience illustrates that sometimes our greatest professional achievements come through following spiritual promptings rather than strategic career planning. The willingness to sacrifice immediate success for service to family opened doors that strategic networking never could have created. His story demonstrates that when we align our decisions with eternal principles, God often provides professional opportunities that exceed our original ambitions.

Grace, Love, and Transformative Teaching  

Kelly's mission to Portugal marked a fundamental shift in his understanding of God's character. Prior to his mission, he operated from what he describes as an Old Testament view of God, serving primarily out of fear of missing blessings or being cursed. The walking, rejection, and service experiences of missionary life gradually taught him about grace and the Savior's love in ways that transformed his entire approach to faith and relationships.

The mission experience that solidified this transformation came through witnessing a woman they had taught suffer physical abuse from her husband because of their gospel conversations. In his distress, Kelly questioned the value of missionary work, wondering if they were setting people up for harm. Through prayer, he received strong spiritual assurance that sharing the gospel blesses people regardless of others' negative reactions, and that the woman would always know that Jesus loved her enough to send missionaries to teach her.

This understanding of grace and divine love became the foundation for Kelly's teaching philosophy at BYU. With his office door always open, he has counseled hundreds of students through various struggles, including those dealing with eating disorders, same-sex attraction, and gender identity questions. His approach focuses on helping students feel the Savior's love rather than judgment, creating an environment where spiritual growth can occur naturally through acceptance and understanding.

Fertility Struggles and Miracle Children  

Kelly and his wife's journey to parenthood involved years of fertility challenges that tested their faith in unique ways. As active church members surrounded by emphasis on family, their inability to conceive naturally created emotional and spiritual struggles. The process of discovering Kelly's fertility issues, undergoing surgery, and ultimately pursuing in vitro fertilization required both medical intervention and deep spiritual searching.

Their first child came through in vitro fertilization, bringing relief and joy after years of uncertainty. When they began the process for a second child, Kelly's mother-in-law's declining health created stress that medical professionals warned could reduce their chances of success. They made the difficult decision to pause the expensive process to focus on family caregiving, seemingly closing the door on expanding their family.

The miraculous conception of their son during this challenging time taught Kelly about divine timing and compensatory blessings. Despite initial concerns about potential Down syndrome, their son was born healthy and has grown into a capable young man preparing for missionary service. These experiences with infertility and unexpected blessings reinforced Kelly's understanding that God's timeline and methods often differ from our expectations, but His love remains constant throughout our trials.

Key Lessons from Kelly's Journey  

Kelly's experiences offer several important insights for navigating career decisions and spiritual growth:

1. Unexpected setbacks often redirect us toward better opportunities

2. Spiritual promptings may lead to financially risky but eternally significant choices

3. Our talents are often meant to bless others rather than elevate ourselves

4. Grace transforms our relationship with God from fear-based to love-based

5. Divine timing includes both delays and unexpected accelerations

6. Teaching and mentoring can become forms of ministry and service

Discovering Your Divine Redirections  

Kelly Loosli's journey from aspiring athlete to animation educator demonstrates that God's plans for our lives often exceed our own limited vision. His story encourages us to remain open to unexpected opportunities, especially when they involve serving others or following spiritual promptings that seem to contradict conventional wisdom.

If you're currently facing career decisions or unexpected setbacks, consider Kelly's example of choosing family and faith over financial security. His willingness to leave Hollywood success for uncertain opportunities in Utah led to 25 years of meaningful work that has impacted hundreds of students and earned international recognition. Sometimes, the very thing we resist becomes the path to our greatest fulfillment.

Take time to evaluate whether your current career trajectory aligns with your deepest values and spiritual impressions. Kelly's experience suggests that when we prioritize service to others and responsiveness to divine guidance, professional success often follows in ways we never anticipated. Your own divine redirections may be waiting just beyond the doors you think you don't want opened.

Thank you for reading this week's blog post inspired by the Why We Believe show. If you are interested in more stories like this, you can check out our other blog posts and episodes at WhyWeBelieve.com.

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• BYU Animation: https://animation.byu.edu/