Bad Reputation chronicles the life of Joan Jett, from her early teenage years as founding member of The Runaways to her enduring presence over four decades later as a Rock ‘n’ Roll icon.
Bad Reputation chronicles the life of Joan Jett, from her early teenage years as founding member of The Runaways to her enduring presence over four decades later as a Rock ‘n’ Roll icon. Following the break up of The Runaways, Jett met songwriting partner and producer Kenny Laguna, and formed Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. After being rejected by 23 labels, Laguna and Jett formed Blackheart Records, selling records out of the trunk of Kenny’s Cadillac. Then, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” went number one all over the world. The friendship and tenacity exhibited between Jett and Laguna proves to be both entertaining and inspiring. Jett’s relentless passion for music and her revolutionary spirit has allowed her to defy great odds and find success, credibility, and respect among her peers. The film shows the evolution of a young girl with a radical notion that girls could play electric guitars, into a woman whose place in history will be marked by perseverance, authenticity and incredible Rock ‘n’ Roll. Jett’s activism and commitment to all living beings are captured in her work on behalf of animals’ rights and travels to war zones to entertain the troops. Her humanity and candid reflections reveal a side seldom seen of the seminal rock star.
Bad Reputation joins a critically-acclaimed body of work directed by Kevin Kerslake that includes core culture and music docs (As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM, The Ramones: We’re Outta Here!, Nirvana: Live! Tonight! Sold Out!, The Electric Daisy Carnival Experience, and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ Legend Remixed), television dramas (Disney/ABC’s 4-hour Fallen miniseries starring Paul Wesley and Bryan Cranston, Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich’s The Visitor on FOX starring John Corbett), concerts and live events (Insomniac Events, HARD Events, Warner Bros, HBO, KCRW, Soundgarden, STP, Queens of the Stone Age, Velvet Revolver), shorts exhibited at the Whitney Museum, Walker Art Center and Museums of Contemporary Art in Tokyo and San Francisco, plus writing duties for Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros, Ed Pressman, and Quentin Tarantino’s A Band Apart. One of a handful of filmmakers responsible for forging the visual identity of the MTV generation, Kerslake cut his teeth directing music videos for Nirvana, Green Day, R.E.M., Prince, Joan Jett, STP, the Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, Rise Against, the Red Hot Chili Pep-pers and many others. A surf film for Quiksilver launched a move into branded content where Kerslake directed commercials and brand-integrated campaigns for the likes of Hyundai, Nike, Puma, Sprite, DC Shoes, VEVO, Coca-Cola, Sony Playstation and Insomniac Events, plus advocacy projects involving Doctors Without Borders, the Red Hot Organization, Homeboy Industries, PETA, SurfAid, Room to Read, and Amnesty International.
