Kelli McNeil-Yellen is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Drama. Her first feature, The Baltimore School of Charm, won first place at the UCLA Extension Feature Film Screenwriting Contest and was a top 15% finisher in the Academy’s Nicholl Awards. Most recently, she’s been screening her authentically cast feature film, DARUMA, on the festival circuit. After two sold-out screenings at Slamdance in 2024, two-time Oscar winner Peter Farrelly joined the film as executive producer to raise the visibility of the film and called it "great". She is repped by Dannie Festa of World Builder Entertainment.

CNN called DARUMA the first film to star two leads with a disability in a narrative not about overcoming a disability. The film recently completed a successful festival run with two sold-out screenings at Slamdance. DARUMA is a heartbreaking but uplifting dramedy and ultimately a story about friendship, fatherhood and found family.