When Hannah Kellerby was growing up in Cody, she never thought she’d realize her dream of being a film and television actress, simply because she was from a small town in Wyoming.
But 72 TV and movie credits later, Hannah (now Barefoot) is moving forward with another dream she once thought was unattainable - producing a feature film that she wrote, in her own hometown.
“Wyoming Christmas Carol” is in the development stage, and Barefoot came home to Cody in September to rally support for this film project.
The actress, who has been featured in high-profile shows like “The Chosen,” told Cowboy State Daily that although she has been successful with her acting career, she is eager to dive deeper into the film industry.
“I've done TV shows from ‘NCIS’ to ‘The Rookie,’ to ‘Chicago Med,’” she said. “Many Lifetime movies, Hallmark movies to Oscar-winning movies like ‘King Richard.’ And throughout the process of being an actress, I realized I really wanted to be a writer. I really wanted to take more control of the kinds of projects I was doing.”
This is why Barefoot decided to take the step of writing a movie set in her hometown, about themes that she is very familiar with.
“I know filmmaking, I know music. I know singing because I'm a professional singer. I know family reconciliation, because my personal story is amazing,” said Barefoot. “My family and I almost split up, and then we reconciled at Christmas, miraculously. And I know Wyoming, I know Cody, I know my hometown that I love more than anything.”
The Storyline
“Wyoming Christmas Carol” is a story of a family fighting to hold on to their struggling Wyoming dude ranch, in the face of mounting pressure from the IRS.
“My character, Grace, her mother died,” Barefoot explained. “She was the business sense behind the ranch, and when she passed away, the ranch kind of fell into disrepair. She blames her father for her mother’s death, and she's kind of shut down a part of herself, including her singing, because that's connected to her mom.”
Meanwhile, a swaggering, cocky L.A. developer arrives to pay off the ranch’s IRS bill, becoming the new owner of the ranch - and conflict ensues.
“She hatches a plan to buy it back from him,” Barefoot said. “She does everything possible, and then finally, in a last-ditch, Hail Mary effort, she calls in her father's old friend - a legendary country music star - to put on a Christmas fundraising show.”
No spoilers here, but Barefoot said the story is about how the family reconciles, the California developer realizes there’s more to Wyoming than an opportunity for fast cash, and Grace finds her voice again.
“So the major themes of it are family reconciliation, because she reconciles with her father and her son, and reconciliation between people who are different,” said Barefoot.
Hannah Barefoot (Photo: Wendy Corr) 
Hannah Barefoot guest stars in NCIS (Courtesy Hannah Barefoot) 
Hannah Barefoot makes presentation to Cody partners (Photo: Wendy Corr) 
Hannah Barefoot in the role of Livia on The Chosen (Courtesy: Hannah Barefoot) 
Hannah Barefoot on the NCIS set with Mark Harmon (Courtesy: Hannah Barefoot) 
Wyoming Christmas Carol (Courtesy: Hannah Barefoot)
The Production
Barefoot has written and produced her own short films, but this is the first time she’s made a feature film - and she isn’t going into this project with amateurs.
The producer of “Wyoming Christmas Carol,” Mark G. Mathis, also produced the 2011 film “Seven Days in Utopia” with Robert Duvall, and was nominated for an Academy Award for “Precious” in 2009.
“He produced ‘Brick,’ Rian Johnson's first film,” said Barefoot. “He's an amazing guy.”
She said the director of the project, Jason Satterlund, is one of the most visionary people she’s ever met. His most recent feature film, “The Abandon,” was released in theaters by Lionsgate and was one of their highest-rated films last year.
“He is a rural man himself, so he's going to understand how to capture this,” said Barefoot.
Additionally, Hannah and her husband, Andy Barefoot, are musicians who have written songs for other films that Barefoot has starred in, such as “To See Your Smile” for the Lifetime movie “Off the Rails,” and “Geronimo,” for the film “Country Christmas Album.” The two of them have teamed up again to write the music for “Wyoming Christmas Carol.”
“My husband Andy and I wrote all the original songs for the film, thematically written out to match the heart and context of the film,” she said. “We have an original riff on ‘Blue Christmas’ that’s got this great blues-country vibe to it, and a few others, including one we’ve already recorded.”
Hannah Barefoot says she's passionate about building Wyoming's filmmaking industry. (Wendy Corr, Cowboy State Daily) 
Hannah Barefoot grew up in Cody, then left to pursue her passion for action. Now she wants to produce a project in her hometown. (Photo Courtesy Hannah Barefoot) 
(Photo Courtesy Hannah Barefoot) 
Cody native Hannah Barefoot has carved out a successful acting career in Hollywood. (Photo Courtesy Hannah Barefoot) 
Cody's Hannah Barefoot and her husband, Andy. (Photo Courtesy Hannah Barefoot)
Filming In Wyoming
Another unique angle to this production, is that - contrary to the norm - the goal is to film in Cody, rather than a more film-friendly state that looks like Wyoming. And that brings a number of challenges, said Barefoot.
“We're trying to make up for the fact that Wyoming does not have a state tax incentive,” she said. “So that has been one of the hurdles to overcome in making this movie.”
Barefoot pointed out that shooting the film in the winter, while challenging, brings great rewards to the community.
“I could bring production money to Cody in the off season, when the east gate (to Yellowstone National Park) is closed,” said Barefoot. “And so that's why I wrote ‘Wyoming Christmas Carol.’ It's a Christmas Western with original music set in the off season, so that I can bring production money to Cody when the east entrance is closed and when tourism is gone.”
Barefoot said that she is looking to hire skilled designers and technicians locally. While she said she will be bringing in some crew from Montana, “I want to hire as many people from Wyoming as possible,” said Barefoot. “So why we're here right now is because I'm talking to people about how this gets made.”
The 18-day shoot is short, said Barefoot, but she’s worked on movies with a shorter production schedule.
“I've done movies in 11 days,” she said. “And I've done movies in four months.” But Barefoot adds that in that 18- day window, she believes they’ll make a great film.
Hannah Barefoot attends the world premiere of "Affection" at the 25th Screamfest Horror Film Festival at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on October 07, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images) 
Hannah Barefoot seen at "The Chosen" Season 4 Los Angeles Premiere at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on January 17, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images) 
ctress Hannah Barefoot attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Sound Of Violet" at Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria in Sherman Oaks, California. (Getty Images) 
Actor Erin Hammond and Hannah Barefoot attend a screening of "In Her Name" at Vidiots Foundation - Eagle Theatre on February 08, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images) 
Hannah Barefoot attends a private reception during Sundance 2020 for "The Evening Hour" hosted by RAND Luxury at The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. (Getty Images)
Community Support
Barefoot isn’t the only Wyoming native putting her time into this project. Her childhood friend, Lindsay Shaw, is the owner of Blue Spruce Ink, a Cody-based marketing, writing and design company, and is the project manager for “Wyoming Christmas Carol.”
“We're going to need community partners,” said Shaw, who listed a number of community officials who have already pledged support. “My role is, (keeping track of) what's been done and what needs doing, and then setting up those different things. Hannah is really the brains of that side of the operation, and then I just help her implement and execute (those plans).”
Jennifer Thoma, director of the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce, is excited about the prospect of showcasing Wyoming, and Cody in particular, to a wider audience.
“I think it demonstrates that there's more to us than just some beautiful landscapes,” she said. “There are some trials happening in communities like ours all across Wyoming. We have a different type of economy, a different type of a community, and we have our own types of struggles, and people aren't really aware of what all those are. This brings that to light.”
Thoma said she believes the production would be a boost to Cody’s economy and could also be used to attract more tourism. This sentiment was echoed by Jake Hogan, executive director of Forward Cody.
“Obviously, things like this are going to bring more tourism, or stretch those tourism dollars into the season where it's typically not there,” said Hogan. “We're looking for things that increase year-round, full-time jobs, typically, but this is a nice shot during the season that we don't have tourism.”
Additionally, the Wyoming Dude Rancher’s Association has endorsed the project, as the story takes place on - and will be filmed on - a historic dude ranch.
Funding the Project
Barefoot’s budget for “Wyoming Christmas Carol” is $1,000,000 - a number she said is an incredibly responsible, low risk budget for a film.
“If you look at a lot of Christmas movies, whether they're on Hallmark or Netflix or anything, a million dollars is pretty standard,” she said. “Also, the most recent Best Picture winner was a million dollars.”
But even with a reasonable budget, Barefoot said she doesn’t have that kind of money - which is why she’s reaching out to members of the community and others in the Cowboy State to help her reach her funding goals.
“We have actually already raised $100,000 which I'm so proud of,” said Barefoot. “Half of that was through investments, and so far, we've also raised $50,000 through donations.”
And, Barefoot is getting help from an organization that offers nonprofit status to independent filmmakers.
“We are an official Fiscal Sponsored project of a well-respected organization called Film Independent,” said Barefoot, who said that because of that, they can accept donations that are 100% tax-deductible.
But for filming to start this winter, which is her goal, Barefoot said they need to be fully financed within the next two months.
"We need to have enough time to prep the film, cast it, and hire crew members, but we're incredibly prepared and are ready to pull the trigger at any moment," she said. "We are financing this through both investment and donations, but wouldn't it be amazing if the community rallied around and made this film entirely through donations? There are 500,000 people in Wyoming. If everyone in the state gave $2, this film would be made.
"That's probably not going to happen,” she said, laughing, “but if people who are able to give, gave what they could, we could greenlight this film today."
Next Steps
Barefoot said she is working with Atlas Distribution, which is known for their association with successful faith and family films.
“They have already advised us on how we can begin to cast this, how we can begin to market it even ahead of even shooting it,” said Barefoot, “so that we can maximize the profit and maximize visibility. We’re open to all options when it comes to how and where the film will be released. We just want what’s best for the film and our investors.”
And although “Wyoming Christmas Carol” is a passion project for Barefoot, she said she has every confidence that the film can be successful.
“We believe it's a profitable movie, and it's very important that we have all of our ducks in a row, that we have all the details laid out, that everything's buttoned down,” she said. “Because it's not just a piece of art, it's a business, where we're going to be employing people, we're going to be pumping money into the community where we're filming.”
Wendy Corr can be reached at wendy@cowboystatedaily.com.
