Riley Reid, known professionally as “Riley and the Starlights,” is a UNC alumnus with a success story straight out of the movies. Though he now lives in New York, his return to Chapel Hill is just around the corner. On Jan. 31, Reid will debut his latest short film/music video at the Argyle Film Festival in the Varsity Theatre.
Reid was born and raised in San Diego, Calif. His musical interests began at the age of 5 years old when he started playing classical piano. As a teenager, he moved to Chapel Hill and at East Chapel Hill High School joined the rock band Right of Way, in which he sang backup and played keys.
At 17, Reid wrote his first song, “What Is Going On?” on his piano at home.
“Ever since that moment, I knew that I wanted to one day write and record a project of my own and release it,” he said.
After high school, Reid started college in Colorado but returned to Chapel Hill when he transferred to UNC for his sophomore year. At age 21, Reid happened upon a pseudonym while doing karaoke one night at He's Not Here.
“The MC asks me for my name and, out of nowhere, I just blurt out ‘Riley and the Starlights,’” Reid said. “That name went on to be my karaoke stage name for years to come.”
While a junior, Reid met fellow student Stuart Schrader. The two had an instant connection for their shared artistic inclinations.
“He was a cool guy in a party setting,” Schrader said. “But I could tell there was more to him than that.”
The pair decided to collaborate on the short film “Of Princes” for Campus Movie Fest in 2015. After coming in first in the on-campus competition, the organization submitted the film to the Cannes Film Festival short film corner; the film was accepted. In 2016, Reid spent two weeks in Cannes during his film's debut networking with film industry executives.