In 1972 he was employed to coach the Icelandic National Olympic team, a post held for two years. While in Reykjavik, Iceland he helped in the rescue efforts of Vestmannaeyiar Island following the eruption of the Heimaey volcano.

In 1973 he became a Hospital Corpsman in the U. S. Navy and, in 1975, assisted in the evacuation of Saigon and the resettlement of tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees to Westminster, Orange County where he was first exposed to the world of film making, and later worked as a set carpenter.

Following naval service in 1976 Mr. Kelly returned to City University New York earning a B. A. While at C.U.N.Y. he became involved in drama and subsequently acted in over a dozen plays in and around the New York area, again gaining work as a set carpenter and sign writer on films.

Upon returning to California in 1982 Paddy further developed his interest in writing when he found employment as a script editor. It was during this period that Mr. Kelly wrote his first novel, Politically Erect, (unpublished), a satire of the last days of the war in Viet Nam and the fall of Saigon. Mr. Kelly returned to the East coast and worked his way through graduate school earning his M.Ed. at Boston. He began writing plays and moved into writing and directing full time, focusing on farce, satirical and political comedy.

Mr. Kelly has to date directed two dozen professional theatrical productions, written half a dozen feature film scripts and is a regular contributor to various film industry publications.