[client side conversation] How To Win Business With Kevin Knutson

Not Filmmakers. Motion Content Creators. That’s how Kevin Knutson sees it these days. With a creative career spanning REI, Filson, and Eddie Bauer, who now drives content and brand strategy as Creative Director at Mod Pizza, he suggests it’s not just semantics, but a shift in mindset.

His request to production companies is to be the partner that amplifies—understand the campaign, the goals, the platforms, and bring ideas that elevate everything your client is doing.

Some takeaways that stuck with me:

Know your “why.” Kevin shared a childhood story about three art teachers who each critiqued his work differently and looks for production partners who ask these same questions of their work:

Did you achieve what you set out to do? 🎯

Did it capture how you felt? 🎭

Why did you choose this in the first place? 🤔

Share with him the intent of your ideas. Don’t just pitch a magnum opus. Explain how it works everywhere – social, in-store, websites, etc. Kevin reasons that his favorite production partners create high-impact content across multiple channels.

Be human. Talk about the expertise of the people behind the work. Who’s the editor that “gets dialogue”? Who’s the director who breaks down walls? Tell him why your team is your team and what you stand for.

Show your effect. What’s the intended impact of the work? Even if you’re projecting, show you’ve thought about his audience and the goals.

There’s so much more, but I’ll leave it here. If you want to work with a client like Kevin, take this advice and run with it.

Listen to the conversation just about anywhere, including: Apple/Spotify/Web