👋🏻Short and Sweet Bio
Hi, I’m Kris. I’m a product leader, entrepreneur, and filmmaker working at the intersection of media and technology. Currently, I’m consulting with startups and making films. Recently, I was at The New York Times as a product lead on a new, pre-launch product for kids. I’m also the cofounder of KitSplit, a community marketplace for cameras and related gear. Fast Co called us “The Airbnb of cameras,” and Forbes named me a “30 Under 30” entrepreneur in media. Previously, I helped start and run the video/multimedia department at The New Yorker.
On the side, I write a newsletter on AI & Film called Film Robots.
đź“šLonger Bio
I grew up in Princeton, NJ and attended Barnard College of Columbia University. I started my first full-time job while I was still a student—as a video and multimedia producer at The New Yorker, where I was the department’s second full-time employee. I worked with some of my idols, helped build the then-new department, created dozens (maybe hundreds?) of video and multimedia stories from start to finish, and managed the relaunch of a new video hub. Our small, scrappy team of two worked on videos that garnered 7-figure views, and multiple awards from The Webbys and POYi.
I left to attend NYU Tisch’s ITP—an amazing tech-meets-art graduate school sometimes called “the center for the recently possible.” I made “dronies” before it was cool and learned a lot about technology, design, and emerging technologies.
While at ITP, I came up with the idea for KitSplit. KitSplit helps 50,000 creatives get the gear + guidance they need to make great work. Fast Company called KitSplit “The Airbnb for creative gear” and Forbes described us as “the biggest online camera rental company” (please look out for a mention of my cat Oliver’s “cat mitzvah”). We built a virtual inventory of $250M worth of gear and put millions in the hands of creators.
Since then, I’ve the amazing opportunity to build a 0-1 product team at The New York Times and to consult with a plethora of incredibly venture-funded startups including Knowable (“Masterclass, but audio,” acq by Medium), Maven Clinic, Atlas Obscura, and beyond.
On the film side, Films I’ve directed & produced have premiered at festivals around the world, including Tribeca Film Festival, AFI, and Oscar-qualifying festivals; been commissioned or acquired by The New Yorker, NBC, Peacock, and beyond; and have been viewed hundreds of millions of times. I’ve also directed talent including Ben Stiller, James Franco, and Rashida Jones.
🏆Honors
In 2017, I was named a Forbes "30 Under 30" in media. Projects I’ve worked on have garnered millions of views; been recognized by The Webbys, Tribeca Film Festival, AFI, and POYi; and been featured in Slate, NewYorker.com, GQ, New York Mag, and Fast Company. In elementary school, I won a competition at my local library for reading the most books in a year. I was devastated to learn that the prize was two tickets to a football game.
