Episode 91
Mastering Your Niche (ft. KGB Productions)
Chris Kitchen did not set out to run a commercial studio. He set out to make ski films. In 2003 he and a college friend started KGB Productions in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on the back of action sports and adventure filmmaking, and over two decades turned that outdoor DNA into commercial and branded work for the likes of Patagonia, ESPN, The North Face, and Wyoming Whiskey. KGB is happiest where other crews will not go: remote mountains, rivers, and deserts.
In this episode, Chris joins Dario and Kyrill to unpack mastering a niche without being trapped by it: transitioning from ski films to commercial video, using passion projects to build a portfolio and break into new markets, navigating a partnership split with his co-founder, freelancing ethically, and staying transparent about budgets and the real cost of pitching. It is an honest look at building a creative business that lasts in a very small town.
Key Takeaways
- Master your niche. Going deep on a niche builds expertise, reputation, and targeted clients, and once you are established, you can diversify from a position of strength.
- Relationships drive growth. Consistently leaning on personal networks, strong client relationships, and open communication is what secures steady work.
- Passion projects matter. Personal films showcase creativity, attract new kinds of clients, and open doors into new markets, functioning as both portfolio and marketing.
- Be transparent about budgets. Being upfront about budgets, expectations, and scope from the start builds trust and keeps projects on track.
- Plan partnerships early. Clear agreements and exit strategies up front let you manage transitions smoothly and preserve the professional relationship.
- Keep the team flexible. Balancing a small core staff with reliable freelancers lets you scale up or down with the work.
- Freelance ethically. Respecting other companies’ and freelancers’ relationships, and communicating openly about boundaries, avoids conflicts and protects your reputation.
- Mind the cost of pitching. Proposals and spec work carry real hidden costs, so weigh what you invest in chasing a job against what it returns.
- Stay creatively challenged. Longevity in filmmaking comes from staying passionate and creatively engaged, not just from booking the next job.
Timestamps
From Ski Films to Commercial Work
KGB’s origin story is pure passion: Chris got his start in action sports and ski filmmaking, and that outdoor sensibility still runs through everything the company shoots. The pivot to commercial and branded video did not happen by luck, it came from leveraging relationships and targeted outreach, and from treating business development as a craft in its own right.
That blend of creative roots and deliberate sales effort is the foundation of a durable studio, the same ground the show covers in building a video business that lasts. For a map of the commercial formats KGB moved into, see our guide to the types of corporate video.
Mastering the Niche Without Losing the Passion
The heart of the conversation is how to master a niche without being imprisoned by it. Chris talks through expanding KGB’s scope while protecting the creative passion that started it, balancing direct clients against ad agency relationships, and even something as practical as updating the website to attract new business and better-fit opportunities.
Deep specialization is the fastest route to authority, the core idea behind the power of niching down and, one episode later, Lift Video Production on unlocking growth through niching.
“Master your niche, but never let it bore you. The moment the work stops challenging you, the work stops being good.”
Chris Kitchen, KGB Productions (thematic paraphrase)Passion Projects as Portfolio and Marketing
For KGB, passion projects are not indulgences, they are strategy. Personal films, including their award-winning documentaries, develop the portfolio, showcase what the team can really do, and become the calling card that breaks KGB into new markets and new kinds of clients. Strategic spec work does the same job: it demonstrates capability before a client has to take a risk.
Using self-driven creative work to generate opportunities is one of the most underused growth levers in the business, closely related to how studios find work in their community and build a magnetic personal brand.
Team, Freelancers, and a Partnership Split
Chris is candid about the human side of the business. He explains KGB’s flexible model, a small core team supported by reliable freelance crews, and walks through navigating a partnership split with his co-founder amicably, managing client relationships through that transition. Throughout, he stresses ethical freelancing: respecting other companies’ relationships and communicating openly about boundaries.
How you handle people, partners, staff, and freelancers, often determines whether a studio survives its own growth, which is why the show returns so often to vetting and managing talent and investing in your team.
“You can split a partnership and still protect the relationships. How you leave matters as much as how you start.”
Chris Kitchen, KGB Productions (thematic paraphrase)Transparency in Budgets and the Cost of Pitching
On money, Chris is refreshingly straight. He argues for transparency in budgeting and client communication from the very start, so expectations are aligned and trust is earned. He also names something many studios ignore: the hidden costs of pitching and building detailed proposals, time and money spent chasing work that may never close.
Pricing clearly and knowing what it costs to win a job are core survival skills, grounded in real numbers like what a video costs, a clean competitive quote, and a smart approach to pitching as a producer.
Longevity: Passion, Motivation, and the Road Ahead
Twenty years in, Chris reflects on what actually sustains a creative career: staying passionate, staying motivated, and staying creatively challenged. He shares KGB’s long-term vision and closes with grounded advice for aspiring filmmakers, the kind that only comes from doing the work through every up and down.
That focus on longevity over hype is a throughline of the whole show, from five years of reflection on the business to the day-to-day of a working studio. If you want a Toronto team with that same craft-first, relationship-driven approach, that is exactly what Lapse Productions is built on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Chris Kitchen?
Chris Kitchen is a co-owner, director, and DP of KGB Productions, a commercial video production company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which he co-founded in 2003. He came up through action sports and ski filmmaking.
What is KGB Productions known for?
Full-service commercial and branded video with roots in outdoor and action sports, known for shooting in remote, demanding environments other crews avoid. Its clients have included Patagonia, ESPN, The North Face, and Wyoming Whiskey.
How did Chris master his niche?
By going deep on outdoor and action-sports storytelling to build expertise and reputation, then thoughtfully expanding into broader commercial work without losing the creative passion that started the company.
Why do passion projects matter to KGB?
Personal films, including their award-winning documentaries, showcase creativity, attract new kinds of clients, and open doors into new markets. They function as both portfolio and marketing.
How does Chris approach team and partnerships?
With a flexible core-plus-freelancers model and a strong emphasis on transparency and ethics, including handling a partnership split amicably and respecting relationships with other companies and freelancers.
The Hosts
Dario Nouri and Kyrill Lazarov are the co-founders of Lapse Productions, a Toronto video production company, and the hosts of Creatives Grab Coffee, a weekly show about the business of video production.
About
Creatives Grab Coffee is a podcast about the business behind video production: sales, strategy, pricing, team building, and everything that happens off camera. New episodes every week on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Lapse Productions is a Toronto-based video production company serving tech, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing clients with corporate, promotional, and branded video. New to commissioning video? Start with our guides on the types of corporate video and how much a video costs.
KGB Productions is a full-service commercial video production company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, co-founded by Chris Kitchen in 2003. Rooted in outdoor and action sports filmmaking, it creates commercial and branded content, and award-winning documentaries, often in remote environments other crews avoid. Learn more at kgb-productions.com.
