Browse through
Ken's Credits
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Meet Ken Chamitoff
ROAD TO LEADERSHIP - FOUNDATION AT UCLA (1984-1988)
Film & TV training • Marketing mindset • Entertainment Law
My creative path began at UCLA, studying Music Composition and Performance. Living close to Hollywood—and naturally drawn to how stories are made and marketed—I felt a growing pull toward media and production. I switched majors to pursue media production through UCLA’s School of Film & Television, while also supplementing my education with coursework in Marketing and Entertainment Law.
FIRST PROFESSIONAL WORK (1986)
On-set experience • Production discipline • SAG membership
I landed my first paid work in the industry—on camera. While still in school, I was hired as the principal stunt double for Marty Kove (The Karate Kid), joined the Screen Actors Guild, and supported myself through university by working as a stuntman—alongside occasional acting, modeling, and music recording opportunities. Those early years gave me a ground-level understanding of production, performance, and what it takes to execute under pressure—foundational lessons I still bring to every creative direction and leadership role.
MOVING BEHIND THE CAMERA (1989)
Visual storytelling • Brand presentation • Portfolio direction • Creative craft
Moving behind the camera felt inevitable. Top modeling agencies began hiring me to photograph emerging models and actors as they built their portfolios—an early proving ground for visual storytelling and brand presentation. That momentum quickly led to commercial, fashion, and lifestyle campaigns for theatrical agencies, creative directors, and ad agencies.
FIRST STUDIO (1990)
Entrepreneurship • Studio operations • Client experience • Production workflow
With demand growing, I opened my first creative studio in the Los Angeles Fashion District.
CURRENT | PRODUCER-DIRECTOR
FEATURE FILM IN POST-PRODUCTION: CATALYST (2026)
Writer • Producer • Director • AI workflow design • Creative technology • Rapid iteration
I’m currently in post-production on my third feature film, Catalyst (targeting a Fall 2026 release), where I serve as the writer, producer, and director. For this project, I designed and built an AI-accelerated production pipeline that reduced cost while increasing creative control, speed of iteration, and precision across pre-production, production, and post.
Beyond using AI tools for imagery, video, music, and sound, I’m actively engineering the systems behind the workflow—including a Keyframe Engine approach that structures scene development through repeatable prompt frameworks, locked visual references, continuity controls, and automation. In practice, that means building AI-assisted processes (apps/agents/GPT-style workflows) that help teams move faster from concept to executable creative, while keeping quality and brand consistency tight.
For hiring teams, Catalyst is less about “being tied up on a film” and more about what it demonstrates: I bring senior creative leadership plus hands-on capability in modern AI-enabled production and workflow engineering—an advantage for any brand looking to scale content, iterate rapidly, and stay ahead of the curve.
Optional availability line:
My role in this phase is primarily post-production and pipeline oversight, which allows me to fully commit to a Creative Director role while continuing the project on a structured schedule.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR | PHOTOGRAPHER | VISUAL DESIGN | FASHION CAMPAIGN | COMMERCIAL | EDITORIAL
Lifestyle Imagineering - Multi-Media Production - Commercial Advertising • Campaign Management
AS A CREATIVE DIRECTOR (1990-Present)
Creative strategy • Concept-to-execution • Brand storytelling • Team leadership
I turn strategy into clear creative direction—building concepts that translate into campaigns, content, and assets that connect with real audiences. I lead the work from idea through execution, aligning story, brand voice, and production so the final result is both compelling and deliverable. I’m at my best when the brief is ambitious and the bar is high: shaping the vision, guiding the team, and elevating the craft.
BACKGROUND CASTING EXPANSION (1990–1995)
Production coordination • Talent logistics • Schedule-driven leadership • High-pressure execution
From 1990 to 1995, I expanded into background casting as word spread that I knew thousands of actors and models. Background casting directors came to rely on me as a consistent resource for new talent, and I built the Rapid Casting Network—helping place thousands of background artists across dozens of major productions over several years.
To keep pace with production reality, I built and led a small team of production-minded assistants operating essentially around the clock. Call times were often 3–4 a.m. or late-night, and we stayed “on” 24/7—coordinating last-minute changes, locations, wardrobe-specific needs, and constant moving parts. That reliability earned us a reputation for punctuality, great attitude, and consistency—traits that were especially hard to find in the background world—and it became my training ground for leading under pressure, protecting deadlines, and moving people through demanding conditions with focus and morale.
BUILDING A NICHE BRAND AT SCALE: PHOTO-KICKS (2002-2009)
Audience research • Brand-building • Scaled creative ops • Marketing toolkits
My passion for martial arts led me to build Photo-Kicks, a specialized photography brand serving martial arts schools and families. By studying the nuances of this audience—school owners, staff, and parents—we grew from a niche service into the category leader. Today, we deliver over 10,000 semi-custom creative products per year to families across North America, supported by technology-driven systems and streamlined production workflows built for consistent quality and fast turnaround.
Along the way, schools began relying on us not just for photography, but for ready-to-use marketing assets—custom-branded flyers, brochures, posters, sales pieces, and other promotional tools. We weren’t running their campaigns; we were equipping owners with professional creative that matched their brand and helped them market more effectively.
That experience sharpened how I lead: managing multiple projects at once, coordinating distributed teams (including international designers and traveling crews), and building repeatable operations that perform under real deadlines. I remain involved primarily in an advisory role, with selective client work and occasional speaking engagements on marketing, culture, and student retention.
INC. 5000 RECOGNITION (2007 & 2009)
Growth recognition • Leadership under pressure • Operational excellence
Photo-Kicks was recognized by the Inc. 5000 in 2007 and 2009 as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies (ranked #592).
REBRANDING FOR A BIGGER VISION: PRO-MOTION PICTURES (2009)
Brand evolution • Client continuity • Messaging strategy • Production expansion
As the work expanded beyond photography and into broader advertising and production, I rebranded Photo-Kicks into Pro-Motion Pictures. It was a hands-on lesson in evolving a company’s identity—upgrading positioning and capabilities while keeping trust with the same client base. That process strengthened my approach to brand storytelling, transition messaging, and delivering continuity during change—skills I now bring directly into creative direction and leadership.
FIRST FEATURE FILM: THE RED CANVAS (2008)
Feature film leadership • Digital cinema innovation • End-to-end production • Creative execution
In 2008, I wrote, produced, and co-directed my first independent feature film, The Red Canvas. The project was a hands-on proving ground in end-to-end creative leadership—aligning story, performance, production logistics, and post while delivering a finished feature under real constraints. It also reinforced a theme that continues through my work: leveraging emerging technology to raise quality and streamline execution.
ORIGINAL SCORE & ORCHESTRAL RECORDING: THE RED CANVAS (2008)
Music commissioning • Global production collaboration • Creative partnership • Post-production leadership
For The Red Canvas, my UCLA friend and composer James Peterson and I commissioned an orchestral recording with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra—an experience that strengthened my ability to lead high-stakes creative collaborations across teams, time zones, and tight production timelines.
SCORE RECOGNITION: IFMCA AWARDS (2009)
Industry recognition • Composer collaboration • Creative credibility
The soundtrack went on to win two International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) Awards: Breakout Composer of the Year (James Peterson) and Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film for The Red Canvas.
Proof: Orchestral recording credit (Movie Music UK) • IFMCA 2009 Awards winners • Composer awards listing (IMDb)
(moviemusicuk.us) (filmmusiccritics.org) (m.imdb.com)
TWO FEATURE RELEASES + GLOBAL MARKET EXECUTION (2008 -2012)
Film production • Global distribution • Contracts & licensing • Technical deliverables
I released two distinct feature versions from the same creative universe: The Red Canvas (2008) and a later U.S. release under Art of Submission / Money Fight—each positioned independently for different buyers and territories (in some cases, distributors acquired both). That process became a real-world education in how films are packaged, valued, and sold internationally—where market expectations can shape everything from casting and scale to promotional strategy and distribution positioning.
Beyond creative execution, I gained hands-on experience bringing complex media projects to market: negotiating distribution terms, managing licensing and rights tracking (including music-related deliverables), and delivering the comprehensive technical specifications distributors require to release a title in their region. I also raised $6M to finance the project—an intensive leadership chapter that strengthened my ability to align stakeholders around a vision and deliver under high accountability.
U.S. availability: Money Fight is available on major streaming platforms including Tubi and Prime Video.
GLOBAL FILM MARKETS & POSITIONING (2008 -2012)
Market strategy • Deal-making environments • Brand representation • International sales
To support international sales, I participated in major global marketplaces—including AFM (Los Angeles), EFM (Berlin), and Marché du Film (Cannes)—where content is pitched, packaged, and acquired in high-stakes, deadline-driven environments.
