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    Kerstin Emhoff

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    Kerstin Emhoff
    CEO
    PRETTYBIRD & Ventureland
    How has your business model evolved over the years? What principles and beliefs have remained constant to help shape your company/agency/organization? What dynamics have changed, causing you and your company to adapt--and how have you adapted?

    Our industry, like advertising and entertainment in general, is in a constant state of evolution. To stay relevant, we must lead the curve, not follow it. We are always looking for ways to do better. Trends shift, platforms evolve,  but our creative core never wavers. At our core, we are a creative company dedicated to nurturing visionary talent and bringing bold ideas to life.

    We believe that music and advertising content play a vital role in a filmmaker’s long-term career, serving as both independent opportunities and strategic support for their work in film and television. Our relentless commitment to problem-solving and saying ‘yes’ makes us trusted partners to clients, agencies, distributors, and financiers alike.

    In a landscape reshaped by the decline of linear television and the rise of streaming, digital, and social media platforms, we’ve embraced these shifts as opportunities. Our focus remains clear: to tell compelling stories with uncompromising craft, wherever audiences may be.

    What lessons have you learned over the course of your career that remain vital to you today? What new or recent lessons have you found particularly significant?
    The most important lesson I’ve learned is that investing in long-term relationships, with both people and companies, brings far more lasting value than any single job ever could.
    What industry developments over the years--and/or recently--have had the greatest positive influence on you and your company, agency, organization? Whose work has had the greatest positive influence on you?
    When I started in the business, there was very little crossover between verticals like music videos, commercials, film, and television. It was incredibly difficult for directors to break into film or TV if they came from the world of music videos or advertising. Today, filmmakers move more fluidly between formats, opening the door to greater creative freedom and long-term success. As a production company, we’re still establishing ourselves in film and television, but the past five years have been pivotal in proving that we can produce compelling work across all areas of entertainment.
    What changes in the business do you love and why? And, what changes in the business do you dislike and why?

    I have to say, the business has become kinder and more collaborative in many ways. There’s far less tolerance for the "enfant terrible" behavior that once ran unchecked, though I’m sure there’s a whole generation now who has no idea what I’m referring to!

    What I find most frustrating is the tendency for clients to sacrifice craft for more content, more options, more everything. The projects that truly stand out are the ones that prioritize strong ideas and craftsmanship. Those are the ones people remember; the rest quickly fade into the void.

    What do you look back on as among your greatest accomplishments professionally?
    I’d like to think that starting and building not just one, but two companies with my partners is my greatest accomplishment. That said, the milestones along the way, awards in Cannes, Production Company of the Year, Emmys, and an Oscar nomination, serve as powerful reminders that we’re on the right path and doing something that matters.
    Looking towards the future, what are the most pressing questions for which you are still seeking answers as you seek to meaningfully evolve your career and your company? Responses can span such sectors as the economy, business, creative, technological, media and/or any other area you deem relevant.

    Coming out of Cannes, it was clear that everyone is grappling with the same question: how will AI reshape our industry? It’s here, and it's evolving fast, fundamentally changing how we work. I’m choosing to approach it with optimism, focusing on the ways these new tools can enhance our storytelling by giving us greater power and flexibility.

    That said, we also need to confront the challenges head-on, especially when it comes to compensation. As creators and producers of premium content, we must advocate for new models that reflect our value in this shifting landscape. And to stay relevant, we have to continue expanding beyond a pure service model and explore diversified approaches to the business.

    What’s your fondest industry remembrance? Your most profound remembrance? Your funniest remembrance?
    My funniest remembrance is arguing with Rob Reilly about shooting the product shot, Burger King Chicken Fries in front of a stripper pole before shooting the wide shot of our potentially drugged out strippers who were fading fast. Always shoot the product first!
    When did you start reading SHOOT and what were you doing then? How has SHOOT been useful to you during your career?
    I started reading SHOOT in 1992! I was just starting out in the business and SHOOT was the bible. I read it cover to cover to figure out who was doing the best work. But of course I couldn't wait to read Street Talk and get the industry gossip.

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    Click on name below to read more 65th Anniversary survey responses:
    Name Title Company Name
    LaRue Anderson Managing Partner, Founder Apache Digital
    Jordan Brady Filmmaker/Founder True Gent
    Craig Duncan President Cutters Studios
    Kerstin Emhoff CEO Prettybird / Ventureland
    Steve Giralt Founder/Director The Garage
    Qadree Holmes Founder/Executive Producer Quriosity
    Ralph Laucella Founding Partner/EP O Positive
    Michael Marinelli President Sonic Union, Inc
    Becky Morrison Founder/CEO The Light
    Andrés Ordóñez Global CCO FCB
    Josh Rabinowitz Music Consultant & Prof Brooklyn Music Experience
    Bradley Ross Owner / Director / Editor Open Swim
    Orlee Tatarka Head of Production Wieden+Kennedy Portland
    Matthew Wood Partner/Editor Whitehouse Post

    Publishers note: Thank you to our Survey respondents for contributing to our ongoing series of 65th Anniversary articles which you will see over the next few months.

    Here’s a fun look back at some of the content and Ads relating to our 50th & 40th Anniversaries.

    • Click Here to see a feature series we published in the months leading up to our 50th Anniversary Issue which includes interviews with Lee Clow, Robert Greenberg, Bob Giraldi, Larry Bridges, Rich Silverstein, Stephen Dickstein, Phil Geier, Joe Pytka, Bryan Buckley, Joe Sedelmaier, Dan Weiden, Susan Credle, Noam Murro, Tony Granger, Kevin Roddy, Kristi VandenBosch, David Lubars, Jon Kamen, Stefan Sonnenfeld, Tom Kuntz and Lance Acord.
    • Click Here to see the SHOOT 50th Anniversary Issue published in Nov. 2010.
    • Click Here to see SHOOT House Ads leading up to our 40th Anniversary Issue published in Nov. 2000. A big hit at the time, they are still fun to look at. The Ads featured Cheryl Berman, Alex Bogusky, Texas East, Nitza From, Lyle Greenfield, Matt Miller, Tom Mooney, Barbara Mullins, David Perry, Joe Pytka, and Scott Ross.
    • Click Here to see Industry Ads from the SHOOT 40th Anniversary Issue published in Nov. 2000
    • Click Here for our special 65th Anniversary Retro Ad Rates.
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