KYLE Edit, a boutique editorial company founded in 2011 by editor Tina Mintus, has expanded to offer a range of integrated creative solutions including production, post, VFX and color grading. This diversification is underscored by a name change as the company has been renamed KYLE nyc.
The studio has brought on a new EP with a strong background in live-action production and post. Sarah Farrand is a California native with an extensive resume of production and post production credentials, working on award-winning spots at Aero Film, Park Pictures and Moxie Pictures. She’s produced broadcast series and feature films, had work premiere at such major festivals as SXSW and the LA Film Festival and held high-level production and post jobs at independent film studios in Los Angeles.
The company also announced the first addition to its directorial roster: Nate Taylor, an accomplished filmmaker who’s been on KYLE’s editorial roster since it opened, is now being represented as a director. His past work includes award-winning features, music videos and shorts, and he’s already begun to direct projects for agencies, having recently completed a multi-spot package for a personal care brand out of the New York agency Fancy Advertising. Additional directors will be added to the roster later this year, according to Farrand.
“Taking the company beyond editorial is a reflection of our growth and maturity, but it’s also a response to how the industry is changing,” says Mintus of the strategy behind the expansion. “We want to remain agile and able to adapt quickly. And we’re up for exploring any interesting opportunities that arise that would give us a chance to expand our creative capabilities. That’s what the new KYLE nyc is positioned to do.”
Taylor added, “The biggest advantage of getting into production is the ability to start collaborating on a project sooner. Early involvement allows us to better leverage our skills to their fullest. We’re a highly collaborative group, so the sooner we get involved, the more solutions and ideas we can contribute.”
Taylor’s directorial work includes the independent drama “Forgetting the Girl,” which won the Audience Award at the SoHo International Film Festival and was a Gold winner at WorldFest in Houston in 2012. He also wrote and produced the SXSW hit “The Dwarvenaut,” a documentary short about a Brooklyn art prodigy who’s obsessed with “Dungeons & Dragons.”
Farrand says KYLE nyc will be able to package jobs to offer both production and post, providing a single-source solution that can be highly competitive in terms of bidding. “We’re conscious of the entire workflow, from the shoot through to effects and finishing,” she noted. “This puts us in a position to save both time and money – there will be less time cleaning up something that wasn’t shot properly, more time spent on adding those finishing touches that make the final product really shine.”
So far, agencies that have test-driven the new KYLE nyc say they like the way it handles. “KYLE was a pleasure to work with,” says Code and Theory sr. producer Joe Curcio, who tapped Taylor to shoot a Gillette job that was also edited at the company. “From concept to completion, they over-performed and over delivered at every stage, making the project run as smooth as one can hope for, and successful.”
“Having edited at KYLE for years, we knew they were top notch,” added Katie Keating, founder and creative director at Fancy. “But when we turned to them to produce a series of online videos plus a thirty-second commercial from soup to nuts and under challenging circumstances--very little time, very little money and in the middle of August, no less--we were blown away by their efficiency, creativity and all around positive spirit.”