Christopher Knox and Christopher Kaminski bonded over their love of video games and a desire to create a video game adaptation that lived up to the notoriety of the game. What started as a mutual desire to make narrative content honoring the art of storytelling with an emphasis on video games has evolved into “Cobalt Knight,” a multi-platform production company that creates film, television, comics, and digital content. Knox brings his skill sets as a producer for film, television, and branded content, and Kaminski, a former video game producer for Sega of America, brings an indefatigable knowledge of the video game industry to the pair’s slate of projects. Recently, Cobalt Knight acquired the rights to the popular games Terraforming Mars, Anachrony, and Trickerion.
We had the chance to speak with the founders of Cobalt Knight about their journey as storytellers, their slate of projects ranging from commercials to adaptations, and some of their inspirations and approaches to working with branded content.
You are both co-founders of Cobalt Knight, a production company with a robust slate of projects spanning television and advertising. What inspired Cobalt Knight?
Kaminski: My inspiration for Cobalt Knight came from a genuine love of storytelling. Many of my favorite childhood memories involve games that I played or shows that I watched. I wanted to help give that experience to someone else by creating storytelling experiences that impact other people in a similar way that my favorite stories impacted me.
Knox: Chris and I were at a party the PGA was hosting. We were hanging out on the foot bridge that overlooks Pixar’s cafeteria. Sipping whiskeys, we were bemoaning the state of ‘video game films’, and how none had ever tried. If only someone, someone would come along and make a video game movie correctly, with a deep love and understanding of the game itself, with a fresh take that we moaned… We sat, ignoring everyone else at the party, and discussed how we would adapt our favorite video game IP until we asked ourselves “why can’t it be us?” That was the start. The next day we got on the phone, talked more (now that the whiskey had left our systems), and in the cold light of morning, we realized… this could actually work.
How does creating a compelling story for a brand compare with creating a narrative for television?
Kaminski: My experience in creating brand narratives is limited compared to Knox’s experience and expertise. But nevertheless, my underlying philosophy is the same across all mediums: stories help us make sense of life when it all feels overwhelming. A great story is one that speaks directly to the heart of the human experience, like a metaphorical equivalent of the Rosetta Stone.
Knox: It's oddly essentially the same; you have got to bore down deep… down to what is the core story you are trying to tell. For example:
The Coke brand’s story is about the quest for happiness. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is about your inner child’s joy of exploring and playing in the world. Star Trek is about rising up and being our better angels. (Locke overcoming Hobbes for our philosophy majors in the audience.)
Once you know what the core story is, you can start developing assets to support or tell that core story, be it characters, plots, or brand colors.
Do you each have a particular project you are most proud of? Why?
Kaminski: I’m most proud of my work on MadWorld, a video game for the Nintendo Wii that I worked on during my tenure at Sega of America. It was a challenging project from inception. Success was never guaranteed, and the odds were stacked against our team throughout most of the development. But my feeling of pride comes from two things: first, the game was granted the cover story of the 20th Anniversary issue of Nintendo Power magazine, the official publication for Nintendo. I literally grew up reading that magazine, so getting the cover still feels like a dream. Second, I met a legitimate fan of the game at a conference who shared his sincere and emphatic feelings about it. Knowing that my work resonated so profoundly with him reminded me of the power of storytelling and solidified my desire to continue working in this industry for a long time to come.
Knox: Oh my… that’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. Ok, if I have to pick one, I think it was my “Oculus Launch” video I did for Meta (Facebook at the time). We shot in China, at the factories where the Oculuses… Oculi? are made. It was just an amazing experience. We had an amazing blended team of American and Chinese crew; with different methodologies working together and learning from each other. We worked with a ton of different factory team–not just electronics, but plastic people, optics, mold-injected foam fabric people, metallurgists; it was eye opening, and we learned so much. Plus, we learned a lot about each other as people, personally. They had their stereotypes about us (Americans), and we had our stereotypes about them… and in the end we learned the simple age-old truth, that people are people everywhere; that we all want the same old thing: we want be loved, be part of a family, maybe have some kids, maybe not, eat some things, drink some nice drink, smile, laugh, be warm and happy, and grow old in security and die happy. Everything else is simply details.
Once we got back to the States, I started editing with one of my favorite editors, Jon Barnhardt, who is still at Meta, and a real genius. I remember how brilliant Jon’s first pass had been, and how I came in with notes, questions about why he hadn’t used this shot or that one. I would be like, “Jon, it took us five hours to get that shot, why didn’t you use it?” Jon would smile and say, “Because, we didn’t need it.” And then I would spend the next two hours with Jon, trying to squeeze that shot back into the show, and you know what? It didn’t make the show any better. I learned that day (finally, after many failed attempts) to always surround yourself with smart people, and to trust them. You hired them for a reason. You hired them for their talent; you hired them for their taste. Believe in them.
When working with a brand, how do you engage and collaborate with clients to create a successful advertisement?
Kaminski: While Knox is the expert in terms of advertisements, I’ve had significant experience creating entertainment experiences based on other people’s brands. I approach the matter with a sense of stewardship. The client is placing significant trust in me and my team. The first step is understanding the values of the brand that are essential to the client. Then we combine that understanding with our experience in storytelling to craft something that reflects those values in a way that delights the current fans and invites new ones to hop on board.
Knox: Listen to them, a lot, preferably with paper and pencil in hand. You want to get good at empathy, like really good. You want your empathy to be your secret weapon. If you are interested, go read Chris Voss’s book "Never Split the Difference" to find out more about what I am talking about.
A brand or client is never a single thing. Sure, there is the director of marketing sitting across from you, but there is also a senior brand manager at the meeting who is not saying much. There is the CMO who was supposed to come to the meeting, but canceled at the last second. There is the intern who is getting the coffee who no one is paying attention to; They all have a story. They all have a desire to be seen and heard. They all have goals and dreams, some of which are aligned with each other, others which are not, and if you are going to engage with that client successfully, you need to win on all of these fronts.
What is a brand or industry you would love to work with, and why?
Kaminski: Tough question! There are so many that stir my imagination. As I mentioned before, my proudest moment involved working with Sega and Nintendo. There are a couple of games from both of those companies that I would love to work with in a professional capacity.
Knox: Ack! Another question where you are asking me to choose… so many. Um, so in the genre / gaming / fantasy space… Zelda, Gloomhaven, Discworld, and Warhammer Fantasy Battle (Henry Cavil has already got 40k). These are all brands I love, and for all of them, I have a story to tell that builds upon these brands… that I feel hasn’t been done before.
For broader brands, I would love to work with Utilikilt (I wear alot of kilts) and National Healthcare (ACA in America & NHS in England). I watched my father and my father-in-law die under private healthcare in America, and I witnessed firsthand how the privatization of healthcare impacts the care you receive, and the ramifications of what that care is. Lastly, anything to do with renewable energy / global climate crisis, if nothing else because I have two young daughters, and the way things are going, I worry there won’t be much of a world left for them.
Do you have a particular commercial or campaign that has inspired you as creatives?
Kaminski: Again, there are so many great ones! The one that immediately comes to mind is the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign from Old Spice. I particularly loved the bold creative direction that simultaneously embraced the essential historic quality of the brand while going in a bold new direction with the playful, yet sincere, tone. And on a professional level, I deeply admire their use of practical effects!
Knox: So many to choose from… to name a few: 1984 Apple, Maxell Blown Away Guy, What’s in your Wallet, American Express (Seinfeld), the entire ‘Got Milk’ campaign, with special shout out to Michael Bay’s “Aaron Burr Got Milk” 60 second spot. I will stop there. One more. Beef, It's What's for Dinner 1993.
What can we expect from Cobalt Knight in the years to come?
Kaminski: I’m officially out of the prediction business. That said, as goofy as it might sound, I hope we continue to have opportunities to tell sincere and entertaining stories that resonate with audiences in the same way that our favorites helped shape us.
Knox: I am with Chris on this one. The rate of change in the world keeps getting faster and faster, and it is easy to get sucked into the mindset of constantly having to pivot to the new paradigm, endlessly chasing whatever the new shiny thing is.
However, there is another option: you can be the kind of partner you want to see in the world; you can choose to be the steady rock that others can rely upon. You can stick excellence and empathy as your watch words; caring about others, even when times are hard for you.
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Find out more about Christopher Knox and Christopher Kaminski on IMDb.
