The Studio - Kitchen Sink Studios

The Agency

DEDICATED TO CLIENT AND CRAFT

We began as artists – each individually driven to perfecting our craft. Nearly two decades later, we’ve grown into a full-service branding agency that takes a holistic approach to our clients’ needs from multifaceted campaigns and complete rebranding efforts to ongoing retainer services. We invest deeply in our relationships, ask the right questions and approach every task with the innate passion we started Kitchen Sink Studios. Under our roof, your needs and goals are at the core, and we’ve proven since 1999 our strategic, solution-oriented work will exceed expectations. So, we’d love to know – What can we create with you?

Our Services

Here, we champion free thinking. In an open space, free from cubicles and offices, ideas cross-pollinate. This collective mentality organically produces strong, moving work. Nearly everything we produce is made within these walls.

Brand Strategy
Brand Identity Development
Environmental Design
Logo Development
Graphic Design
Film
Illustration
3D Animation
Renderings
Web Design
Web Development
Mobile App Development

Photography
Video Production
Sound Design
Color Grading
Storyboarding
Copywriting
Script Writing
Public Relations
Event Planning
Social Media Marketing
Media Buying

Clients we've worked with

The Team

Perspective is key. That’s why we’ve deliberately attracted artists from every discipline. Our unique workroom culture fuses skills and melds viewpoints, giving our work its distinct edge.

Nick Hower

Partner + Founder

A founding partner of Kitchen Sink Studios, Nick has a made a career of doing what he is most passionate about – stretching the limits of the visual medium. While working at an architecture firm, Nick and co-founder Kory Kapfer realized their potential as a creative team and opened Kitchen Sink Studios in 1999. Nick’s entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a deep interest for branding and curiosity for all things visual, serves as the studio’s foundation.

Kory Kapfer

Partner + Founder

With a firm belief that design matters when paired with thoughtful strategy, Kory lives and breathes the philosophy that the sum is more than its parts. As the studio’s second founding partner, Kory keeps the studio operating at its peak. Since 1999, he has fostered a flourishing studio atmosphere and guaranteed quality work. His creative spirit and desire to understand why something works has driven Kitchen Sink Studios to be an ever-evolving agency.

Stacy Bayless

Director of Strategic Communications

A Phoenix native and a graduate of the University of Arizona, Stacy gained her extensive marketing, PR and advertising know-how at nationally recognized agencies from California to Maryland. Returning to her Arizona roots in 2004, she started her own Scottsdale marketing firm specializing in the hospitality, entertainment, travel and real estate industries. She has also led the marketing and communications efforts for one of the nation’s largest land brokerage firms. In her spare time, she enjoys sipping wine and relaxing on sun-drenched beaches – preferably both at the same time.

Jeff Balasa

Director of Client Services

Driven by a thirst for innovation and strategy, Jeff puts every ounce of his effort into building a brand with purpose. Our most recent Chicago transplant, he came to Kitchen Sink armed with experience supporting global brands like MillerCoors – perfect for an avid craft beer connoisseur such as himself. Jeff is a pro at coordinating all the moving parts that go into managing and maintaining a strong brand and the people that make it. If he’s not in the office, you’ll probably run into him on the golf course or at a local craft brewery.

Marc Cattapan

Director of User Experience

Originally from Toronto, Marc brings 17-plus years of experience designing and developing award-winning digital products to the desert. But he isn’t your run-of-the-mill snowbird. He has worked on a variety of international brands including Volvo, Salvation Army, Rethink Breast Cancer and Astrazeneca. At KSS, Marc is involved in every stage of the development process – from strategy and user testing to development and post-launch analysis. He believes that the right user-centered design leads to higher conversions and brand affinity, as well as the best experience for clients and their customers.

Andrew Roberts

Project Manager

Andrew is a problem-solver at heart. He approaches every task with a methodology in mind. Planning ahead. Communicating. Considering the nuances of every project. Before joining KSS, he was the Associate Director of Marketing at the University of Maryland. He holds a BBA from Hofstra University and an MBA from the University of Maryland, and is also a certified PMP, which is recognized the world over as the gold standard in project management. Andrew enjoys exploring the Arizona outdoors with his wife Erica, their daughter Zara and their German Shepherd Jade.

Greg Granillo

Senior Copywriter

With 20 years experience in the advertising world, Greg has crafted just the right words for film scripts, websites, print ads and broadcast. But his true passion is helping clients large and small discover their unique brand story. Through meticulous research – and impressive listening skills – he gains a thorough understanding of a client’s situation, then develops content that touches the audience’s emotions and delivers the appropriate message. Greg earned a Journalism degree from the University of Arizona and has worked with a range of clients including Marriott, Sheraton, HonorHealth, and more.

Stephen Simms

Senior Content Creator

Stephen is a one-man digital shop—from graphic design and photography to video production and web development, Stephen can do it all. But that doesn’t mean he’s a lone wolf. Stephen thrives on the spirit of collaboration that comes from a close-knit team of creatives working together, inspiring one another to do great work. His do-it-all professional ethic extends to his personal life, too, where he spends his free time snowboarding, skateboarding, swimming, and rock climbing.

Athena Simmons

Content Creator

Kitchen Sink’s goddess of extreme adventure, Athena has been preparing for a job in video production since she started making skateboard videos at 13 years old. Today, when she’s not rock climbing or snowboarding, she actually gets paid to create killer videos. And she does it all, from camera operation and editing to building sets. A graduate of Grand Canyon University’s film school, Athena is living her dream, collaborating with clients and other production staff to produce videos for a variety of uses.

Ryan Lord

Art Director

A true artist at heart, Ryan began his professional journey as a digital painter in the comic book industry (he has even published his own comic book). Over the past 12 years, he has used his design and illustration skills to create everything from promotional videos and websites to packaging and branding for local and multinational companies. While his versatility provides Kitchen Sink’s clients with myriad design solutions, Ryan’s greatest ability is translating marketing and branding strategies into innovative and impressive visual concepts in all media platforms.

Katie Kasl

Junior Designer

Photographer. Reporter. Amateur comedian. Pizza waitress. Katie is the first to admit she has a diverse background. But her clients and colleagues know the “K” in her name stands for “kick-butt” designer. She received her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Wayne State College and, since moving to Arizona in 2015, has worked on a variety of print and digital projects, from local start-ups and hospitality businesses to international medical device manufacturers and jewelry. In her spare time, Katie likes to travel, eat copious amounts of frozen yogurt, and pet every cat and dog that comes across her path. She also has a strong aversion to men wearing tight pants.

Hannah Godfrey

Production Designer

Hannah has always had an adventurous spirit – from teaching herself basic graphic design in high school, to packing her bags and moving from a small Kansas town to Phoenix. By the time she started studying advertising and graphic design at Grand Canyon University, she had already designed logos, book covers, T-shirts, advertisements, social media content, websites, and more. Today, as the ultimate utility player on the KSS creative team, she continues to do it all. When she’s not busy designing, painting or drawing, she’s usually sipping on espresso or searching for the nearest live band.

JOIN THE TEAM

Interested in joining our team? Send your portfolio to info@kitchensinkstudios.com. Please keep attachments under 10MB.

We are looking for Digital Marketing Strategist

JOIN THE TEAM

Interested in the industry? Looking to hone your skills in an agency environment? Email us at info@kitchensinkstudios.com.

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