Kim Christensen (left) and Damian Wagner
Venice, CA (March 26, 2012)—Kim Christensen and Damian Wagner have launched KickStand, an original music and sound design house located near Venice Beach.
“KickStand will proceed with a no-holds-barred attitude towards music and sound,” notes co-founder Damian Wagner. “We feel fortunate to have already had the opportunity to work on an array of challenging and interesting projects, collaborating with some of the finest agencies, editors, directors and artists in the business.”
KickStand has already orchestrated the viral video for OK GO’s “Needing Getting” and its Chevy Sonic Super Bowl spot; Shock Top’s “End of the World” spot, which earned Adweek’s Ad of the Day; sound designing David Guetta and Nikki Minaj’s sensational “Turn Me On” music video (with 44 million YouTube views); and working on campaigns for Logitech, Exxon and other high profile brands.
Wagner and Christensen have been teaming up for years, originally on a DreamWorks project. Their studio is a former taxi company renovated into a postmodern production space four blocks from the ocean in Venice Beach and around the corner from the famed Abbot Kinney Boulevard, which is lined with restaurants and shops. KickStand has outfitted its home with original artwork by Vassarely, Dennis Hopper, Doug Aitken and Chaka.
Kickstand’s contribution to OK GO’s “Needing Getting” video included music, sound design, sequencing and re-recording, a project that involved managing over 1,000 Pro Tools tracks and 20,000 pieces of audio. The tongue-n-cheek “Shock Top” beer spot involved heavy sound design for falling buildings, explosions and aliens, while Logitech’s “Global Jam” combined street music in Budapest and Bangkok, all rocking out to the classic T-Rex song, “Telegram Sam.”
The torrent of work continues, as KickStand has a number of projects in the pipeline, including sound design for Exxon via The Martin Agency, and music and sound design for the short film Streetcar by Pixar director Carlos Baena.
KickStand
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