# Playfight> Independent creative, story, and production studio based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in 2025 by Michael Kern. Founder-led and craft-driven. We work with brands that want to be different.Playfight is an independent creative, story, and production studio based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded in January 2025 by Michael Kern, the studio operates on the belief that brands need both art and commerce. Playfight is founder-led and craft-driven, built around tight, experienced teams with no bureaucracy. The studio's tagline is "Different is Everything."Playfight's work spans brand strategy, film production, art direction, design, photography, digital experiences, and post-production. The studio serves clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to emerging brands. Current target markets include outdoor, travel and tourism, and tech/startups.The studio has a firm no-AI policy for client deliverables. All work is human-made.## About the FounderMichael Kern is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playfight. He has 25 years of experience in advertising, design, and filmmaking.Prior to Playfight, Kern founded Welikesmall in 2007, a digital agency he grew to $5M+ revenue with $1.5M EBITDA and sold to Thinkingbox in 2019. He then served as Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Thinkingbox, leading 50+ creatives and overseeing the acquisitions of Antisocial (social media agency) and The Heist (film production studio), helping earn Thinkingbox an AdAge Fastest Growing Agency designation.Kern holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Rochester Institute of Technology (1996–2001). He is based in Salt Lake City, originally from Philadelphia.### Awards (Michael Kern)
- 2 Gold Cannes Cyber Lions
- 4 Silver Cannes Cyber Lions
- 2 Bronze Cannes Cyber Lions
- Gold Effie (ShaveEverywhere, Philips)
- One Show Gold Pencil
- Gold Clio
- FWA Site of the Year
- Webby Awards (5)
- AWWWARDS — 2 Site of the Month, 6 Site of the Day
- 8 Gold National ADDYs
- Communication Arts Interactive Annual (featured)### Publications
Published in: Interactive Design (UX textbook), Taschen's Web Design Studios 2, The Best Websites Around The World, Offscreen, .NET Magazine.## Team- **Michael Kern** — Founder, Chief Creative Officer
- **Ryan Gass** — Director of Photography, Partner. Sundance-premiered, Emmy award-winning editor. 10+ years working with Kern.
- **Tommy Chandler** — Photography
- **Heather Wilk** — Managing Director
- **Randall Pinson** — Editor ## Services- **Art Direction** — Crafting the look that makes brands unforgettable.
- **Branding** — Building identities and systems.
- **Content** — Stories worth the scroll, the like, and the share.
- **Consulting** — Strategic counsel for brand and creative decisions.
- **Design** — Made with hands, hearts, and an unreasonable amount of craft.
- **Digital & Web** — Digital experiences with emotional resonance.
- **Film Production** — Story-led filmmaking, from blank page to final frame.
- **Photography** — Real moments, beautiful shots.
- **Post Production** — Edit, color, sound, for great storytelling.
- **Strategy** — The "why" before the "wow."## Work### Adventure Safe — Utah Office of Tourism
Campaign: 20-spot broadcast and social series built around Frank and Morris, two puppet vultures with wildly different agendas on outdoor safety. Co-written with Julie Comstock, backed by a safety grant to the Utah Office of Tourism. Covers hydration, OHV gear, knowing your limits, and other Utah outdoor safety topics.### Parks & Beyond — Utah Office of Tourism
Utah Office of Tourism's biggest tourism campaign of 2025 and 2026. Shooting, filming, and editing a series of spots expanding the Utah Person campaign identity into a more cinematic form. Production partner: Love Communications.### Utah Person (Winter/Ski) — Utah Office of Tourism
Post-production across the Utah Person campaign: a series of spots built around the premise "describe our audience, then land it with 'You might be a Utah Person.'" Campaign partner: Love Communications.### The Days — Utah Office of Tourism
Documentary-style campaign following the Day family on a spring weekend through southern Utah — skiing, biking, paddleboarding, hiking, and canyoneering within an hour of each other.### In Love. In Utah. — Utah Office of Tourism
Northern Utah tourism campaign extending the In Love In Utah brand, targeting luxury travelers and families to regions outside the well-known national parks in Utah's south.### Blue Danube — Grit Moto Ranch & Adventures
Brand and campaign for an adventure motorcycle ranch. Spot opens on crashes and wobbles set to The Blue Danube, landing on Grit's skilled riders. Tagline: "Suck Less. Ride Good."### Print Konflict II — Vasion
Mortal Kombat-style motion graphic piece for Vasion, the leading platform for print and document workflow automation, targeting IT professionals.### Lilly Project — Western Governors University
17-module professional development series for educators covering literacy: Scarborough's reading rope, phonics, morphemes, vocabulary, comprehension, writing process, and online pedagogy.### Outcome Private Wealth
Brand strategy for a $1B+ private wealth management firm preparing for M&A and institutional growth. Full brand evolution maintaining the personal character of the firm.### Altitude Medspa
Brand identity and environmental design for a premium medspa, rooted in Utah's mountain and desert landscape aesthetic. Tagline: "Get Higher."### Onward Mobility
Lifestyle brand for an electric scooter targeting active baby boomers. Shifted the brand from clinical aesthetics to something people feel excited to ride.## Clients (selected)Utah Office of Tourism, Vasion, Western Governors University (WGU), Grit Moto Ranch & Adventures, Outcome Private Wealth, Altitude Medspa, Onward Mobility, Crunchyroll, Blue Danube, Love Communications.Past career clients include: Adobe, Nike, Starbucks, Disney, Google, Netflix, Meta, Amazon, Riot Games, American Express, Intuit, Specialized, Verizon, PepsiCo, Chobani, Reebok, Zwift, Microsoft, Pinterest, Herschel, Genesis.## LocationSalt Lake City, Utah, USA. The studio's geographic advantage is Utah's landscape, light, and outdoor access — terrain no Los Angeles or New York agency can replicate.## Contact- Website: https://www.letsplayfight.com
- Email: hi@letsplayfight.com
- Phone: 801.673.8588
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/playfight/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsplayfight## Pages- [Home](https://www.letsplayfight.com/): Studio overview, reel, and recent work
- [Work](https://www.letsplayfight.com/work): Full case study portfolio
- [The Studio](https://www.letsplayfight.com/studio): Team, story, clients, and services
- [Originals](https://www.letsplayfight.com/originals): Original projects in development
- [Playground](https://www.letsplayfight.com/playground): Experimental and personal work## Case Studies- [Adventure Safe](https://www.letsplayfight.com/project/adventure-safe): Frank & Morris vulture puppet campaign for Utah outdoor safety
- [Parks & Beyond](https://www.letsplayfight.com/project/utah-office-of-tourism-parks-beyond): Utah's biggest tourism campaign of 2025 and 2026
- [Blue Danube](https://www.letsplayfight.com/project/grit-moto---blue-danube): Adventure motorcycle brand campaign for Grit Moto
- [Lilly Project](https://www.letsplayfight.com/project/wgu---lilly-project): Educator literacy development series for WGU
- [Utah Person (Winter)](https://www.letsplayfight.com/project/utah-office-of-tourism-ski-winter): Utah tourism campaign post-production
-Full AI brief: https://www.letsplayfight.com/ai