Kimberly Ovitz
Photographer / Director / Designer / Artist / Entrepreneur
Los Angeles, CA
Q What do you do?
“I am an artist and entrepreneur — Photographer, Director, Designer, and Creative Director.”
I shoot photography (fashion, fine art, portrait, commercial etc.), write / direct short films and short form content, as well as design clothing. I currently am focused on photo and film, after leaving the fashion design world in 2013.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I have been shooting photography my entire life, prior to shooting professionally. I had a senior thesis photo show my senior year at Brown University. I am predominantly self-taught but have continued education over the years (while growing my fashion design business), such as studio lighting, 2 rounds of digital photo 1 and 2, adobe photoshop and lightroom, landscape photo, and drone photo. Post-college, I worked in fashion design for Imitation of Christ Denim, Twelfth St by Cynthia Vincent, and Ya Ya (which is now Reformation). At 24, I launched my eponymous clothing company and moved to NYC. I designed and ran that for 6 years, producing fashion shows for the collections each season, and managing a team of 10 people. I garnered press features in magazines such as Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, W Magazine, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, Another Magazine, NY Times, NYTimes T Magazine, LA Times, and more. I sold at both brick-and-mortar and online top boutiques and major department stores both national and internationally. After closing the company in 2013, I took a business development role at Relativity Media in their fashion division. Followed by a consulting Vice President role at a business acceleration firm, MediaLink. In 2018, I enrolled in an intensive summer Directing program at USC School of Cinematic Arts, making my first short film. I then assisted a director on a feature film shot in New Mexico, starring Zoe Saldana in 2019, as well as shadowed a director for 2 weeks on an episode of the Fox tv series Empire, shot in Chicago. When Covid hit, I chose to focus on my still photography professionally, while the world quarantined and avoided being around people. It allowed me to shoot a landscape series called “Mother”, a fine art photography show that I recently debuted at a sponsored event with a percent of proceeds going to the XPrize competition “Feed The Next Billion” – a competition to solve for a more sustainable and humane way to address the factory farming issue with lab-grown meats. The work is currently featured on my new website, launched at the beginning of this year (2022).
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I have a unique career trajectory that has allowed me to have experience in several creative fields, therefore I am able to bring many hats and skillsets to the table when creative development and/or problem-solving. I have established a large network in various industries that I am able to tap when necessary. I can easily vacillate from high-level macro thinking down into the nitty-gritty. I love details. I am insatiably curious, have a growth mindset, and believe in healthy respectful relationships in both my personal and professional life. I do a lot of personal work on self-alignment and healthy relational connection, which has provided me with great communication skills and become a great benefit to my professional life.
Q What are you working on right now?
I am working on managing content and continuing to develop my fine art photography work for my new e-commerce website, identifying and establishing sales channels for my photography, and also editing a narrative script around the topic of animal welfare that a writer has attached me to direct.
Q What’s your style?
First and foremost, I am preoccupied with light. Natural and studio light. How light tells a story, hits a subject, fills a room, creates a feeling/mood, envelopes, hides, exposes, reveals, colors, and creates worlds.
I want to elevate people’s experiences and provoke people to question perspectives / see things differently. I enjoy creating emotional experiences that move people and explore the human condition and its relationship to the natural world. My style is always less is more. I love monochromatic work because it submerges the viewer in simplicity – which is not always easy to do in the overly stimulated world we inhabit.
I can easily adapt to clients’ needs, which may require a specific look that may not be represented in my current fine artwork.
Buzz words – sophisticated, impact, mission-driven, down to earth with depth, connected, natural, flow, minimal, simple, light, energy, empowerment, adding value
For my personal work, my mission is to create art, entertainment, products, education, and experiences that inspire and accelerate change for animals, humans, and the planet.
I love creating in general! It doesn’t have to be attached to impact. Here are a few links that represent my taste: The Row, John Pawson, 90’s Calvin Klein
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Films that shift perspective, creative directing, and fashion/commercial photography
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I miss community! I love working on a team. I love collaborating and bouncing ideas around with other creatives, as opposed to working siloed.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
All of my admin, data entry, apt scheduling, content management, social media management, etc.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I wish I told myself this in my 20s: We are all unique and have a unique way of seeing things. Always trust your gut.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Creating NFTs and Cryptocurrency.
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Photography (portrait, fashion, branded, commercial), Creative Directing, Branded Content, and Short films. I would love to design clothes again for the right opportunity.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I am open to anything creative that allows me to bring my skillsets, talent, vision, and good energy to the table with mutual respect for one another. A true collaboration and exchange of ideas to bring your vision to reality. Let’s talk!
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
If interested in working with me, please email. Please describe the project, scope, and approximate budget if you have a sense.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
My stylist friend Keegan Singh. I met him when we lived in NYC and he styled one of my fashion shows. We work really well together.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Insatiable curiosity, experiences, nature, reading, community, music, and love
This member profile was originally published in June 2022.