Pierce Kafka is the CEO and Creative Director of Kafka Media Group, an integrated marketing agency with experts in a wide range of marketing services, from health tech to entertainment. Pierce leverages his years of experience in commercial production and advertising to transform brands into household names through authentic storytelling, creative content and a deep understanding of the media landscape.

Pierce and KMG have worked on award winning campaigns for a range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, seeing projects from development, production and distribution.

How many years have you been a judge?

1-3 years

What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?

My first job was marketing independent films through social media. It taught me how to reach audiences with ads and how challenging it can be to generate organic campaigns—earning virality is something I’ve been obsessed with ever since.

What project are you most proud to have worked on?

I’m most proud of the ongoing project of building our team. It’s not always about the big wins; it’s about finding a team that understands the importance of consistently creating and growing, even when we face challenges.

What’s the most challenging part about your job and/or the industry?

We believe in the power of “Launch-to-Learn,” where every project is a chance to learn and grow. The hard part is having the patience to dissect, review the analytics, and try again—it’s about focusing on progress and long-term growth rather than immediate results.

What do you look for to determine excellence in video?

Story is the heart of any content—it needs to capture attention. I always ask myself, “Why should I care?” On the technical side, excellence means clean audio, motivated lighting, and composition that supports the story. Often, people focus only on the foreground, but the background is just as important in framing the story’s point of view.

How do you unwind from work mode?

I unwind by playing pretend with my kids—it’s the perfect way to disconnect and have fun.

What are your current roles and responsibilities and what do you love most about your job?

I’m the CEO and Creative Director of Kafka Media Group (Kafka.com). What I love most is working with our talented team to execute campaigns that are fresh and unique to each client’s voice. It’s challenging, but our crew thrives on the adventure.

What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?

We’re currently working on the trailer and marketing campaign for Contradiction, the feature film we developed. It’s exciting because it allows us to experiment with fresh approaches and explore new strategies that could shape future projects.