KN+SAW | Katrine Naleid + Stephen Austin Welch

The lifestyle directing duo KN+SAW shoot families, kids, babies, toddlers, millennials and grown-ups! Katrine & Stephen have an adept understanding of the best way to film slice-of-life connection, people & food, retail & fashion, toys & education, healthcare & wellness and startup disruptors to engage the audience — a.k.a. inspired storytelling that gets clicks.

KN+SAW (Katrine Naleid and Stephen Austin Welch), a directing team specializing in lifestyle spots, compose fresh and whimsical imagery. “We create and capture inspirational, authentic lifestyle moments. Shooting real emotion is what we are all about.” Their trademark footage is filming connected moments and storytelling that has surprise and payoff.

KN+SAW are a directing duo, as well as still photographers, which means they shoot both broadcast and print campaigns. This motion and still combination keeps them active on sets around the globe. KN+SAW understand the craft and know the technicalities of lighting. They also possess a natural instinct for how to move the camera to allow the scene to evolve naturally.

Their vast array of 20+ years of experience in commercial advertising has earned them them prowess. “We are naturals at collaborating with fellow creatives; but we also excel at navigating tricky clients.” As directors they are very hands on and breathe life into their projects. “We have honed our techniques to get our actors to reveal core emotions that register real on the screen. We have an approachable down-to-earth way about us that allows us to problem solve by bringing people together. Being grounded helps us creatively make the best possible spots.”

Directing spots for Burger King as well as documentary shorts for clients like Fund For Teachers keeps them creatively engaged. Other standout projects include work for: Apple, AT&T, Chrysler, Coke, Corona, Kellogg’s, Hilton, Kraft, Levi’s, Tylenol, Target & Walmart.

On large projects, like the Huggies shoot where they filmed 120 babies and 9 actors playing parents, they handled the production with the same amount of grace and attention to detail as their smaller narrative documentary assignments.

Often, KN+SAW are hired to not only direct spots but also shoot the corresponding print campaign, as they did recently for Elmer’s. Equally versed in getting top notch performances out of kids and adults alike, their work has been featured in industry magazines such as Communication Arts, Lürzer's Archive, Photo District News, HOW and Print.

Both Katrine & Stephen have backgrounds growing up in wide-open-space before big-city-life. Katrine grew up in a small town in Idaho; Stephen outside St. Louis, in Illinois. In college Katrine discovered her passion for photography while attending business school, splitting her time equally between the darkroom and the many ski areas in Utah including Snowbird and Alta. Stephen studied fine art photography and independent filmmaking at the SMFA in Boston; then went on to attend film school at USC in LA.

After being in the industry for a couple years (Katrine in Salt Lake - Stephen in LA) each migrated to San Francisco, working their way up to the level of well-established advertising shooters. KN+SAW have been collaborating on shoots for the past 10+ years. “We started shooting personal projects together. That collaborative work rose to the top on our reels and in our portfolios. And just like that, a light bulb went on in our heads: by working together we are stronger “visual storytellers.”

From creative calls and throughout production, the client always gets their honest take on the boards as well as a clear vision of how Katrine & Stephen see it coming together. Let KN+SAW tell your story.

For more information visit » www.knsaw.com

quick links to KN+SAW’s directing reels:

• lifestyle directing reel
• kids directing reel
• babies & toddlers directing reel
• dialogue & documentary directing reel

broadcast & print = happy client: 

KN+SAW are a directing duo, as well as still photographers. They shoot both broadcast and print campaigns.
View Katrine Naleid’s still photography at KNphoto.com & Stephen Austin Welch’s still photographic work at SAWphoto.com.

recent press:

Lürzer’s Archive magazine interviewed KN+SAW about their insights on directing for broadcast spots vs. shooting stills for print campaigns. The write-up delves deep into their storytelling techniques. Read Full Circle: The Evolution of KN+SAW.

Photo District News magazine interviewed KN+SAW about how they combine shooting both broadcast & print campaigns. Read PDN’s article on us in THE MOTION & VIDEO ISSUE Combining Still and Video Productions: Striking A Balance | PDN’s candid chat with KN+SAW.

get in touch with KN+SAW:

KN+SAW are based on the west coast in San Francisco & shoot around the globe. As a directing duo, KN+SAW work freelance worldwide with a select handful of brilliant, good-natured, veteran Executive Producers at several of the most elite and agile Production Companies in the entire commercial film industry. Contact KN+SAW directly through their website: www.knsaw.com