ArtClass’ Kirsten Arongino on Fighting for Directing Talent

Kirsten Arongino is managing director of ArtClass, a seasoned producer and creative leader recognised for culturally attuned, forward thinking storytelling. So well versed in the world of production, it’s surprising to learn she entered the industry by accident, after majoring in business and starting out in a finance role on Wall Street.

Kirsten came into advertising through a receptionist position at Deutsch, where she went on to learn the ins and outs of commercial production before taking on senior roles at Ogilvy and Publicis. Identifying that her favourite part out of a campaign’s lifecycle was production itself, she took on leadership positions at Yard NYC and Ammolite Inc., learning what it meant to work as a vendor on the other side of the table.

She joined ArtClass almost three years ago. Since then, the company has opened a UK outpost headed by executive producer Sam Holmes, and Eccentrics, an experiential division led by Lara Atalie.

Here, Kirsten sits down with LBB’s Abi Lightfoot to discuss her approach to leadership, the importance of supporting directorial talent, and the constant communication in play between ArtClass’ US and UK operations.

LBB> Growing up, did you envision that you’d be working in the creative industries, or in advertising more specifically?
Kirsten> Not at all. I was a business major, so finance felt like the natural progression. I started at Bridge Information Systems on Wall Street – and then I got fired. I won’t tell you why, but it was valid.

I went to a temp agency and landed as the receptionist at Deutsch, where I met Jim Frame, the head of production. I asked him what he did; he asked if I wanted to work with him, and I said yes. A year later, I was standing on a Red Stripe shoot with absolutely no idea what I was doing – but I loved it. I had accidentally found the business I was supposed to be in.

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