Casting Contemporaries, Crafting Culture: The Makings of Greg Krelenstein

New York–born Greg Krelenstein, cofounder of global creative studio gk-ld, lets his instinct for what’s contemporary guide his matching of talent to brands, magazines, and collaborative projects. Formerly a third of the DJ collective The Misshapes, he also directed editorial operations at fashion and communications agency Starworks Groups for 14 years before establishing his agency with partner Lisa Duckworth. Krelenstein is a force in the fashion world, renowned for his ability to shape and direct the images of celebrities and brands, whether they are at the cutting edge of the zeitgeist or were famous decades ago and are seeking a comeback. “A mother hen to young indie stars” and “permanently 12 months ahead,” Krelenstein is an industry visionary with innate instincts for fashion and culture shifts and modes—and the wisdom to take a moment to get a sense of what feels right.

Episode Highlights

• Born in Brooklyn and raised in suburban New Jersey, Krelenstein grew up visiting the city and eventually pursued a communications and media degree at NYU.
• As interested in celebrities on magazine covers as those working behind the scenes to produce the shoots, his first passion was not for the fashion world but for film and music.
• Krelenstein was the editorial director at Starworks for 14 years before opening gk-ld with partner Lisa Duckworth.
• He started in film publicity, working with niche magazines and organically growing his clientele to form gk-ld as an industry insider.  
• Krelenstein sets his ideas apart by taking chances and choosing collaborations, celebrities, and situations that represent something fresh within magazines developing unique identities.
• On maintaining decades-long obsessions with certain celebrities, Krelenstein remarks that past monocultures inscribe them in the collective mind, and that peoples’ current attention spans are so short that re-referencing and “comebacks” have social capital. 
• Krelenstein says he intends to create overall images as an image director rather than cater to trends. 
• At an auspicious age, Krelenstein can understand the importance and use of both print and digital operations. 
• Talking about his experience with the #mycalvins campaign, Krelenstein says the ads that you really remember are the ones that appear to be produced from a genuine creative mindset by the designers in the house—and that he’s excited by proximity to those productions.
• His metric for success is when talents experience their own organic growth, in addition to brand alignment; he calls himself both a psychiatrist to some talent and a kind of cultural anthropologist. 
• Emphasizing the importance of trusting his instincts, he states that what’s contemporary now is taking a moment to breathe and get a sense of “what feels right.” 

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