Two Years at Kismet
July marks two years since Kismet became my full-time thing. Not a side project, not a "let's see how this goes," my actual job, every day, for two years now.
So I wanted to take a minute to look back, share some numbers, and say thank you to a lot of people who made this year (and the one before it) what it was.
By the numbers
Some stats that still don't quite feel real when I type them out:
47 clients across a genuinely wide range of industries: B2B software, venture capital, TV shows, ski resorts, sunless tanningl—oh my!
5,000+ social media assets created
Way too many gigs of footage (like, an embarrassing amount. We need to talk about our hard drive situation.)
79% growth in year two!!
And the coolest part, 6 teammates, as of right now
Two years ago this was just me. Today it's a team, a real client roster, and a body of work I'm genuinely proud of. Growth like that doesn't happen by accident, and it definitely didn't happen alone…more on that below.
The fun stuff
Not everything this year was spreadsheets and deliverables. Some highlights:
We made merch (a very real milestone)
Continued our tradition of throwing a Kismet Pride party (one of my favorite days of the year)
Started building out our internship program, which has already been one of the most rewarding parts of running this thing
I was honored with a 40 Under 40 award from the LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, before I even hit 30
The lessons (so many lessons)
Year two taught me more than year one, if I'm honest—probably because there was more at stake, more people counting on decisions I was making, and more room for things to go sideways. I learned a lot about delegation, about saying no to the wrong-fit clients, about what it actually takes to build a team instead of just a workload. I made mistakes. I'd make some of them again, probably differently. That's the job.
I don't think I'll ever stop learning lessons running this business, and honestly, I hope I don't.
Thank you
To every client who trusted us with their brand, their story, their footage (so much footage), thank you. To the collaborators who jumped in on projects big and small, thank you. And to my team, the six people who show up and make Kismet what it is, there is no version of this year that happens without you. Truly.
What's next
If you've worked with us, thank you for being part of this. If you haven't yet, we're always looking to collaborate with new people, new brands, new ideas. Reach out. Let's make something good together.
Here's to year three!