Kirsten Knisely
Kirsten is a screenwriter, director and creative producer focused on queer, female and mission-driven content. Having earned her degree in creative writing from The University of Michigan, Kirsten began her career as a playwright in her hometown of Detroit – her work most notably produced at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre Company – before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a transition into film and television.
With over a decade of experience in commercial, narrative and independent filmmaking, Kirsten has honed a keen creative development skill set – including working in the writer's room on The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime), and serving on the directing teams for David Letterman's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (Netflix) and VMA nominated video Lipstick Lover by prominent music artist Janelle Monae. In 2023, Kirsten became an award winning executive producer, writer and director for her independently-produced pilot Earth Girl – a sketch comedy about the climate crisis, created alongside her sister and creative partner, Caitlyn Knisely. The project won Best TV at Oscar-qualifying Hollyshorts Film Festival.
In 2023, Kirsten served as the lead producer on the short film Fire, Fucking Fire, and the project went on to blaze a trail of success in the 2024 festival circuit – including winning Best Narrative Short at Sunscreen Film Festival and clinching an East Coast Premiere at the esteemed Tribeca Film Festival.