Beast Editorial announced that it has hired three new editors. Stéphane Pereira and Kyle Brown join Beast Los Angeles and Karen Kourtessis joins the New York office.
“We’re excited to welcome Stéphane to the Beast family,” said Jerry Sukys, executive producer at Beast L.A. “His work is stylish, elegant and brings a new level of sophistication to our roster.”
Early on the road to L.A., Pereira worked freelance in Paris cutting documentaries. Afterwards came commercials for brands including Peugeot, Dior, Nike, Kenzo, Sprite and BMW. Pereira has crafted whole worlds and stories in his collaborations with directors such as Lionel Mougin, Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and The Elvis. He has also enhanced the work of Gerard Depardieu, George Clooney and Kate Winslet in features, including Asterix & Obelix: Meet Cleopatra, the fourth-highest grossing film of all time at the French box office. “I am happy to join the Beast team, and look forward to the broad reach they offer with all of their locations,” Pereira said.
A child of hippies, Brown is committed to independent thinking and creativity with a zen-like tenacity. He entered the industry as a personal assistant intent on landing in the edit bay. After freelancing for many years, he now takes on any project asked of him. His work includes campaigns, short films, documentaries and two seasons of a comedy series for Starz, in addition to ads for Fiat, Visit Florida, Pepsi and Jack Daniels. “When it comes to my clients’ experience, environment and culture are everything,” Brown said. “At Beast, I’ve found a creative house with amazing people, resources and drive to do great work.”
Kourtessis’ career launched with the U.S. Army where she shot and edited training films and news stories. When she scrapped her fatigues and moved to New York City, she landed a position at Crew Cuts and cut her teeth editing for brands such as Visa, Pepsi, Pizza Hut and Dr. Pepper. In 2006, she was invited to be a partner at Crew Cuts and proudly held that position until early this year. Kourtessis’ work is uses engaging storytelling with comedy, documentary and visual style.
In addition to commercial pieces, she has cut music videos for artists such as Lloyd Banks, Ryan Leslie and Melanie Fiona. Her film work includes award-winning shorts, documentaries for Google and a short documentary that premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival. “I’ve always loved the work coming out of Beast,” Kourtessis said. “When I met the guys, I knew it would be the right fit for me. The work they do means everything to them and I feel the same way. I’m really happy to be here – not to mention I can cut in seven different cities.”
