Kippenberger began his career in San Francisco and Los Angeles as a post production specialist. He then relocated to Europe, later collaborating with Spike Jonze to help create vice.com predecessor VBS.tv and going on to found Studio Kippenberger.
Studio Kippenberger
Studio Kippenberger is the production arm of Chris Kippenberger’s practice. Headed by Kippenberger, the studio has worked with companies such as Bugatti, Porsche, Rolls Royce, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Vimeo, and Intel in recent years. In addition to content creation, Studio Kippenberger also specializes in digital strategy development, creative content placement and integrated brand consulting.
Filmmaking
Studio Kippenberger's productions range from client-oriented shorts to the documentary portraits Isle of Man TT and Kart Kids. Isle of Man TT is a concise profile of the prestigious annual motorcycle race of the same name and its participants. In interviews with the event's most prominent racers and their teams, the film explores the circuit's sustained appeal in spite of its deadly reputation. Isle of Man TT was honored at the 2015 London Motor Film Festival. Featured on Nowness, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, and others, Kippenberger's film Kart Kids is a look into the world of youth karting. Profiling a selection of adolescent racers for over ten years, Kart Kids focuses the sport's high-stakes nature. Kippenberger has been dubbed "the most interesting man in car porn," "the Terry Richardson of car videos." and the "king of car porn" by Ulf Poschardt in Die Welt.
As an early pioneer in the field of UAV videography, Kippenberger stated in a 2012 interview published in Wired: “Drones are strictly tools creating a certain look we want to achieve. This is only the very early beginning of this movement and we are thrilled to be involved at such an early stage" Kippenberger participated in the Drones and Aerial Robotics Conference held at New York University in October 2013 and the TED Conference in Berlin in June 2014.
Creative Direction
Kippenberger is creative director of KAAMA Marine, the championship-winning offshore racing boat manufacturer. Founded in 1976, Kippenberger and his associates at KAAMA are developing the latest evolution of the historic racer.
Véhicule
Christopher Kippenberger’s Véhicule brand was founded in 2019 as a multi-channel platform for “avant-garde transportation.” Véhicule’s first undertaking was an annual magazine exploring the intersections between transportation, popular culture and fine art. The 2020 issue of Véhicule Magazine featured an in-depth investigation of the Miami drug smuggling and powerboating scene in the 1980s. In tandem with this feature, Kippenberger founded Véhicule Marine—a Florida-based firm specializing in high-powered flats boats. The Véhicule lineup also features Véhicule Automotive, a project initiated by Kippenberger in cooperation with established Mercedes-Benz tuner RENNtech. Véhicule Automotive has focused their efforts on high-end restorations of classic G-Wagens, modifying them with new engines, suspensions and interior fittings.
