Corey Kenerly’s love of photography, design, music and documentaries all came together when he began his new job in January as a Writer/Producer/Director at Running Pony. It also marked a return home for the Arlington High School graduate.
Corey was born in Atlanta, but spent most of his life in Memphis. He grew up around music; his grandfather and his mother toured with gospel groups, and an uncle is a songwriter and vice-president of a music company. So Corey learned at an early age to play guitar and piano, and to sing. He started college as a music major, but later decided to pursue a different field in which he had also developed an interest—visual design. “My mom enjoyed photography, and my dad had done some design work, so naturally I was interested in both,” says Corey. “As the digital revolution made video cameras and video editing more affordable and accessible, that’s when I realized making videos combined everything I love about photography with everything I love about design and motion graphics.”
After college, Corey accepted a job as Clinical Research Coordinator at a medical clinic whose owner was also the director and executive producer of a Christian film that was beginning production. In addition to helping with the movie-making, Corey found that his job in the clinic helping to run studies for the FDA would also turn out to be a valuable experience for a budding video producer. “It helped me learn the organizational side of things, and the importance of proper planning and keeping records. Because for the FDA, everything had to be very precise.”
Deciding to pursue a more creative career, Corey left the clinic and began doing freelance design work in the music industry. He soon took a full-time position at Escalade Sports, a global manufacturer and distributor of sports and outdoor recreational equipment, as a multimedia specialist and designer. His skill at photography and video led to his promotion to Marketing Communications Manager for five of the company’s brands.
Corey got married in 2014, and he and his wife Jessica wanted to return to Memphis to be near their families. The couple lives in Bartlett with their two dogs, Timber and Maisy. When not producing and directing videos for Running Pony, Corey enjoys playing music and woodworking. He’s currently making his own guitar–once again combining two interests to create something wonderful.
