Karen Knudsen

Karen is the Director of Clutch Photo and oversees all aspects of the digital photography practice. She received her degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Purdue University and has over twenty years of experience in the film and print production industry.  Her career started as a copywriter for a small agency in Chicago before joining Budget Rent A Car Corp. where she managed corporate print and video projects. She then moved on to Miami where she spent more than a decade producing commercial film and print projects and music videos for a wide range of international clients.

Her extensive knowledge of commercial film and print facilitated an opportunity to open and manage a 40,000 square foot photography studio in Miami to serve a Fortune 500 client base. Karen’s success in Miami brought her across the country to revamp the Company’s Los Angeles studio. She was then transferred to headquarters in the Midwest to bring her experience to their Chicago operation.

Karen took on the challenge of building and outfitting a modern all-digital photo studio for Clutch in 2006 and worked closely with all business practices to ensure seamless integration. She directs the entire staff for Clutch Photo and is responsible for assembling and managing multidimensional teams of photography professionals. She brings to Clutch a strong understanding of the business, attention to detail and the ability to manage large comprehensive projects for such clients as Harley-Davidson, MINI Cooper, S&S Activewear and ConAgra Foods.

When not in the studio, Karen can be found stepping out to various local venues for live music, local fare or Big Ten sports (Go Boilers!) or with her biker buddies riding the back roads of America from Upstate New York to the Great Southwest. Among her favorite destinations are:

Mesa Verde and Durango Colorado
Zion National Park, Utah