Meet Kaan Berkant | Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kaan Berkant and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kaan, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am originally from Istanbul, Turkey. Despite the domestic television market’s great success, Turkey is a country that does not shy away from importing content from all over the world. Growing up with this multi cultural understanding of media, I always wanted to take part in globalizing content and enhancing the voices of non mainstream creators. I am way too early in my career to say if that’s something I can ever achieve but I can confidently say that I aim to deliver on that promise in the upcoming decades.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Throughout the years, the exact career I wanted to pursue might have changed but I always knew I wanted to work with stories and characters. As a teenager, I studied acting at places like the La Jolla Playhouse as I wanted to embody strong and deep characters. As a film student in undergrad, I chose to write those characters and now as a graduate student, I want to help those characters come to life through working with the incredibly talented artists above and below the line. My years working in productions, marketing, festivals and sales has shown me just how much goes into realizing a story to its full potential.

I still am searching for the exact medium I want to work in as we see storytelling prevail in more forms each day. As a consumer I could not be happier about this development because every game I play has a deep story that guides my experience, I could always turn to Korean Webtoons to discover new fantasy, action and romance stories on a weekly basis. Indie movies are struggling but there are still breakout success stories full of complex characters and strong emotional connections. I can still get my weekly episodic television from Turkish dramas and British comedies. It is truly a time of wonder as a consumer with the whole globe at one’s fingertips. While my education and career trajectory is pointing me towards working in independent cinema, I struggle to mentally close myself to other opportunities in such a vibrant era of storytelling.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve lived in LA for over 5 years now and over that period I kept hearing how LA is a city where you find small little pockets that you enjoy. For me those pockets are Sawtelle and Culver Steps. As someone who grew up in a city like Istanbul with 20 million inhabitants, I grew accustomed to vibrant communities, with large crowds and walk-able areas alongside amazing food. These two areas in West LA speak to my city experience the most. Despite Culver City’s weird decision to pull back on the bike lanes, the Culver Steps are still full of pedestrian traffic and lively shops. If I had to pick an ideal evening in LA, it would be eating Japanese ramen and boba in Sawtelle, followed by ice cream on the Culver Steps. I do wish there was a train between the two spots or all over LA for that matter. If I had to drive, I would also go to the Hollywood Sign dog park and to Santa Monica through Sunset, again ending the day with some sort of ice cream!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Although it is too early for me to boast about any success, I would not be where I am without the support of my family, friends and partner. I also owe a great level of gratitude for my professors at Chapman University, namely Kelly Thomas, who takes great interest in her students and provides education with sincerity.

Instagram: atkinson13b

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kaanberkant

Image Credits
– Sarah Enzminger – Sabrina Gies