Tanner+West is an independent creative agency in Kentucky. We build brands, films, campaigns, and digital experiences.
We start with a question: what's the real story here?
Often, the answer comes from the people your brand serves. Listen to a customer explain why they came back, and you start to hear what matters. Those personal experiences give us somewhere meaningful to begin.
Tanner+West is a creative agency built on a simple principle: guide the heart, move the mind. We use storytelling to help people understand what a brand means in their own lives, and bring that understanding to every creative decision.
Origin
The long way around
Our focus on storytelling grew out of years of making things and paying attention to what connected.
In 2013, we opened shop in Owensboro, Kentucky, with a simple ambition: do great creative work for people who care about theirs. We took on projects across film, design, and the web, learning something new with each one.
Those early years were the proving ground. We learned how businesses actually use creative. We built client relationships that turned into five-year, eight-year, decade-long partnerships.
The work that connected most deeply had a compelling human story at its center. Finding it, and telling it with care, became the most important part of our process.
Today, that experience shapes how we approach every brand and every project.
What we believe
Convictions
01
Story Over Spectacle.
The most expensive production in the world can't save a weak narrative. We start with the story. Always. The craft follows, and it follows with purpose.
02
Find It Before You Film It.
We go directly to the people who matter most to your brand, your real customers, and uncover the emotional truths that make creative work connect. Our Storyfinding process ensures that by the time we roll camera, we already know the story works.
03
Science, Not Just Instinct.
We draw on research into how stories hold attention and help people connect with another person's experience. It informs how we develop a narrative, giving creative intuition a thoughtful foundation.
04
Craft Is the Difference.
A thoughtful edit or a carefully chosen typeface can change how a story feels. We give those decisions time and attention because the details add up to work with a character of its own.
05
Small by Design.
We're a lean, focused team that moves fast, cares deeply, and treats every project like it's the only one on the board. Because for us, it is.
The team
The people behind the work
You'll work closely with the people making your project, a hands-on team with years of experience and a personal stake in getting it right.
Jason Tanner
Founder / Creative Director
David Grinnell
Producer / Director of Photography
Justin Moseley
Marketing Project Manager
Monica Tapp
Graphic Designer
Daniel Benedict
Senior Video Producer
Chris Wathen
Web Developer
Process
The process behind the work
01
We Listen First.
Before we pitch a concept or book a shoot, we spend time with you. We want to understand where your business stands, who you serve, and what you hope to change. Your customers often help us fill in the picture.
02
We Storyfind.
Through Storyfinding, we sit down with the people your brand serves and listen to their experiences. Those conversations reveal the details and emotions that can become the heart of your story.
03
We Build Around the Four Pillars.
Every project is structured around People, Place, Purpose, and Plot. We identify the heart of the story, ground it in real places, define a purpose that gives it meaning, and architect a plot that holds attention from the first frame to the last.
04
We Produce at a Cinematic Level.
Our crews shape the lighting, camera work, and art direction around the story. That care continues through the edit, where pacing and sound give the finished film its feeling.
05
We Stay.
Our longest client relationships span a decade. Working together over time gives us a deeper understanding of your business and builds the trust to take on bigger ideas together.
Clients
Trusted by
We've partnered with healthcare systems, tourism destinations, financial institutions, universities, arts organizations, energy companies, and community nonprofits. Our work crosses industries because our approach is universal: find the real story, tell it with craft, and never settle for forgettable.
Our home
At home in Owensboro
We built Tanner+West in our hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky. Life in a small town keeps us close to the people and relationships that shape our work.
Our creative ambitions reach well beyond the city limits. We hold our work to the standards of the best we see in larger markets, with the same care for the idea and the craft, wherever a client calls home.
We work with clients across the country and travel wherever a story takes us. Coming home to Western Kentucky keeps us connected to the everyday experiences that give those stories their humanity.
Our capabilities
Film & photo studio
The Studio
Our in-house studio gives us room to develop an idea and see it through production. With a three-wall cyc, a 12'6" lighting grid, 300 amps of power, and full sound treatment, the space supports everything from a quiet interview to a full commercial shoot.
Video Production
The studio was built for motion. The three-wall cyc gives us a seamless backdrop we can light any way the project calls for, white for clean corporate work, colored for something with more energy, or dark for interviews that need weight. The overhead grid lets us shape light without cluttering the floor, and the 300-amp power drop means we can run a full fixture package without worrying about capacity. Sound treatment keeps dialogue and voiceover clean. When a project calls for livestream or real-time broadcast, the studio is wired for that too.
Photography
The same space that shoots commercials shoots portraits, product photography, and brand imagery. The cyc wall works just as well for a headshot session as it does for a thirty-second spot. We control the light, we control the environment, and we can shift from one setup to the next without breaking down and rebuilding. That means a client can walk in for headshots in the morning and product photography after lunch, all in the same room with the same team.
Why In-House Matters
Having the studio here just makes things simpler. We can move faster because we're not waiting on a rental facility's calendar. We keep costs down because there's no day rate for our own space. And we stay close to the work, since the same team that develops the concept is standing in the room when it gets produced. If something isn't right, we reshoot it. If an idea hits at 3pm, we can test it by 4.
Let's find the story only you can tell.
If you're looking for a creative partner who takes the time to understand your business, we'd love to meet you. Tell us what you have in mind, even if it's still taking shape.
