Kj Swanson
Kj Swanson (she/her) started Young Frederick as the creative wing of her work in the arts, entertainment, and academia. The through line of Kj’s work has always been story—exploring the what and why of how we make meaning through narrative.
Arts
Kj cut her dramaturgical teeth off-Broadway, assisting new and revived works by MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Bill Irwin and Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel. From Broadway and NYC fringe productions to Tony-award wining regional theatres on both coasts, Kj has brought a creative and critical eye to roles spanning new play development, casting, and education.
As a theater educator, Kj has taught, co-led, and directed youth theater programs and productions, including in-school initiatives, summer camps, and pre-professional musical theater training for young artists. Kj loves working with young people as they discover their talents and begin to hone their craft.
Academics
In 2017, Kj completed her PhD at the University of St Andrews, Scotland within the Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts. Before earning her Masters in Divinity at the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, Kj studied Theatre Arts at Bennington College, with a focus on directing, dramaturgy, and choreography.
In her faculty roles, Kj’s teaching is intrinsically interdisciplinary, drawing together pop culture, the arts, and public meaning-making in graduate courses on everything from dystopia to fairy tales to queer theology. She has run writing centers and academic skills programs for post secondary students across disciplines, helping learners hone their writing process and build academic confidence.
Entertainment
Blending these two worlds, Kj joined her longtime writing partner Ian Klein’s creative consultancy, Vizir Productions, as Senior Specialist in Story and Franchise Development. Together, they have co-authored internal studio guides for some of the highest grossing film franchises of the past decade as well as for history-making television and golden age animation.
With Vizir, Kj spends the other half of her time in creative development for theme parks: writing live stage performance shows, contributing story structure and scripts for rides and attractions, as well as partnering with studios and franchise stakeholders to conceptualize immersive experiences for fans.
Kj’s creative consultancy work further extends to collaborations with non-profit organizations, IP licensees, and leading lifestyle brands.
“Young Frederick!” “Who calls?”
—IYKYK