Hi, I’m Ian Robertson Kibbe — a mixed-race storyteller raised on rap, PBS, and Jamaican beef patties. I’m an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and musician who believes in the power of humor and heartache in equal measure.
Over the years, I’ve collaborated with great organizations like Kartemquin Films, The Onion, Gatorade, NPR, PBS, Time Magazine. For a time, I served as Creative Director at Fungi Media. I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years — from editor to DP to Creative Director — and bring a broad set of production skills to every project. That hands-on experience lets me stay close to the heart of the work, whether I’m documenting the life of a dog hotel owner is Spain or telling the story of a factory in Califoria, I’m drawn to nuanced stories that mix joy, complexity, and a little chaos.
I produced Raising Bertie, a critically acclaimed documentary directed by Margaret Byrne, that tells the story of three African American boys coming of age in Bertie County, NC. Filmed over the course of six years, the film charts the young men’s transition to adulthood in a rural community surrounded by for-profit prisons. IndieWire, called the film “astounding and powerful.” The Village Voice called the film “Essential … Charts nothing less than what it’s like to try to grow up free in the prison capital of the world.” Raising Bertie was Executive Produced by Gordon Quinn, Justine Nagan, and North Carolina Rapper, J. Cole. It premiered at the Full Frame documentary film festival in 2016 before being acquired by PBS’ POV.
Recently, I produced Greener Pastures, directed by Sam Mirpoorian — a film that has screened at over 50 festivals and won more than fifteen awards, including the prestigious 2025 Primetime Emmy Television Academy Honors Award, given for “harnessing the power of television to influence hearts and minds and drive positive social change.” It also won the Grand Jury Prize at Mountainfilm. It was backed by Doc Society, Catapult Film Fund, and Exposure Labs. The film is executive produced by Academy Award-nominated & Emmy Award-winners, David J. Cornfield & Linda A. Cornfield. Greener Pastures was acquired by and made its national broadcast premiere via PBS’ Academy Award-nominated & Emmy Award-winning series, Independent Lens. Greener Pastures is available to stream via PBS, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, and wherever films are available.
As someone who grew up navigating multiple identities, I’m especially interested in stories that live in the in-between — stories that challenge binaries, confront power, and make room for contradiction.
I was also a founding member of The Flavor Savers, a comedy-rap-dance group known for our chaotic live shows, mesh tank tops, and a deep love of a good bass drop. We performed at Bonnaroo, opened for Usher and John Oates, and once filmed a fake workout video that somehow made people cry.