How Two Creative Studios Built a Queer Pop Spectacle from the Ground Up
Kim Petras has been bringing Pride season to life this year with more than just her powerhouse vocalsshe delivered full-scale, high-concept performances at OUTLOUD Music Festival in West Hollywood and Nashville Pride with the help of two of the most acclaimed creative studios working today.
Petras’ production dream team includes Fourline Creative, the Emmy-winning studio known for their work with Chappell Roan, Kelly Clarkson, and SZA—and Raw Cereal, the Clio Award-winning visual masterminds behind productions for Megan Thee Stallion, Fred Again and J Balvin. The result? A queer-forward visual and sonic spectacle that doesn’t just celebrate Pride, it embodies it.
The Vision: Unfiltered, Unapologetic, and Very Kim
According to Fourline’s Brandon Louis, the creative goal was simple but ambitious: “Each visual reference is an ode to her journey as a music artist,” he said. From the moment Petras bursts out of a “Mail Order Bride” crate, a playful nod to her arrival in the U.S., to visuals referencing her debut single “I Don’t Want It At All,” the show is filled with personal storytelling told through camp, color, and bold design.
Rather than relying on an overly complex stage layout, Fourline opted for a minimal setup that allowed their lighting, video, and content to take center stage. Raw Cereal joined in to handle all of the video content, from dynamic overlays to interactive moments powered by Snapchat’s facial recognition filters.
“We really wanted to break the fourth wall,” Louis explained. Handheld cameras followed Petras’ every move in real time, blurring the line between artist and audience.
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Pride on Every Pixel
“Kim’s identity and presence alone shouts Pride loud and clear,” said Louis. “We didn’t need to overthink it, just put her front and center.” As one of the most successful trans pop artists in the world, Petras needed no help embodying Pride’s spirit. But the team still infused every moment of the show with intentionality, from the lighting design to the cultural references stitched into each frame.
Fourline’s Michael Apostolos highlighted the show’s opening as a personal favorite: “From the unique scenic reveal to the content accents, it really sets the tone for the rest of the show.”
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Behind the Curtain
So how long does a spectacle like this take to build? According to Mila VanderWall of Raw Cereal, the collaboration started months in advance with creative director Eli Sheppard. “We were there from start to finish, from moodboards and motion tests to the final programming.”
And as with any ambitious live production, the unexpected always finds its way in. During one rehearsal, Petras got accidentally locked inside the scenic crate meant for her big entrance. “She was totally unfazed and handled it like a pro,” Louis said. “She even jumped right back in for another take.”
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A Collaborative Powerhouse
When asked about how the workload was divided, Fourline’s Apostolos said bringing on Raw Cereal was a no-brainer. “From concept to execution, we worked intimately to develop and enhance every detail,” he said. The two studios combined their talents seamlessly, creating a show that was more than the sum of its parts.
As Pride continues to evolve into a space where both protest and party coexist, Kim Petras’ shows proved that pop can be a powerful platform for both. With the help of some of the best in the business, she turned her set into a queer visual diary, open to everyone.
