Cato Institute Names Kristi Kendall Vice President for Multimedia Content

WASHINGTON, D.C. — [JULY 7, 2026] — The Cato Institute is pleased to announce that Kristi Kendall has joined the organization as vice president for multimedia content. In this role, she will lead Cato’s video and audio production efforts across platforms, overseeing a growing portfolio of podcasts, documentaries, videos, and digital media projects. Kendall will help bring Cato’s ideas to life through compelling storytelling and innovative content.

Kristi is an award-winning producer, director, messaging strategist, and storytelling expert with more than 25 years of experience in journalism, media, and film. She has built a career creating compelling content that informs, engages, and inspires audiences while advancing important ideas and conversations. She began at ABC News’ 20/20 before serving as executive producer for John Stossel at Fox News and Fox Business, where she launched his top-rated weekly television program and oversaw more than a dozen documentary projects. She later joined New Balloon as executive vice president, producing films and media initiatives focused on fostering connection, compassion, and dialogue.

In 2019, Kristi founded Kristi Kendall and Co., a communications and storytelling consultancy dedicated to connecting hearts and minds to ideas that matter. She has since partnered with nonprofit leaders nationwide to sharpen their messaging and amplify their impact. Most recently, she produced and directed the 2024 feature documentary UNDIVIDE US, which explores solutions to political polarization and demonstrates how individuals and communities can bridge divides. Kristi’s work will also be on display in the forthcoming documentary “Better Living Through Chemistry,” a collaboration with Reason and journalist Nick Gillespie. 

“Kristi is a visionary storyteller whose work has consistently demonstrated the power of ideas to shape culture and inspire change,” said Peter Goettler, President and CEO of the Cato Institute. “Her experience across journalism, documentary filmmaking, strategic communications, and multimedia production makes her uniquely positioned to expand Cato’s reach and deepen engagement with audiences across a rapidly evolving media landscape.” 

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Kendall serves on the boards of the Moving Picture Institute, the Property and Environment Research Center, and Team Democracy.

About the Cato Institute

The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Founded in 1977, Cato works to create a free and open society in which liberty allows every individual to pursue a life of prosperity and meaning in peace.