The studio
These are the people you'll work with.
Vanta House runs lean by design. Everyone here works hands-on, on set, in the edit, on your account. When you call, you're talking to the person who knows your project, not someone reading notes from a handoff.
As we grow, we're building our own systems and tools first, before we add headcount just to keep up. Some of the software running this business, including how we track and edit projects, we built ourselves.
That's not a promise. It's just how we already work.
Everything past this point on the page is real, not a brand deck. The values below aren't printed on a poster somewhere, they're how we operate day to day, and the people you're about to meet are the ones holding to them.
The team
Chris Maas (say it fast)
Founder & Lead Strategist
Chris handles strategy, client relationships, and the systems that hold the studio together. In EOS terms, he's the Visionary, the one setting direction, building relationships, and pushing the studio toward what's next. He takes every client's results personally, not just as line items. He loves being behind the camera, but his favorite part of the job is talking to people, helping them find their story and figure out how to tell it on camera. The real reward isn't the video itself, it's watching someone's story come together and hearing a prospect say, "I saw what you made for [Client], and I want my company to look like that."
Off set, he's the proud father of three. He's always working to get a little better, on the job and off it. He runs, stays active, and tries to laugh as much as the day allows.
On set since
2012
Favorite quote of the moment
"While everyone is focused on the mustache, I am doing what I want behind it."
Salvador Dalí
The team
Emma Papale
Social Media Manager
Emma is a current student at Penn State Behrend, entering her junior year and studying marketing. She's also a full employee here, not an intern, and has become one of the people this studio can't run without. She curates client social schedules, picked up video editing faster than people who went to school for it, and has become the studio's go-to photographer for client social content. She finds ways to shoot people working, food, products, and day-to-day moments that don't just look good online, they stop the scroll.
Off set, Emma goes to concerts and travels with her family and her boyfriend. She runs social media for her dance team at Penn State, is helping raise her family's new puppy, and listens to more Taylor Swift than is probably necessary.
On set since
2025
Favorite quote of the moment
"The tiniest little thing can change the course of your day, which can change the course of your year, which can change who you are."
Taylor Swift
The team
Connor Dean
Video Production Team Leader & Integrator
Connor leads video production for the studio, and he's spent his time here trying to get better at every part of the job, not just the parts he already liked. When people call themselves detail-oriented, they haven't met Connor. In EOS terms, he's our Integrator, the person who takes the plan and actually runs it, keeping projects on schedule and holding the day-to-day together. He started at Vanta House fresh out of school, eager to learn. Two years later, at 22, we'd put his work up against anyone in the region.
Off set, Connor likes exploring the world with his family and his girlfriend. He's an avid reader of the Bible, and even in his downtime, he's usually still working on getting better at his craft.
On set since
2024
Favorite quote of the moment
"When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."
Elon Musk
The team
Dorian Bailey
Marketing Assistant
Dorian is also a student at Penn State Behrend, and like Emma, not an intern. He works across client accounts to keep content moving from idea to publication, managing and scheduling social posts, writing captions, assisting with newsletters and blogs, and coordinating projects across the team. He also contributes to content strategy, research, and the platform improvements that make the studio's internal workflows more efficient.
Dorian's picked up how Vanta House operates fast, and he thinks a little differently, the questions he asks are usually the ones nobody else in the room has thought of yet. He helps design the internal programs and software that keep client communication clear and on schedule, and he takes his own scheduling seriously enough that clients often see their social posts queued up weeks in advance.
Off set, Dorian enjoys traveling and going on adventures with his family and girlfriend, and loves live music. He's entering his senior year at Penn State Behrend, studying marketing.
On the team since
June 2026
Favorite quote of the moment
"The whole point of collaboration is that you give and take from each other, and that's how you create things that are totally new."
Virgil Abloh
The team
Kailey Pisani
Content Director
Kailey is Vanta House's Content Director, helping guide the strategy and creative direction behind the studio's client content. With a background in marketing, hospitality, nonprofit work, and events, she brings both big-picture thinking and a detailed eye to the team. Before joining Vanta House, she served as Marketing & Membership Director at the Erie Club, where she led marketing initiatives and found new ways to connect with audiences. Now, she works with our social media and video teams to create content that makes an impact beyond the screen. Her favorite part? Seeing audiences respond to something they learned, found valuable, or are excited to attend.
Outside the studio, Kailey loves finding hobbies that challenge her, whether that's training for her next race, ringing in a handbell choir, or exploring her love of the arts. She's always up for something that pushes her to experience all that life has to offer.
On set since
2026
Favorite quote of the moment
"There are no traffic jams along the extra mile."
Roger Staubach
The team
Xander Brzezinski
Video Production
Xander Brzezinski is a filmmaker and photographer from Erie, Pennsylvania, whose work draws on his northern roots and a deep passion for cinema. At Vanta House Studio, he brings that perspective to the camera, helping translate each client's story into something visually compelling and emotionally resonant. His deliberate use of depth of field, focal length, and composition creates a sense of intimacy, bringing audiences closer to the people and experiences within the frame. For Xander, meaning and medium are closely connected. The way a story looks is part of how it feels, and his approach to each project considers both. The reward is creating work that goes beyond a strong image to give viewers something to connect with.
His creative interests extend into memory, identity, and the human experience, themes he continues to explore through still and moving images. As his craft evolves, he remains curious about how process and storytelling inform one another, finding new ways to bring depth, feeling, and understanding to the stories he helps tell.
On set since
2026
Favorite quote of the moment
"Don't let me leave, Murph!"
Interstellar
The team
Sara Malina
Social Media Coordinator
Sara is the Social Media Coordinator at Vanta House, working alongside the content and video teams to bring creative ideas to life across client accounts. From curating social schedules and creating content to helping execute strategy, she loves finding ways to make each brand's online presence feel fresh, engaging, and true to its personality. She's passionate about social media and enjoys finding creative ways to connect brands with their audiences through content that captures attention and keeps people coming back. Sara is excited to be part of the Vanta House team and looks forward to continuing to grow her skills, explore new ideas, and help bring each client's vision to life.
Outside of work, Sara loves going on walks with her dog, grabbing a coffee, and finding new places to try. She enjoys going to concerts, spending quality time with her friends, and making memories whenever she can. When she's not out and about, you'll probably find her relaxing at home, catching up on her favorite TV shows.
On set since
2026
Favorite quote of the moment
"You don't need your entire life figured out to make progress."
Nick Miller, New Girl
Core values
Five things you can hold us to.
These are the rules we work by, not a mission statement built for a pitch deck.
Create meaningful momentum early
We build substance first, speed second.
Radical honesty
Hard conversations done with respect, always in their best interest.
Strategy over trends
We play the long game, even when it's less flashy.
We treat clients' reputations as our own
Their trust sets the bar for everything we do.
Learn relentlessly, teach generously
We get better so the people we work with get better too.
It starts with a conversation.
Tell us the question your customers keep asking. We'll take it from there.
Let's talk