KJ Branding: The workshop behind 'eye-popping' Minnesota sports art

BUFFALO, Minn. (FOX 9) - At a workshop in Buffalo, Minnesota, KJ Branding creates works of art with international recognition.

"We are so busy it’s hard to sit back and think about all we’ve accomplished," says owner Karl Jaeger. "It’s like, holy cow! How did we get to where we are now? It’s fun to think about."

Since Jaeger was a child, he dreamed of being a sports artist but had no idea what that looked like. In 1996 his dad recognized his talent, in part based on a hand-drawn sketch of pro-golfer Tom Lehman.

"It was before he won the British Open, so he was starting to get big, and I did this portrait," says Jaeger. "I basically approached Tom in a mall and said, ‘Hey, I did this portrait. Can we sell prints and go into business together?’ And he’s such an awesome guy he’s like, ‘Yeah, sounds great.’ So, we started doing that. And not too much longer, he won the British Open, which kicked him to another level and kickstarted our business and what we do. So kind of a fun start."

By 2011 University of Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State Hockey were each opening new arenas. KJ Branding was called on to try something new, some art and wall wraps. He quickly realized hockey teams don’t just compete on the ice, they compete with a healthy dose of locker room envy.

"Slowly, other coaches saw what we did, and the hockey coaching community is such a small community, and people will call up," says Jaeger. "We started getting calls from other schools across the country and slowly just took over what we did."

Zero advertising, almost entirely word of mouth, Jaeger and the work of his now 11 employees have spread their work across the country. Hockey arenas and locker rooms dominate, but they’ve designed, created, and transformed boring walls into works of art, including internationally through five Ryder Cups. 

Now for the first time at Ridder Arena, KJ Branding crews are updating their own work from five years ago, making the hallways just outside the Gopher women’s locker room, players’ lounge, coach's office, and the path of the ice, even more appealing.

"I mean this is our team space, this is where our players come every day," says Gopher Women’s Hockey Coach, Brad Frost. "We want it to show the history of our great program. We want to show our Olympians and our championships. So, when we bring our recruits through here, it’s an eye-popper, right? And it’s also for our players to be inspired every day as well."

"It sounds weird, but we are always trying to impress the 16- and 17-year-olds in essence, so the recruits can look at and be like that’s amazing," says Jaeger. "So it’s a trickle-down effect, but it’s fun."

Jaeger admits being busier than ever, it’s hard to reflect on the growing number of spaces where his work is on display. "I need to take a step back sometimes and appreciate all that we’ve done," says Jaeger.

Twenty-seven years in business and those childhood dreams of being a sports artist are still going strong.

"My favorite changes all the time," says Jaeger.