KemperSports Acquires Fire Pit Productions

Fire Pit Productions Founder Matt Ginella Joins KemperSports as Chief Storyteller 

NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 16, 2025 – KemperSports, a leading golf, sports and hospitality company, announced today a groundbreaking partnership with Fire Pit Productions, a company rooted in the culture of golf, travel, destinations, architecture, experiences and the growth of the game. Fire Pit Productions will become a subsidiary of KemperSports and Founder Matt Ginella will serve as KemperSports’ Chief Storyteller. An announcement video from KemperSports and Fire Pit Productions can be watched below. 

Long dedicated to building the brands and marketing the unique aspects of each individual property, KemperSports will enhance its storytelling capabilities across all sections of the company by partnering with the best in the business. Ginella and Fire Pit Productions will produce video and print content for KemperSports by highlighting the charm and interest of KemperSports’ 200+ golf properties, athletic facilities and live events, starting with Streamsong in Bowling Green, Fla., which recently contracted David McLay Kidd to build a fifth course.

Additionally, Ginella and Fire Pit Productions will continue to serve their current clients like Youth on Course, Areté Collective, Pasatiempo, Meriwether Companies, Cross Harbor, Tourism Ireland, Gamble Sands, Waste Management and more. A sample of Fire Pit’s work and details about the creative services offerings can be found on The Fire Pit Productions’ website. 

“Golf has a 500-year-plus history of great stories and legends, and no one is better at telling those stories and capturing the soul of the game than Matt Ginella,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperSports. “His unique style and passion for golf and sports produces content that really connects. And KemperSports has some of the most amazing people and places in the sports world and we are excited for Matt to help share their stories and grow their business.”

After a pivot from a media company in 2024, Ginella, a former Golf Channel on-air travel personality, created Fire Pit Productions and resumed his vision of a production company that has shared some of the most compelling print, video and podcast content since 2020. Ginella’s soulful and thoughtful embrace of culture and community with a passionate curiosity comes out in his storytelling that continues to move beyond the news and into the true heart of the game and life. 

“I remember reaching out to Steve Skinner when I was working for Golf Digest and telling him: ‘I know I’ll work for KemperSports one day,’” says Ginella. “And in a sense, I have been working with them at places like Bandon Dunes, Chambers Bay, Streamsong and countless other destinations for a better part of 25 years. I’ve always admired their people, ethos, style and growth. In my mind, joining this team, and at this time, has been in the works for a long time. This is an ideal opportunity to continue to grow together.” 

Ginella started in the golf industry as a photo editor with Sports Illustrated in 1996 before serving as the Director of Photography at Golf Digest and Golf World magazines in 2001. After getting his Masters in Journalism at Columbia University in 2003, he became the travel editor for both magazines in 2007, where he reported on destinations, developments, architecture, buddies’ trips and experiences. He started his on-air television career in 2013 as Golf Channel’s Travel Insider and one of the co-hosts of “Morning Drive,” while also hosting “Ginella’s Journeys,” a travel show.  

About KemperSports 
KemperSports is a leading sports, entertainment and hospitality company that delivers operational excellence in property and experience management. Headquartered in Chicago with regional offices throughout the U.S., KemperSports manages more than 200 golf courses, private clubs, sports venues, and destination resorts nationwide. It has more golf properties named among the top 100 U.S. public and resort courses as rated by GOLF Magazine, Golf Digest and Golfweek than any other management company. For more information about KemperSports, visit www.kempersports.com. 

Join the KemperSports social media conversation at Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.  

Join Fire Pit Productions and Matt Ginella at Instagram, X, YouTube and thefirepitproductions.com. 

Media Contact:
B.R. Koehnemann, KemperSports
brkoehnemann@kempersports.com | 847-421-4537