Express KCS

Express KCS, which now operates as EKCS, functions as a global independent provider of creative and marketing production services. Established in 2002 by Tariq Husain and Robert Berkeley, the company was founded to deliver high-value creative production solutions. Husain, the company's COO, began his career in Chicago with a production technology supplier before re-engineering Express KCS's operations. His background includes a Bachelor's in Electronics from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Science in Printing Technology and Computer Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. The company rebranded from Express KCS to EKCS in 2021 to better reflect its expanded service offerings beyond its initial focus on production support for publishers.

EKCS operates as a creative production partner for global brands, agencies, and publishers, particularly those with in-house agencies. The firm serves clients across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia, functioning as an extension of their clients' internal staff to provide 24/7 creative and production support. The business model is centered on providing outsourced, scalable creative services, which allows clients to manage overflow and improve their speed to market. Revenue is generated by delivering a comprehensive suite of services across print, digital, and video platforms. The company leverages its offshore production facilities in Gurugram and Pune, India, to offer cost-effective, round-the-clock operations.

The company's core services include creative design, print and digital ad production, video post-production, packaging artwork, pre-media services, image retouching, and website and app development. A key component of its offering is MediaFerry, an award-winning, cloud-based workflow management system. This proprietary platform enables clients to order, track, proof, approve, and deliver creative assets, streamlining project and asset management across different locations and time zones. The system was developed internally to manage their own complex workflows and is now a central part of their client-facing solutions, supporting large file transfers and integration with third-party services. The firm's vision is to shorten the gap between campaign approval and execution by combining skilled human resources with automation.

Keywords: creative production, marketing production services, outsourced creative services, digital asset management, cross-channel marketing, pre-media services, video post-production, packaging design, creative workflow automation, brand management, digital ad production, marketing resource management, offshore production, creative back office, global brands support, agency production partner, MediaFerry, Tariq Husain, Robert Berkeley, EKCS