[4] He was admitted into the École nationale d'administration (ENA), and upon graduating was assigned to the Conseil d'État.

From 1996 to 1997, Kessler served as the Director General of the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (CSA).

From 2001 to 2004, Kessler was the Director General of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC).

[10] Kessler directed the magazine Les Inrockuptibles, as well as the French language version of the Huffington Post from 2011 to 2012.

[11] He worked to help RMC Story, then called Numéro 23, rise to prominence with promotion of racial and sexual diversity.