Derek Kolstad, the writer and creator of the “John Wick” action franchise, Dmitri M. Johnson, a producer on “Sonic the Hedgehog,” and Mike Goldberg, a partner with agency APA, have together launched a new media company called Story Kitchen focused on franchise building.
Story Kitchen will be focused on the creation and amplification of what it refers to as “World-Building Action” and “Non-Traditional Intellectual Property.” The company even proudly boasts that it aims to be the “Shakespearean leader” in the genres of “Gun-Fu,” the stylized brand of action movies that “John Wick” helped popularize, as well as the worlds of “Popcorn-Fu” and “Controller-Fu,” with a focus on genre or video game stories.
Dan Jevons, Tim Stevenson and Howard Bliss, previously of Johnson’s company dj2, will be joining the new company in senior leadership roles.
Goldberg, who repped Johnson and Kolstad while at APA, will also be exiting APA as part of the new company, and his clients are expected to remain with the agency. Story Kitchen will be represented by APA.
“After having spent the last several years working together and admiring one another’s storytelling chops, energy, taste, and ideas, we collectively came to the same conclusion: That the only way to double down on cooking up the most amazing Franchises and Worlds possible – was for us to unite as one,” Kolstad, Johnson and Goldberg said in a joint statement.
“Derek and Dmitri with Mike have defined how to create, popularize, and expand the modern franchise across multiple platforms. Their best is yet to come, so naturally we are thrilled to represent Story Kitchen and assist them on their journey, which we know will be historic,” APA’s president Jim Osborne and head of content development Kyle Loftus said in a joint statement.
Derek Kolstad has been at work on the “John Wick” films, which will release its fourth entry next spring, as well as the prequel series for Starz called “The Continental.” He’s also been a co-executive producer of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and on Universal’s “Nobody” with Bob Odenkirk (with a sequel in the works for 2023). Some of his other upcoming projects include an action film with Kyle Allen for Paramount and an adaptation of a Korean film titled “A Company Man” at Universal. Kolstad is in the works on several other unannounced creative universes that will be revealed later this year.
Johnson is the founder of dj2 Entertainment, which has specialized in video game IP adaptations, including producing the “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, the new “Tomb Raider Anime” series at Netflix, and he’s also at work on adaptations of the hit game from last year “It Takes Two,” among other projects.
Goldberg spent nine years at APA as a TV/Film/IP Agent & Partner. While at APA, Goldberg spearheaded the charge to combine APA’s TV, Film & Intellectual Property units into “APA Scripted Literary,” resulting in APA naming him partner in 2019. Goldberg has also represented 100+ other writers and IP creators such as John Carpenter, Atari, Square Enix, Macmillan, Andrews McMeel Publishing and the New York Yankees.
Story Kitchen is also represented by Simon Pulman & Briana Hall at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard and Jennifer Levy at Behr Abramson Levy Johnson.
