Warner Bros. Discovery and Legendary Veterans Team Up With Renowned Cultural Strategist to Launch New Premium Content Studio Focused on Overlooked Audiences

KANSAS CITY, MO / LOS ANGELES - Twin Pines Entertainment officially launched today as a premium film and television studio built to serve America's Heartland audience - over 200 million strong yet often overlooked by Hollywood. Backed by private equity firm Boardwalk Capital, the company will produce scripted and unscripted content with the mission to rewrite the story of the Heartland and to rethink what a premium, popular sports story can be.

Twin Pines was founded by twin brothers Clint Kisker and Sean Kisker alongside Jason Kander, all Midwestern natives with complementary backgrounds spanning entertainment, sports, and public leadership. The trio started Twin Pines to produce Heartland-focused projects rooted in unconventional narratives, often from the point of view of sports teams and their fans: the people in the stands, the families who pass a team down, and the towns that rise and fall with every season.

"We're a storytelling company built to bring America's overlooked middle to the world," Clint Kisker said. "For a generation, the entertainment industry has either ignored the Heartland or caricatured it, leaving one of the country's largest audiences underserved. We know firsthand how rich it is with creators, subcultures and stories. And sports team fandom is our front door. It runs deep, it's passed down through generations, and it opens onto a full range of scripted and unscripted stories this audience has been waiting for."

Clint Kisker serves as Chief Executive Officer, Sean Kisker as Head of Entertainment, and Kander as Head of Business Development. Clint and Sean have spent decades building and scaling premium entertainment platforms, and Kander is a leading authority on Heartland culture.

Todd Lieberman, a fellow Midwesterner and an Academy Award-nominated producer and founder of Hidden Pictures whose numerous credits include War Machine, The Housemaid, The Fighter, The Proposal, Beauty and the Beast, Wonder, and the Muppets films, is serving as an advisor in shaping Twin Pines' slate and packaging strategy.

"Every producer is looking for stories with built-in audiences and real stakes," Lieberman said. "Growing up in Cleveland, I know how much the stories from home matter, and how rarely Hollywood tells them. I've seen what they're developing, and I'm excited to be in business with Sean, Clint and Jason."

Twin Pines is backed by Boardwalk Capital, a private equity firm that partners with visionary management teams in media, sports, and entertainment.

"Boardwalk could not be more excited to partner with Clint, Sean, Jason, and the impressive team they have assembled at Twin Pines Entertainment," said Boardwalk Capital Managing Partner Jordan Gnat. "Twin Pines has recognized the significant value that intentional premium content can create for anything it supports, and the company has developed a winning playbook to do this."

"Boardwalk seeks to invest in visionary management teams in sectors where our experience and network can accelerate growth," added Boardwalk Managing Partner Rob Scaramella. "Twin Pines is an excellent representation of a Boardwalk deal, and the company's early progress is exciting validation of the business model."

Clint Kisker brings more than two decades of experience at the intersection of sports, media, and entertainment. He has held senior leadership roles at Legendary Entertainment, where he served as EVP Business Development, and at Madison Wells Media, which he co-founded with Gigi Pritzker, serving as President overseeing the company's expansion across film, television, live theater, interactive media, and digital content.

Sean Kisker was a founding executive and Chief Strategy Officer of HBO Max, and served as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Otter Media, where he oversaw the $1.2B sale of Crunchyroll to Sony and the $900M sale of Hello Sunshine to Candle Media. He has also held senior roles at WarnerMedia, Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate and Annapurna Pictures. Kander is a New York Times bestselling author, former Missouri Secretary of State, nationally recognized civic leader and Afghanistan veteran.

The company's creative approach is informed by proprietary Heartland audience research led by Maude Standish, Twin Pines' Vice President of Content and Audience. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Marketing and Advertising, Standish previously worked as VP of Programming at Fullscreen Media and as a trend forecaster at Creative Artists Agency. She is focused on developing new voices and stories from top creators across all platforms.

Twin Pines was advised by Fortified Partners, Kirkland & Ellis, Heller Waldron & Pepper, and S.MET Link (founded by Phil Metz, former Managing Director of Entertainment Marketing & Music at NASCAR). Boardwalk was advised by Greenberg Traurig.