Dmitri M. Johnson
History
Dmitri M. Johnson (born in San Diego , California ) graduated from Chapman University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Production, in 2003.
In the 2000s Johnson started his entertainment career at Gotham Group . In 2011, Johnson pivoted to full-time producing by co-founding dj2 Entertainment (alongside Dan Jevons).
Story Kitchen
Story Kitchen Logo
In 2022, Johnson co-launched Story Kitchen, an American independent production company focused on adapting videogames, and other 'non-traditional' IPs, into film and television. Story Kitchen currently has a television first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios as well as an animated film first-look deal with DreamWorks Animation .
In 2025, Story Kitchen renewed their first-look television deal with Amazon MGM Studios until 2028.
Panels
Games for Change : "Games, Hollywood, and Impact"
Global Tech Weekend Tbilisi: "Shaping the New Era"
Screen Play / London Games
SXSW : "Transmedia is Back – But What Comes Next?"
XDS External Development Summit: "BAFTA Presents "Franchise Farming" with Story Kitchen — When, How, and with Whom to Grow a Game IP into Film/TV, Animation, and Beyond"
Further reading
NY Times : As Hollywood Courts Gamers, They Warn: ‘Don’t Ruin This’
Naavik Gaming Podcast: How User-Generated Games Are Becoming Hollywood Franchises
Entrepreneur's Problem Solvers: "They Turn Video Games Into Movies & TV - Here's How"
The Games Business' video interview at Screen Play London Games: "We've never had a better moment to adapt your game to film or TV"
NPR interview with Dmitri M. Johnson titled, "How do you take a video game and turn it into a compelling narrative"
The Purpose Made Podcast: "Why Game Movies Flop & Story Kitchen's Secret Sauce"
References
↑ "The Low-and-Slow Path to Producing Sonic the Hedgehog | Dmitri M. Johnson of dj2 Entertainment | DH038 - Cali BBQ Media - Digital Content & Media" . 2020-06-18.
↑ Kroll, Justin (2024-05-06). "Story Kitchen And DreamWorks Animation Form Strategic Partnership" . Deadline . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ Magazine, Animation (2024-05-06). "Story Kitchen Inks First-Look Deal with DreamWorks Animation" . Animation Magazine . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ Otterson, Joe (2025-05-16). " 'Tomb Raider' Producer Story Kitchen Renews First-Look TV Deal at Amazon MGM Studios (EXCLUSIVE)" . Variety . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ Otterson, Joe (2025-05-16). " 'Tomb Raider' Producer Story Kitchen Renews First-Look TV Deal at Amazon MGM Studios (Exclusive)" . Variety . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ Otterson, Joe (2025-09-04). " 'Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft' to End With Season 2, December Release Date Set at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)" . Variety . Retrieved 2025-09-08 .
↑ Vejvoda, Jim (2025-11-18). "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Season 2 Exclusive Trailer and Poster" . IGN . Retrieved 2025-11-18 .
↑ Otterson, Joe (2025-09-05). " 'Life Is Strange' TV Series Set at Amazon From Charlie Covell, Square Enix, Story Kitchen, and LuckyChap (EXCLUSIVE)" . Variety . Retrieved 2025-09-08 .
↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2025-09-03). " 'Tomb Raider': Sophie Turner Set As Lara Croft; Chad Hodge Joins Phoebe Waller-Bridge As Co-Showrunner; Amazon Series Heads To Production" . Deadline . Retrieved 2025-09-05 .
↑ "2025 Games for Change Festival Speakers" . festival.gamesforchange.org . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ "Schedule" . festival.gamesforchange.org . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ "TKT.GE" . tkt.ge . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ "Screen Play" . Games London . 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-08-31 .
↑ "Dmitri Johnson" . SXSW 2025 Schedule . Retrieved 2025-08-31 .[ dead link ]
↑ "TABLE-TOPIC: BAFTA Presents "Franchise Farming" with Story Kitchen — when, how, and with whom to grow a game IP into film/TV, animation, and beyond" . External Development Summit (XDS) . Retrieved 2025-09-01 .
↑ Morgan, Emmanuel (2026-03-30). "As Hollywood Courts Gamers, They Warn: 'Don't Ruin This' " . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2026-04-06 .
↑ Moore, Kalie (2026-01-06). "How User-Generated Games Are Becoming Hollywood Franchises" . Naavik . Retrieved 2026-01-08 .
↑ "They Turn Video Games Into Movies & TV — Here's How" . Apple Podcasts . Retrieved 2025-11-12 .
↑ Dring, Christopher (2025-04-15). " "We've never had a better moment to adapt your game to film or TV" " . The Game Business .
↑ N; P; R (2024-04-11). "How do you take a video game and turn it into a compelling narrative?" . NPR . Retrieved 2025-09-01 .
↑ "Spotify" . open.spotify.com . Retrieved 2025-11-12 .