Tales From The Story Merchant an interview with Hollywood Producer, Ken Atchity

via Awakened Nation

Ken Atchity, producer of the movie The Meg, staring Jason Statham, joins us for a fascinating discussion on becoming a Hollywood producer of such movies as "Life, or Something Like It," "The Expatriate" "Joe Somebody," and the HBO movie series "Shades of Love." ...but our time together was much more than talking about his international blockbusters.

Ken is a Story Merchant...and he opens up about his roots , studying in French, Latin, Greek and conversational Japanese, along with enlightening stories of self sabotage, the dangers and blessings of A.I., and making peace with his brother Freddy. This episode is about family, and the melting pot that truly makes America great.

About Kenneth Atchity: Ken Atchity is an American movie producer, author and columnist, book reviewer, brand consultant, and professor of comparative literature. Ken calls himself a professional Story Merchant. His decades well spent in the world of stories prompted the telling of his own. When it came time to do so, he thought “who is better to do it than me?”


MY OBIT: Daddy Holding Me , Volume I, is published by Story Merchant Books, in paperback and launched late last year. Volume II, My Southern Belle, was published February 28, this year and also published by Story Merchant Books, in paperback. Atchity has also produced 30 films, including "Hysteria" with Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Expatriate" with Aaron Eckhart, "The Lost Valentine" with Betty White, "Gospel Hill" with Danny Glover, "Joe Somebody" with Tim Allen, "Life or Something Like It" starring Angelina Jolie, "The Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes," "Shadow of Obsession," "The Madam's Family" with Ellen Burstyn, and "The Meg" with Jason Stathum. In addition to his literary management and coaching business, Ken recently added “Write Your Own Obituary” to his consulting options. Who better? After all, he wrote his own obit. Atchity is married to documentary filmmaker and former NHK producer Kayoko Mitsumatsu.

The Storyteller's Journey: Unleashing Creativity with Ken Atchity | Denise Griffitts

Ken Atchity is a multi-talented author, literary entrepreneur, and film producer known for his expertise in storytelling. With a successful career spanning decades, he has written captivating books, represented authors, and produced films. His passion for storytelling and commitment to helping others unleash their creative potential make him a prominent figure in the industry. 

In addition to his literary management and coaching business, Ken recently added “Write Your Own Obituary” to his consulting options. Who better? After all, he wrote his own obit. 

My Obit 2: My Southern Belle 

The train that carried the author south from Kansas City to his native Cajun homeland was named “The Southern Belle,” which the young Atchity believed referred to his mother’s all-powerful control over his imagination. He left a world of grape leaves, cabbage rolls, and houmus for steak & gravy, shrimp etouffee, gumbo, and boiled crawfish—and a welcome world of tall tales, endless jokes, and fishing stories that kept folks on the front porch for hours at a time. Where Vol 1, Daddy Holding Me, focused on his father, My Southern Belle analyzes the parent who inspired his multiple careers as an editor, writer, professor, literary manager, and producer. Where his father was a straightlaced accountant, Atchity’s mother was a raconteur, jokester, and improvisational spinner of yarns of varying levels of veracity. Passive-aggressive, with boundless energy, and intensely optimistic, she created an environment that drove her children to excel and entertain in whatever they undertook.

Available on Amazon