A new media company aims to shake up film and TV by putting creators first. Industry veterans behind Thunder Road Films and Lit Entertainment Group are joining forces.
TR/AK, a new media company from Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee (Thunder Road Films) and Adam Kolbrenner (Lit Entertainment Group), is now up and running. Their goal: put original stories and the people behind them at the center of projects aimed at audiences worldwide. According to Variety, the company officially launched on September 9, 2026, and is already hiring new executives in finance, operations, and corporate infrastructure.
TR/AK will operate alongside Thunder Road and Lit, with both legacy companies continuing their independent operations while the new venture focuses on original, creator-led projects.
TR/AK stands out for its focus on creators. Instead of chasing sequels or reboots, the company wants to launch new voices and stories. The founders are betting that audiences in the U.S. and abroad want something different. As Deadline notes, TR/AK formalizes a long-running partnership among the founders, building on recent projects from Lit clients’ spec scripts, including "By Any Means," "The Surgeon," and "Day Drinker."
For people working in film and TV, this move signals a shift in how top producers and managers approach intellectual property, talent, and the business of storytelling. By combining Thunder Road’s deal-making with Lit Entertainment’s creative pipeline, TR/AK aims to compete for both talent and distribution worldwide. Deadline also points to Lit’s network of creators, including Justin Marks, as a key strength.
TR/AK is being built out with further executive hires for finance, operations, and corporate infrastructure, reflecting its ambition to scale quickly and support a diverse slate of projects.
For creators, the message is straightforward: there’s now a major player looking for original material and willing to invest in it. For established studios and platforms, TR/AK’s arrival is a sign that ignoring new voices could mean losing ground to more nimble, creator-focused companies. The founders’ track records suggest they want to change how original stories are sourced, financed, and distributed. If TR/AK succeeds, it could shift more power toward the people who actually make the stories.
