Twin Pines Launches Studio for Heartland Sports Stories — SkimNews
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- Twin Pines Entertainment was founded by Clint Kisker, Sean Kisker, and Jason Kander, three Midwestern natives aiming to produce scripted, unscripted, and podcast content centered on professional sports teams and their heartland fanbases.
- Clint Kisker serves as CEO of Twin Pines and argues that Hollywood has long ignored or caricatured America’s heartland, creating an underserved audience ripe for authentic storytelling rooted in generational sports fandom.
- Sean Kisker leads entertainment at the studio and brings experience from HBO Max and Otter Media, where he oversaw major sales including Crunchyroll to Sony and Hello Sunshine to Candle Media.
- Jason Kander, a former Missouri Secretary of State and U.S. Army veteran, leads business development and brings public service and political storytelling experience to the venture.
- Boardwalk Capital, a Toronto-based private equity firm, is backing Twin Pines Entertainment, though the investment amount remains undisclosed.
- Todd Lieberman, an Oscar-nominated producer from Cleveland, is advising Twin Pines on its content slate, citing personal resonance with the mission to elevate Midwestern stories.
- Maude Standish, VP of content and audience at Twin Pines, previously held programming and trend forecasting roles at Fullscreen Media and CAA, focusing on developing new voices from diverse platforms.
Why it matters: Twin Pines targets a large, loyal audience long overlooked by coastal media, with experienced operators and private capital aligning to fill a content gap. If successful, it could shift how studios define 'mainstream' audiences and unlock new monetization paths for pro sports franchises beyond traditional media.
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