ABOUT
SMS has a proven track record of award-winning and commercially successful productions, including Outlander (Starz), based on Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling novels, and the critically acclaimed feature film The Yellow Birds. By developing projects from esteemed books and established IP, the company consistently attracts top-tier writers, directors, and actors early in the process—streamlining packaging, financing, and production.
THE TEAM
JAMES A. KOHLBERG is a film and television producer and business executive. In 2013 he founded Story Mining and Supply Co., focusing on adapting novels and developing original stories for film and television. In 2013 he founded Story Mining & Supply, focusing on adapting novels and developing original stories for film and TV.
Kohlberg has an extensive background in film production. He made his Hollywood debut as executive producer of the independent drama Two Family House (1999), which won the Audience Award at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. He went on to produce or executive-produce films such as Trumbo (2007), a documentary about blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. In 2008 he directed a stage production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, and in 2011 he made his feature-film directorial debut with The Music Never Stopped, which premiered at Sundance that year. Kohlberg’s production credits also extend to television: he served as an executive producer on Starz’s Outlander (adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s novels) and continues to develop related TV content.
Outside of entertainment, Kohlberg has a long career in private equity and finance. He co-founded Kohlberg & Company in 1987–a middle-market private equity firm–and became its chairman in 2007. Earlier he was an investment professional at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.(KKR) and at Merrill Lynch. In recent years he has focused on overseeing venture investments inmedia, technology and clean energy, including serving on the boards of several companies.Notably, Kohlberg served as a director of The New York Times Company from 2008 until 2019 and he has held board positions or chairmanships at media and technology firms such as Halogen Media Networks (Social Chorus) and ClearEdge Power, as well as entertainment companies like Essential Entertainment Media and Open Road Integrated Media.
Kohlberg holds a B.A. from Golden Gate University and an M.B.A. from New York University.His career spans both creative and corporate leadership: he is an author and director as well as a financier, bridging storytelling and business. His accomplishments include award-winning independent films, the founding of a major investment firm, and leadership roles on corporate boards, reflecting his dual expertise in the entertainment industry and in business.
LUKE PARKER BOWLES is a film and television producer and cinema exhibition executive.
Originally from London, Luke began his career at ICM London in 1999 after earning his degree from the University of London. He went on to join the creative department at Working Title Films, contributing to the development of acclaimed titles such as About a Boy, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, and Love Actually. In 2003, he relocated to New York and continued his career in independent film at Hart Sharp Entertainment.
Luke is also the CEO of Cinema Lab, a U.S.-based theatre development and management company committed to revitalizing the cinematic experience by restoring iconic community theaters and reimagining them as design-forward, hospitality-driven cultural spaces.He previously served as Executive Vice President of Production at Open Road Integrated Media,a digital publisher and multimedia company. There, he founded and led the Digital Entertainment division, producing short documentary content to support the eBook catalogue,which includes works by authors such as Alice Walker, William Styron, and Pat Conroy.
Luke is a former Chairman of BAFTA New York and a founder of both the Queen Elizabeth II Garden and the Montclair Film Festival. He is a member of the Pilgrims Society and the St.George’s Society, which honored him with its inaugural Leadership Award in 2017 for his efforts in fostering Anglo-American cultural ties and supporting charitable initiatives, including his role as Senior Ambassador for Comic Relief.
He studied at the University of London, Yale University, and Carnegie Mellon University.