jonathan koch

Jonathan Koch is President & Chief Creative Officer of Asylum Entertainment based in Los Angeles, CA. Since teaming up with his business partner, Steve Michaels in 2003, Koch has guided the growth of the company's programming slate, having created and executive produced its dozens of series and event projects. He is known for a remarkable ability to identify and distill what makes a project sell—then pitching it to a rapt audience, and keeping it on the air. He enjoys creating programs across myriad genres, from the hit reality show Beverly Hills Pawn to the Emmy-winning documentary series Beyond the Glory. Koch's first two original television movies, Ring of Fire (Lifetime) and The Kennedys (Reelz), garnered 14 Emmy nominations between them. Other shows also include 30 for 30, National Geographic Breakthrough, The Capones, Addicted and Master P's Family Family Empire and picking up where the Emmy-winning miniseries The Kennedys left off, The Kennedys – After Camelot (which debuts April 2nd on Reelz). Through all of their diverse success in both scripted and unscripted programming, Legendary Entertainment (known for Jurassic World, The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar, The Hangover, 300, Godzilla) acquired Asylum in 2013. Expectations run high for Asylum's upcoming documentary feature film, Happy Valley, which premiered at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January. It tells the story of the scandal that rocked Penn State, and is a deeply personal film for Koch, who grew up in State College spellbound by its football program. Koch came to Asylum with an impressive track record in marketing. As founder and CEO of Gravy Train Productions, a marketing, licensing and touring company for top child actors, Koch was on the forefront of the celebrity branding industry, teaming young stars with major companies like Hasbro, General Mills, FAO Schwarz and Six Flags. In 1996, Koch created CelebritySightings.com, which became an internet sensation and sold to Alloy in 1999. Jonathan began in entertainment at the Barbara Cameron Talent Agency, a leader in the discovery and development of young talent, where he quickly rose to partner. Jonathan is a graduate of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania as is his wife, Jennifer.