Hammerstone Studios has appointed Karina Manashil as senior vice president (SVP) of creative and brand development. Manashil brings over a decade of experience in media and entertainment, most recently serving as founder and president of Kaijo, a production company focused on creating original and adapted IP with artists.
In her new role, she will help Hammerstone expand into publishing, merchandising, gaming, and live events in addition to building its film slate. The indie production company said it expects Manashil to play a role “in bringing in culture-focused content for high-level artists and athletes.”
Hammerstone has been prolific, producing 18 films in less than eight years. It is now moving into video game adaptations, anime, manga, and star-driven originals. Manashil’s banner Kaijo will be folded into Hammerstone.
Manashil is already collaborating with Hammerstone on Jeron Braxton’s animated feature “Slime,” starring Willow Smith, Kid Cudi, John Boyega, Anna Sawai, Teyana Taylor, LaKeith Stanfield, John Cho, and Winston Duke.
Previously, Manashil co-founded Mad Solar with Kid Cudi, launching the company with the Amazon Prime documentary “A Man Named Scott.” She went on to executive produce Ti West’s trilogy “X,” “Pearl,” and “MaXXXine” for A24. Manashil received an Emmy Award nomination for Netflix’s animated musical romance “Entergalactic,” released alongside Kid Cudi’s album of the same name. She began her career as a talent agent at WME where she represented artists including Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Dax Shepard, Stephen Merchant, Paul Reubens, and more.
“Karina is brilliant and her web of connections run throughout the industry,” said Alex Lebovici, founder and CEO of Hammerstone Studios. ”She’s the kind of leader we need as Hammerstone enters its next phase of growth. Building on the company’s strong foundation in film, her experience positions us to thoughtfully broaden our footprint into original and adapted IP, while continuing to produce culture-defining content.”
“It is a total honor to partner with Alex Lebovici and the team at Hammerstone,” said Manashil. “From when I first met Alex when he cast Scott Mescudi in ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ to producing ‘Slime’ together, I have always admired his creative, passionate, and audience-first approach. My goal has been to create content that speaks to culture, and I am so excited to be a part of a team that lives that vision.”
Hammerstone Studios is currently in post-production on David Sandberg’s “Kung Fury The Movie,” Gabriel Basso’s directorial debut “Iconoclast” featuring Courtney Eaton, Noah Centineo, Rain Spencer, and Dasha Nekrasova; and Elegance Bratton’s “By Any Means” starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul Mateen II.