Tze Chun stands in a burning field.
Tze (pronounced "Z") Chun is an award-winning American film and TV writer, director, producer and showrunner. He is also cofounder of TKO Studios, a graphic novel and book publisher. Chun is the executive producer and showrunner of the Gremlins animated prequel GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI for Warner Bros Animation and Amblin which will premiere 2023 on HBOMax. He is also co-showrunner and Executive Producer of Boots Riley’s upcoming Amazon show I’M A VIRGO.
As Co-Founder, President, and Co-Publisher of TKO STUDIOS, Chun publishes titles with some of the top names in the industry, including Roxane Gay (Bad Feminist), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), Garth Ennis (The Boys), Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die) and others. To date, Chun has written three TKO titles, THE 7 DEADLY SINS, THE FEARSOME DOCTOR FANG, and THE FORGOTTEN BLADE. TKO was recently nominated Publisher of the Year by Tripwire Magazine and earned an Eisner Award nomination for their bestselling series SENTIENT. They recently inked an exclusive production partnership with New Regency in Television and a first look with New Regency in film. I talked with Tze Chun about his very diverse career journey through indie film, comics, films, TV and more.
Goldie Chan: Hello Tze. Could you share with us what your career path has been?
Tze Chun: I began in indie film in 2007, but my career has taken me through studio features, network and streaming television, live-action and animation, half-hour and hour-long shows, as well as writing, directing, producing. More recently I co-founded the graphic novel and fiction publishing company TKO Studios, which publishes books by creators such as Roxane Gay, Garth Ennis, Jeff Lemire, Danielle Paige, and a bunch of other cool folks.
Tze Chun stands behind an Executive Producer chair.
Chan: With so many projects that you’ve worked on, what has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on?
Chun: It’s really hard to say since I try to focus on what’s in front of me at any given time and make it the best possible version of what it could be. Sometimes that’s stories that I create, sometimes it’s working on stories that others have created.
I try to find something fulfilling about everything I’ve worked on, but some highlights have been doing autobiographical work such as CHILDREN OF INVENTION (2009 Sundance) and LITTLE AMERICA (AppleTV+) which are about my family.
GREMLINS: SECRETS OF THE MOGWAI (HBOMax 2023) was incredible just because I was a huge Gremlins fan and to be able to create an animated prequel series set in 1920s China allowed me to marry the Chinese mythology I grew up with and a beloved movie franchise.
TKO Studios has been an incredible opportunity to start a business, and I’ve learned a lot from my co-founder Sal Simeone, an entrepreneur and mentor who has launched a number of successful companies in a variety of industries. Coming to Hollywood from independent film, I wanted something I was working on that was more independent and built from the ground up.
Chan: As you’re working across different kinds of projects, how would you best describe your personal brand?
Chun: I’m a creator who is also a huge fanperson for comic books, TV, and film. I still can’t believe I get to do all the things I do on a daily basis, and for that I’m pretty thankful and positive. I try to uplift other new creators since, honestly, what we do is hard and I want them to feel like they are part of a community that is rooting for them.
Chan: What are you currently working on, if you can share with us?
Chun: I just finished a couple pilots for [redacted]. I’m showrunning a new TV show for [redacted]. I’m doing a bunch of graphic novel and fiction work with TKO Studios and shepherding projects forward through our co-production partnership with New Regency. And we’re in post on a TV show I co-show ran with genius multi-hyphenate Boots Riley called I’M A VIRGO. And I’m writing a movie for John Woo.
Chan: What is a dream project you’d love to work on or a collaborator that you’d love to partner with?
Chun: Bruce Willis just sold his likeness for deepfakes so I’d like to make a John McClane Die Hard prequel series.
Chan: What do you believe is the most important element to a successful story?
Chun: As a creator, I’d say it has to be a story you feel passionate about, connected with and feel like you need to tell. Otherwise, at least for my own work, it always falls flat and I end up abandoning the project.
Chan: What do you do to uplift others in your community?
Chun: I’m so proud that there’s so many Asian American creators that are coming up now, and I hope it won’t be as hard for them to break in as it was for me. I know people are wary of social media, but I do think it can be used for good. For a year on twitter I did something called the #AASignalBoost where I boosted an Asian American creator every day. And people got reps, writing jobs, and also just found other creatives to connect with. But also, I found myself following a lot of cool folks doing amazing stuff.
Chan: Any last branding or career advice?
Chun: Ugh, I feel so dirty even saying this but like, be yourself. If you pretend to be anything else it’ll always catch up with you.
