Biotech Entrepreneur Jonathan Lim Launches City Hill Arts; Unveils Slate Of Projects With Stampede Ventures & More

EXCLUSIVE: Biotech entrepreneur Jonathan Lim, M.D. is moving into the realm of film production and financing with the launch of City Hill Arts.

Lim’s start-up will acquire IP, develop, package, produce and fund projects, while investing in those that meet its criteria, via exceptional writing, talent and collaborators. Executives joining him at the company include Participant Media and MGM veteran Jeff Ivers, who will serve as COO; Robin Jonas, a 10-year veteran of Miramax Films and former President of Kevin Costner’s Tig Productions, who will serve as President; Alcon Entertainment’s former head of production Steven P. Wegner, who will serve as EVP Production; and Mike Kolko, who brings broad experience in production accounting and tax incentives to his role as VP of Physical Production.

Lim says his goal with City Hill Arts is to “revitalize people, planet and perspective”—to spotlight “stories of transformation, or everyday people trying to do extraordinary things.

“We’re really looking at socially relevant stories that are intended to inspire diverse global audiences. So, we’re seeking compelling, character-driven stories from diverse genres,” said Lim. “These are stories that show the triumph of the human spirit overcoming adversity in a powerful way, while revealing a deeper truth about humanity and the world we share.”

City Hall Arts has already built out a robust slate of projects at budget levels ranging from the indie to the epic, and this fall will go into production on director David Schurmann’s (Little Secret) film The Penguin and the Fisherman, starring Jean Reno. The true story, which went viral in 2016, centers on Brazilian fisherman Joao, who rescues a Patagonian penguin (known as Din Dim) covered in oil and near death, thus creating an unconventional lifelong friendship. Lim, Wegner, Patrick Ewald, Joao Roni, Shaked Berenson and Nicolas Veinberg will produce, with Jonas serving as executive producer.

The company recently acquired rights to Scott Harrison’s New York Times bestseller Thirst, which recounts the author’s journey from a degenerate, hard-partying NYC nightclub promoter, to losing everything he’d worked to acquire (including, nearly, his life). Morally bankrupt, he sought refuge for 16 months aboard a hospital ship in West Africa, where he found his calling. From the ashes of his old life sprung a single idea—to get clean water to everyone on the planet. With less than no money and zero experience, Harrison dusted off his promotional chops and founded Charity: Water in 2006. Now, he has raised over $700 million to bring clean water to more than 15 million people worldwide. Todd Komarnicki (Sully) has been tapped to adapt the screenplay. Lim will produce alongside Jonas and Diane Nabatoff.

Along with Stampede Ventures, City Hill Arts will produce and co-finance the film Newsflash, written by Ben Jacoby, which tells the story of the dramatic 90 minutes between Walter Cronkite receiving the news of the JFK assassination attempt and his being the last reporter to confirm the President’s death. Cronkite’s difficult choices during this brief window of time helped forge his reputation as the most trusted man in America during his era. The producing team includes Stampede’s Greg Silverman, Adam Kolbrenner and Lim.

Also in the works from City Hill is the film The Secret of Life, written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, which it will produce and finance. Pic is based on the true story of Rosalind Franklin, a brilliant scientist whose groundbreaking work to uncover the structure of DNA was brazenly stolen by two young men from Cambridge University, who went on to win the Nobel prize. Lim and Wegner will produce, with Mark Gooder and Alison Thomas serving as EPs.

Then, there’s the late David and Leigh Eddings’ fantasy epic The Belgariad, which City Hall has optioned. Selwyn Hinds will adapt the screenplay, with Lim, Matt Kennedy and Liz Bassin producing, and Vince Gerardis exec producing.

Lim is a physician-turned-entrepreneur who has founded, funded and led multiple biotechnology startups—including the clinical-stage precision oncology company, Erasca—which have brought life-changing therapeutics to patients around the world. He has led six companies in the life sciences that have collectively raised over $2 billion, while generating more than $10 billion of shareholder value, and also co-founded the City Hill Foundation, which provides grants to mission-driven organizations in areas such as health care, conservation, education, religion, social justice and the arts.

Lim tells Deadline that he “grew up loving the movies” and committed to launching City Hall while on sabbatical in 2018 from his oncology therapy company Ignyta, which had just been acquired by the multinational healthcare company, Roche. “I…basically was off the grid, spending a lot of time with family and friends, and traveling and reflecting,” he says, “and I realized during that time in pursuing creative endeavors, like going back into creative writing and working on my novel, and a screenplay, that I wanted to combine creative right-brain types of activities with the left-brain work that I do in biotech.” While Lim still loves biotech and feels he continues to have “a lot to contribute to society” through his work in drug development, he now intends to impact the world through the power of story, as well.

Lim’s latest venture also recently co-financed and co-produced H.P. Mendoza’s film The Secret Art of Human Flight, written by Jesse Orenshein and starring Academy Award nominee Paul Raci, as well as Grant Rosenmeyer. Currently in post-production, the tale tells of a grieving widower who meets an eccentric guru promising to unlock the power to fly, and shows how hope can emerge from despair. Rosenmeyer, Tina Carbone, Benjamin Wiessner and Lim produced, with Wegner executive producing.

While Lim and his company have not yet signed to an agency, they’re in active discussions with all the majors regarding their slate. The City Hill principal says that while he has “significant resources to put behind this slate, as well as future projects,” his priority at present is to spread them out across projects while building “a sustainable company,” by connecting with the right partners. “We are working with an ecosystem of production as well as finance partners who share our vision of trying to bring meaningful stories to the screen. So, we’re really looking at collaborations with like-minded individuals and organizations,” he says. “We plan to be around for the long-term, and it’s really with sustainability in mind that we’re looking at projects that are meaningful and purpose-driven, but also can potentially help us become a sustainable organization.”

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