Jerry Kolber As the CEO of the Atomic Entertainment Group, Jerry Kolber is one of the top influencers when it comes to “edutainment.” In turn, along with his NYU roommate Adam Davis, Kolber is one-half of the duo behind Netflix’s kids’ science series, “Brainchild” and the Emmy-nominated, NatGeo-ratings-record-breaking “Brain Games.” Kolber’s credits outside the educational space include “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” “Inked” and “NOFX Backstage Passport.”
I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Jerry Kolber himself about his past, present and future as a writer, producer, showrunner and CEO. Highlights from that interview, an exclusive to the Jewish Journal, are below.
Jewish Journal: You are a writer, a CEO, a showrunner, a producer… Do you identify with any of those particular titles or roles most?
Jerry Kolber: CEO is the newest role for me, and the one I feel most aligned with. As CEO of a rapidly-growing company that specializes in premium edutainment, I draw on my background in finance, writing, producing, and management, so I feel that this role encompasses all of my skills and passions while also pushing me to grow every single day.
JJ: And is there a career accomplishment you are most proud of?
JK: I am most proud of building an amazing team with my business partner Adam Davis, and being able to only do projects we care about with partners and collaborators and clients we love, while doubling our revenue every year with absolutely no debt.
JJ: At NYU you studied both theater and film. What was your first proper job behind the scenes?
JK: My first proper job was as the general manager of the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater, a small classical repertory theater on the Bowery that no longer exists. Budgets were so tight that we only ran the heat in the winter when there was an audience, and I worked during the day bundled up in the freezing basement. Knowing how to produce theater is still the single best foundational skill I have in my arsenal, on every single set.
JJ: When did you know that this was going to be a career for you and not just a series of one-offs, from gig to gig?
JK: Once I did my first internship, at VH1, I was hooked — there was never remotely a question about building this as a career. There was one brief moment a year after 9/11 when work dried up in New York City that I considered going to law school to become a social justice attorney, but by the time I started studying for LSATs work had picked back up again.
JJ: How did the opportunity to work with NOFX come up? Had you been a fan of theirs prior to the project?
JK: I definitely was aware of NOFX but was not a fan in the sense of their true, devoted fans. I got the gig working with Fat Mike and the guys because I had previously worked with Sharp Entertainment, the production company that was hired by Fuse to produce “NOFX Backstage Passport” on a terrific little show called “Confessions of a Matchmaker.” Sharp knew I excelled at working in challenging circumstances with challenging talent, which is exactly what they needed in a showrunner for “NOFX Backstage Passport.” So, hired!
JJ: On a very different end of the spectrum, you have worked on “Only For God: Inside Hasidism.” What sort of reaction came from the Hasidic community as a result of that project?
JK: Remarkably, we managed to make a documentary about people in the Hasidic community, AND people leaving the community, that received universal praise from everyone associated with the Hasidic community. This is a testament to the sensitivity and skill of the team that made “Only For God: Inside Hasidism.”
JJ: I understand that you participated as part of the first March of the Living. Did that in any way change your identity as a Jewish person?
JK: When I went on the first March of the Living to Poland and Israel when I was 16, I abstractly understood the importance of compassion, charity, and speaking up in the face of unearned, totalitarian power. Going on the March made this all real and visceral, and for a little while after the March my commitment to practicing religiously in the Jewish tradition was quite deep. Eventually I arrived at my own perfect balance of Jewish traditions that resonate for me personally, along with a more Buddhist-influenced daily spiritual practice.
JJ: So what does 2019 look like for Atomic Entertainment?
JK: 2019 is shaping up to be another extraordinary year for Atomic. We’ve got several innovative new series in the pipeline, and we’ve already launched our documentary “14 Minutes from Earth” about the highest freefall in human history — a secret one, not one you’d know — on Netflix. Our Netflix series “Brainchild” continues to pick up steam as well as more teachers adopting our curriculum at www.Brainchildshow.com every day. Our behind the scenes “Making Magic” series is already in edit and launching on Facebook soon, and we’ve got a ton of wonderful branded projects in the works with partners like Conde Nast, Facebook and Top Golf. And it’s only mid-February! Whew!
JJ: As this is for the Jewish Journal, it only feels right to ask: When and where were you bar mitzvahed?
JK: Miami, October 1984. Temple Judea in Coral Gables. Same day as the Michael Jackson “Victory Tour” was happening nearby, after the release of “Thriller.” I invited him to my bar mitzvah but he didn’t come. My best friend for life Barry moonwalked for me instead, and he probably also did the worm, while the Steve Fortgang Bar Mitzvah Band played really amazing covers of all the ‘80s hits.
JJ: Finally, Jerry, any last words for the kids?
JK: Reading is so much cooler than you think, it’s the closest thing there is to mind-reading and telepathy. Reading is so cool because someone else’s thoughts get delivered right in your brain! Read as much as you can and it will open and expand your mind in a way nothing else can.
More on Atomic Entertainment can be found online.
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