Destin Daniel Cretton Launches Banner Hisako, Taps Jeyun Munford as President (Exclusive)

Borys Kit
·3 min read
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Destin Daniel Cretton, the filmmaker who co-wrote and directed the Marvel Studios movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and who executive produced American Born Chinese for Disney+, has launched Hisako, a new multimedia production company.

Cretton will run the banner with Jeyun Munford, formerly an executive at Universal and Lionsgate, who will act as the company’s president, running both film and television arms.

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With a focus on empowering filmmakers and creatives, one of Hisako’s mission statements is a commitment to transforming the film and television landscape by highlighting marginalized stories and pushing them into the mainstream. The company is founded on the underlying conviction that storytelling has the power to unite audiences worldwide through shared emotions and experiences.

One of the first projects out of the gate for Hisako will be the big-screen live-action take on Naruto, one of the most popular mangas of all time. The project is set up at Lionsgate.

“I feel very lucky to have Jeyun leading our team,” said Cretton in a statement. “She has a genuine care for the creative process and understands how to nurture and support an artist to see their vision come to life.”

He continued, “Our company, Hisako, is named after my grandma, who gave me my first VHS camera when I was eleven. She was a nurse with the heart of an artist; curious, kind, and fiercely protective of her tribe. Her spirit is the soul of this company.”

Hisako is an evolution of Cretton’s previous banner, with Nikitha Menon and Ron Najor continuing their roles as vp development and vp film, respectively.

The new company also continues his overall deal with Onyx Collective, the content brand under Disney Entertainment Television. It currently has projects in development with creative talent such as Daniel Cerone, Carla Ching, Roja Gashtili, Julia Lerman, Shannon Goss, Chris Bright, Ty Sanga, James Ponsoldt, Nikesh Shukla, Kelvin Yu and Lloyd Lee Choi.

Cretton is currently in postproduction on Wonder Man, a series starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II for Marvel, and is also working on a Shang-Chi sequel.

“I’ve always admired Destin’s empathetic approach to filmmaking and his ability to find the hope and humanity in a story,” stated Munford. “It’s a privilege to join him in building a company that is committed to nurturing a community of singular storytellers and creatives.”

Before joining Hisako, Munford acted as senior vp of production development at Universal, where she managed the development and production of feature films for the motion picture group. She oversaw the R-rated comedy Strays, directed by Josh Greenbaum and produced by Lord Miller and PictureStart; Marry Me, the romantic comedy directed by Kat Coiro that starred Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson; and The 355, the action thriller that featured Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o and Penélope Cruz.

At Lionsgate, she served as senior vp production & development, working a diverse slate films ranging from Long Shot and A Simple Favor to Deepwater Horizon and Now You See Me.

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