THE TEAM
Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten
Chief Executive Officer
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Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten is CEO of The Wonder Project, an independent film and television studio focused on telling stories that restore faith in things worth believing in. For the last 20 years, Kelly has been at the forefront of innovation in digital media and technology, holding senior leadership roles at Netflix, YouTube and Aura. Most recently, Kelly was President & COO at Aura where she spearheaded the company's product and go-to-market strategy and oversaw the product, sales, marketing and operations teams. From 2015-2021 Kelly served as Vice President of Content Partnerships at YouTube, where she led the global partnership strategy and management of content creators and media companies across the Americas. Prior to YouTube, Kelly was Vice President, Content Acquisition at Netflix from 2007-2014, driving the company's international expansion across markets in Western Europe, Canada and Latin America. Kelly also held positions at Sony Pictures, Bain & Company and Audax Group.
Jon Erwin
Founder & Chief Content Officer
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Jon Erwin is an acclaimed, multi GMA Dove Award-winning director, writer, producer and entrepreneur. He is the creative force behind HOUSE OF DAVID and serves as Chief Creative Officer for The Wonder Project. He is also the first and only director to receive an A+ CinemaScore® four times. His 2023 film JESUS REVOLUTION grossed $52M worldwide and was a breakout hit for Lionsgate.
Along with his brother Andrew, Jon co-wrote, produced and co-directed films like MOMS' NIGHT OUT, WOODLAWN, and the surprise hit I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, which became the #1 independent film of 2018, earning more than $83 million at the box office. In 2019, Jon and Andrew launched Kingdom Story Company. The first film from that venture was I STILL BELIEVE, a biopic about CCM megastar Jeremy Camp which was released by Lionsgate in 2020, followed by AMERICAN UNDERDOG in 2021, which told the story of NFL MVP and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
PRESS COVERAGE
- Religious Movies Are Sweeping Hollywood. Rich Investors Are Pouring In Millions.
- Zachary Levi & Naya Desir-Johnson To Topline Amazon MGM Drama 'Sarah's Oil'; Sonequa Martin-Green And Garret Dillahunt Among Others Set
- 'House of David' Biblical Drama at Amazon Casts Its David, Goliath, King Saul and More
- The Wonder Project Names Filmmaker Jon Gunn As Head of Story
- Amazon Teams With Wonder Project on Faith-Based Films & Shows, Streamer Orders 'House of David' to Series
- Hit filmmaker launches studio for faith audiences: 'We want to flood the world with hope'
- Jon Erwin, Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten Launch Faith-Based Indie Studio The Wonder Project; Jason Blum, Lionsgate, UTA Among Backers
- 'Jesus Revolution' Director, Former YouTube Exec Raise $75 Million to Launch Faith-Based Content Studio