Howard and Karen Baldwin Launch HKT Entertainment & Sports Group with Thessalon First Nation Backing

Exclusive: Veteran producers and entertainment executives Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin and Todd Slater have launched HKT Entertainment & Sports Group, a new media and content company, in a high-profile partnership backed by Thessalon First Nation. The deal marks the first investment in a film fund and media-based content company for Thessalon First Nation, which […]

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran entertainment producers and executives Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin and Todd Slater have launched new media and content company HKT Entertainment & Sports Group with the backing of Thessalon First Nation in a major partnership.

The deal is the first investment in a film fund and media-based content company for Thessalon First Nation, which brings together members of the Ojibwe First Nation community located in Ontario's Algoma region.

It is one of the first 21 countries to be included in a historic C$10 billion ($7 billion) settlement with Canada and Ontario in 2023 that delivers annual annuity payments promised under the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850, but never fully realized for 150 years. RELATED FESTIVALS STORY Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired "The Optimist" for digital release on November 17th.

Under this partnership, HKT will develop content related to First Nation stories and culture alongside a broader portfolio of projects. Watch on Deadline

HKT's founders say their primary mission is to make "commercial" products that "entertain audiences and celebrate the unconditional power of the human spirit."

The first major project is an ambitious Roots-style epic series that explores the history and origins of First Nations and is developed in partnership with their members.

The partnership centers around a portfolio of projects, with HKT's broader strategy extending beyond film and television to include digital, podcasts, Broadway and live entertainment, sports-related programming and other forms of emerging media.

In other opening projects, HKT is involved as a producer in the revival of the Broadway musical Damn Yankees, led by George Steinbrenner's granddaughter Hayley Swindal, with Neil Patrick Harris, Austin Scott and the recently announced Julianne Hough in the cast.

The new revival of the classic play recently played a sold-out run at Washington's Arena Stage, earning 13 Helen Hayes Award nominations and winning eight, including Best Musical.

Howard and Karen Baldwin have worked professionally in entertainment and sports for decades, helming films such as Ray, The Desert, Mystery, Alaska, Sudden Death, Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story, Swimming Upstream and The Game of Their Lives.

Slaughter brings more than two decades of experience in film financing, production, content rights and global distribution with 150 feature films under his belt, including recent productions "Optimist", "Bella" and "Moon Colony".

"Collectively, we've made films across all genres and budget ranges for major studios and independently, and have been nominated and won top awards," said Howard Baldwin.

"Indie filmmaking has traditionally required producers to reinvent the wheel every time they make a film. This fund gives us an opportunity to build something more sustainable: a home for the commercial projects we believe in and a pipeline to build these stories.”

Slater emphasized that the partnership is more than a funding vehicle.

"The goal is not just to finance and develop movies and TV series. Building a disciplined investment platform and content-focused multimedia company around an experienced production operation.

A slate provides the diversification, while HKT provides the development, packaging and production infrastructure necessary to turn this capital into the ultimate entertainment, be it film, TV, digital, podcast or any other form of entertainment.

Thessalon First Nation said in a statement that it sees the partnership as an opportunity to participate directly in the global entertainment business alongside an experienced Hollywood financing and production team.

"Equally important, the values behind HKT's projects - perseverance, opportunity and the triumph of the human spirit - resonate strongly with us," it said.

Karen Baldwin added. We've always believed that the best collaborations begin with shared values... Our partners don't just invest in a collection of movies and TV or new media. We build a business together. And we want this business to represent something."

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