Breaking News Re: Okoboji – Julie Gammack and Guests

We are taking the day off from our usual Monday podcast recording call; however, I do have a few announcements.

First, this is big news for those interested in coming to the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat. Here is the press release going out today:

Former Paramount Pictures President and Disney Production Chief David Kirkpatrick to Headline 2026 Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa — For the first time in its history, the Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat will welcome a former president of a major Hollywood studio to its faculty.

David Paul Kirkpatrick, former President of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, former Production Chief of Walt Disney Studios, and founder of the internationally respected Story Summit, will join the faculty of the sixth annual Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat, September 27–30, at Lakeside Laboratory on the shores of West Okoboji Lake.

Kirkpatrick’s Hollywood career spans more than four decades and includes leadership of some of the film industry’s most celebrated productions and franchises. During his tenure, he oversaw or helped shepherd more than 200 motion pictures, including Top Gun, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Beverly Hills Cop, Witness, The Little Mermaid, Dead Poets Society, and Pretty Woman. He is widely recognized as one of Hollywood’s most influential champions of story and creative talent.

Today, Kirkpatrick is founder of Story Summit, a global storytelling organization that brings together bestselling authors, Academy Award-winning filmmakers, screenwriters, producers, literary agents, publishers, and emerging creatives from around the world. Through Story Summit, he has become a sought-after mentor whose mission is to help storytellers create work that is not only commercially successful, but also meaningful and transformative.

“David’s career is extraordinary, but what excites me most is who he is today,” said Julie Gammack, founder of the Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat. “He has dedicated his life to helping writers, filmmakers, and artists discover the deeper purpose of their stories. That commitment to lifting others is exactly what the Okoboji retreat is all about.”

Kirkpatrick will present keynote sessions on cinematic storytelling, story development, creativity, and the business of entertainment. Throughout the retreat, participants will also have opportunities to engage with him in workshops, conversations, and informal gatherings designed to encourage collaboration and lasting creative relationships.

Now entering its sixth year, the Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat has earned a national reputation for bringing together accomplished professionals and emerging creators in an intimate, collaborative setting. Writers, songwriters, filmmakers, journalists, podcasters, and artists travel from across the country to participate in workshops, receive personal mentoring, and build relationships that often lead to publishing contracts, film projects, musical collaborations, and lifelong friendships.

Kirkpatrick joins one of the retreat’s strongest faculties to date, alongside nationally recognized authors, literary agents, journalists, musicians, memoirists, filmmakers, and publishing professionals.

Registration remains open, with attendees already registered from numerous states across the country.

About David Paul Kirkpatrick

David Paul Kirkpatrick is the founder of Story Summit and former President of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group. Earlier in his career, he served as Production Chief for Walt Disney Studios, overseeing both Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures. His Hollywood career includes executive leadership on more than 200 feature films and decades of mentoring storytellers around the world through Story Summit’s conferences, workshops, and educational initiatives.

About the Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat

Founded by journalist and author Julie Gammack, the Okoboji Writers’ & Songwriters’ Retreat is an immersive four-day gathering that brings nationally recognized authors, literary agents, filmmakers, journalists, musicians, and creative professionals together with writers and artists from across the United States. The retreat is built on the belief that courage is contagious, stories change lives, and meaningful relationships are among the most valuable outcomes of any creative endeavor.

About Story Summit

Story Summit is a year-round writing school and creative community for writers of fiction, screenplays, television, memoir, and nonfiction. Its digital and onsite classes are taught live—not by academics—but by working professionals: writers, producers, editors, showrunners, and publishing experts who are actively engaged in the fields they teach.

Story Summit’s speakers and instructors have included award-winning storytellers whose work has been recognized with Pulitzer Prizes, Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and other major honors.

At its heart, Story Summit helps writers build craft, confidence, community, and a sustainable creative life. Learn more.

Okoboji Enrollment Info

If you love nerdy, in-the-know conversations about Iowa politics and you haven’t yet discovered the Iowa Down Ballot podcast, you are in for a shot of nirvana.

Fellow members of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, facilitated by veteran broadcast political reporter Dave Price, plus Laura Belin, and Kathie Obradovich of Iowa Capital Dispatch, offer a 30-minute conversation available on most podcast streaming services, including Apple and Spotify. Or, you can subscribe and have it delivered to your email inbox, and either read the transcript or listen within the Substack newsletter platform.

This podcast requires a degree of production costs that paid subscriptions so far do not quite cover. To assist, Richard and I are hosting a thank-you gathering for Dave, Laura, and Kathie at our home on Tuesday from 4-6:00 p.m. for financial supporters of Iowa Down Ballot. If you would like to join us, become a paid subscriber of the podcast, and fill out the RSVP form (location details will be sent upon RSVP completion):

Down Ballot Thank You Party

Iowa Down Ballot

If you still have questions about whether or not the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat is right for you, head over to Beaverdale Books on Tuesday evening and learn more about the retreat from Rekha Basu and Chip Albright. I’ll be buzzing over there, too, and bringing libations and munchies.

(Yes, you eagle-eyed copy editors, both the Iowa Down Ballot gathering and the Beaverdale Books info session are on Tuesday evening. One of the many nice things about living in Des Moines is a nearby destination is almost always under 10 minutes away from point A to point B).

Thanks, too, for being a part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative community. Did you catch the Sunday Roundup?