Who we are
Our story begins years ago, on a film set in the desert… an atypical origin story for an atypical company. Nic Gonda and Ken Kao met while co-producing a film and found common ground in their shared interest in wellness and the belief that it should be more accessible to a broader population. Out of that shared conviction came Parallel, a company built to support businesses and influential people eager to advance unique and compelling projects centered on health and wellness.
Across our three partners we have expertise in film, digital media, live entertainment and business building. Our full team’s experience includes creative strategy, digital production, venture capital, partnership building, and branded content across all formats.
As investors and company builders, members of our team have launched and sold our own startups, managed nonprofits, and accrued a few JDs and MBAs (nbd). As creative people, we’ve worked on all kinds of projects, including Oscar winning films, immersive experiences, digital newsletters, podcasts, Broadway shows, well known ad campaigns, and apps, just to name a few.
Our Partners
Ken Kao
In 2010, Ken co-founded Waypoint Entertainment, a production, development, and financing company whose credits include Best Picture Oscar nominee The Favourite, The Glass Castle, and The Nice Guys. In 2024 Waypoint formed a strategic partnership with Neon, releasing Cuckoo and Long Legs as the first projects under the deal.
In addition, Ken and Ryan Gosling formed a film and TV production company in 2016, following several collaborations, That development slate includes a Wolfman remake (Universal) and Project Hail Mary (MGM).
Ken also co-founded Bloom Media, an international film distribution, sales, and financing company acquired by Endeavor (WME/IMG) in 2017.
One thing that makes Ken feel well
Empowering flowering
Nic Gonda
Nic has produced over 20 movies including Tree Of Life, (Oscar nominee for Best Picture and winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or).
He currently runs Chloe Zhao’s production company and serves as a key partner to Jon Favreau in developing his immersive and metaverse content strategies.
Prior to joining Parallel, he was Chief Content Officer at Meow Wolf, where he oversaw their digital content strategy, managed their relationship with George RR Martin, and was instrumental in their Series A fundraise.
Nic also founded and acted as CEO of Tugg, the pioneering crowdsourcing platform that lets audiences choose the films that play in their local theaters.
One thing that makes Nic feel well
Consistent exercise and sleep… the latter I'm not doing a good job with yet :)
Jocelyn Florence
Jocelyn started her career as the Associate Producer at NYC venue Ars Nova, helping bring to life hundreds of comedy, music, and scripted shows from emerging artists.
Prior to joining Parallel, Jocelyn served as Creative Director at business news publication, Quartz, overseeing the design, engineering, and branded editorial teams to produce compelling content for Fortune 100 brands and leaders.
Jocelyn currently sits on the board of the LA comedy venue, The Elysian, volunteers as a college application advisor at Scholar Match, and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
One thing that makes Jocelyn feel well
Long walks with stops to observe trees I don't know the names of
Our Team
Ciara Keane
Lead StrategistCiara started her career on the Events and Civic Engagement teams at The Wing. Before Parallel, Ciara worked in Accenture’s Strategy division with clients including Voya Financial, National Grid, and Bose. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University in Sociology and Ethnicity & Race Studies, a Disruptive Strategy Certificate from Harvard Business School, and a Designing Strategy Certificate from IDEO.
One thing that makes Ciara feel well
Photosynthesis
Courtney Greenbaum
VP, Business Development & PartnershipsOver the course of her career, Courtney has worked at the intersection of media and entertainment. Her professional experience includes tenures at Scooter Braun Projects, NYLON, United Entertainment Group, and WME where she specialized in traditional and non-traditional endorsement deals for Talent. Most recently she worked at MediaLink, a management consulting firm, providing strategic advisory services to Fortune 500 companies. She holds a BBA from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
One thing that makes Courtney feel well
Lakes
Katherine Skylar
VP, Business & Revenue OperationsKatherine has spent her career supporting creative entrepreneurs and bringing their vision to life (most often on the unglamorous side of things). Most recently she was leading the creative services team at Beautycounter, during a period of rapid growth resulting in reaching unicorn status and an acquisition by Carlyle Group. Before that, she has worked with big brands like J.Crew and West Elm as well as with bespoke artists like Kelly Lamb and Bare Collection. She holds a B.S. from Drexel University in Design & Merchandising.
One thing that makes Katherine feel well
Getting my hands dirty
Lorin Brown
Brand Identity DesignerSince 2011, Lorin has run the illustration-focused studio practice Intents & Purposes, creating apparel, album art, editorial illustrations, digital content, and printed matter. Lorin’s notable clients include: Arkitip, Band Of Outsiders, Beck, Better Than Ezra, Bloomberg Businessweek, GOOD Magazine, HUF, IKO IKO, Nike, Stussy/Stussy Deluxe, Sony Red, RedCat, The New York Times Co., and Urban Outfitters. Before Parallel, Lorin worked in-house at Urban Outfitters, Wieden+Kennedy, OptimistLA, and Harry’s. He has taught at Pratt Institute for the last several years and currently teaches at CalArts.
One thing that makes Lorin feel well
Sensory deprivation tanks