David Paul Kirkpatrick (born June 29, 1951) is an American film producer, studio executive and writer. He is widely known[1] for his career at Paramount Pictures where he started as a story editor, oversaw the studio's exclusive development deal with Eddie Murphy[2] and eventually became President of the Motion Picture Group.[3]
In 2006, The New York Times called Kirkpatrick a “kingmaker” for his shepherding of Hollywood talent.[4] Kirkpatrick was chief of production at two studios at the same time, Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures.[5]
Kirkpatrick founded the MIT Center for the Future of Storytelling[6] in 2008[7] and the Story Summit in 2019.[8] He has authored two books, including The Address of Happiness[9][10] and The Dog[11] with Steven James Taylor,[12][13]