Lakers G Kobe Bryant said that he "has founded Kobe Studios, an arm of Kobe Inc., in an effort to bring others' stories to life in a variety of media," according to Janis Carr of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. Kobe Inc. is a "multi-level business headquartered in Newport Beach and something of a creative factory for Bryant." He said, "What my passion is now is creating the story. Creating the story and finding the best possible way, the medium which that story can live." Bryant said that those stories will "be told through movies, books and 'any area in which content is distributed and created.'" Bryant: "Some stories will be created. Some stories will be fantasy in nature, others reality-based. But we will look for content that inspires a generation of people" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/24). Bryant said, “I knew at a very early age that this date was coming, so I started trying different things out, things I was interested in. It was always gravitating around stories.” Bryant said those stories included advertising, as he “wrote a great amount of commercials, a lot of the stuff had to do with Nike.” HBO's Andrea Kremer noted Bryant through Kobe Inc. earlier this season "produced a campaign called ‘Hero Villain’ in which we hear the home crowd chant its love for Bryant and the road crowd its hate." Kremer: "The concept, the words, the message -- Bryant says they’re all his." She said to Bryant, “This isn't something you're lending your name to or just putting your money on.” Bryant: “This is me writing every day, thinking every day, organizing every day, and these stories will come from me.” After the taped report, Kremer said to HBO’s Bryant Gumbel, “He believes that as much of a genius he was on the court, that that's what he wants to do in this next chapter of his life. It's a tall order, there’s no question. It’s a long shot, if you will, but he believes that the treasure trove of sports experiences that he has is going to translate into these great stories, whatever the medium is” ("Real Sports," HBO, 2/23).
