Kenneth Atchity, a multifaceted entertainment and literary professional, passed away on Monday at 82 years old. Over his extensive career spanning academia, technology, and entertainment, Atchity accumulated substantial credits as both a producer and literary manager, overseeing production on more than 30 films while authoring over 20 books. He also published hundreds of additional titles through his imprint, Story Merchant Books, and negotiated numerous publishing and entertainment transactions throughout his career.
Achity’s film production credits included “The Meg” series, which he developed with business partner Chi-Li Wong, along with titles such as “Gambino,” “The Kennedy Detail,” “The Lost Valentine,” “The Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes,” “Joe Somebody,” and “Life Or Something Like It.” Early in his entertainment career, he produced “Shades of Love,” a collection of 16 films that aired on HBO and Cinemax before receiving international distribution through Warner Bros.
Before transitioning to Hollywood, Atchity spent 17 years in academia at Occidental College, where he rose to full professor of English and comparative literature. During his tenure, he earned recognition as a Fulbright professor of American literature at the University of Bologna, founded and edited two publications, and received both Occidental’s faculty achievement award and the UCLA Writers Program’s distinguished instructor award. Earlier in his career, Atchity worked as a communication engineer at AT&T Long Lines, where he designed and implemented the Green Network connecting NASA’s research centers.
Born in Eunice, Louisiana, in 1944, Atchity was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned degrees from Georgetown University and Yale University, where he studied as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and completed advanced work in philosophy. His doctoral dissertation received the John Addison Porter Prize, Yale’s highest academic honor, and was subsequently published with a foreword by novelist John Gardner.
Achity is survived by his wife, Kayoko Mitsumatsu; his son Vincent and daughter Rosemary; five grandchildren; and two sisters. He served on the board of Yoga Gives Back, an organization focused on empowering women and children in India.
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