A home for moving stories

Founded in 2020, Fuelbreak Road is an independent company that aims to make stuff we ourselves would like to watch. Productions that inspire, challenge, question - making us think and feel.

We find material to adapt, we write and develop screenplays, and we locate the right home for these stories. In the process we treat storytellers as partners. Together, we work to ensure that we’re telling the right stories the right way for screens of all sizes.

If this sounds interesting, we would love to connect. You can contact us here.

FUELBREAK ROAD: THE NAME

Fuelbreak Road is not a road. It’s a narrow single-track trail in Ojai, California, tucked away behind the mountains visible from the town.

As lovers of the great outdoors we hike, bike and run trails - this one among them. It’s wild, short and rocky. It rises and dips, challenges and exhilarates. For the curious souls climbing the hills, seeking quiet, out of breath and wondering how much longer, Fuelbreak Road offers stunning vistas as a reward.

Few people tread there, but those who do can find inspiration. And peace. We have always found both on Fuelbreak Road. 

Kelly Merryman has helped lead major technology companies and content providers, including Sony Pictures, Netflix, YouTube and Aura. As a Texas girl she has been a passionate reader all her life. A Bond aficionado, indy lover and early-adapting binge-watcher (from House of Cards to After Life) she’s excited to bring her love of literature and the moving screen together.

Kelly is the mother of three children and married to her co-founder. Together they live and hike in Austin, Texas.

Diederik van Hoogstraten is a screenwriter, author and journalist. Having grown up in the Netherlands, he’s spent his adult life in New York, Los Angeles and now Austin. He’s waiting for two of his favorite books (Born to Run and Netherland) to be turned into movies or binge-worthy shows. 

His love of writing matches his interest in books, films and television. He's privileged to be a member of the Critics Choice Association.

Diederik is the father of those same three children.