Thoma Kikis

Thoma Kikis
Θωμά Κίκης
Born
New York City
NationalityAmerican, Greek
Education
Occupations
  • filmmaker
  • designer
  • typographer
  • entrepreneur

Thoma Kikis (/ˈkɪkɪs/; Greek: Θωμά Κίκης pronounced [θoˈma ˈkikis]) is an American-born Greek film producer, designer, typographer and entrepreneur best known for co-founding Kannalife Sciences[1], Neuropathix[2] and the founder of TEKNIKE.[3]

Life

Kikis was born in New York City to Greek parents from the city of Ioannina in the Epirus region of Greece. He studied communications at New York University and filmmaking at the New York Film Academy.[4]

Film

In 2003, Kikis co-founded Ovie Entertainment to develop and produce motion picture intellectual properties. His first project was as producer of Darkon (2006), the award-winning feature-length documentary film following the real-life adventures of a group of fantasy live-action role-playing (LARP) gamers, which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2006 South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival.

He later co-produced the award-winning Alps (2011), directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and winner of the Golden Osella Award for Best Screenplay (Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou) at the 68th Venice International Film Festival.[5]

In 2012, he worked on the art-house black comedy film It's A Disaster (2012) written and directed by Todd Berger and stars Julia Stiles, David Cross, Jeff Grace and America Ferrera. Subsequent works include the experimental short film A Stone Appears (2016), featuring Bill Skarsgård, and Man in the Attic (2021).

He serves on the board[6] of the Hellenic Film Society and led the creative direction for the rebranding initiative—designing the Society’s new main logo and the creation of the official poster for the 2025 New York Greek Film Expo—a richly layered, hand-illustrated design produced in collaboration through his New York–based studio TEKNIKE.[7][8] He is a member of the Hellenic Film Academy.[9]

Design and typography

Kikis is the founder of TEKNIKE, a multidisciplinary studio and type foundry focused on experimental and culturally inspired logotypes, brand identity, story and type design. His clients have included MTV, Hulu, and Hermès. He has released numerous typefaces that span geometric, monospaced, script, and display styles, often incorporating Latin and Greek scripts, with most supporting Cyrillic and some Hebrew alphabets.[10][11]

His first major release, Fugues (2015), is a textured geometric monospaced sans-serif inspired by organic architecture geometry as apparent in the work of Antoni Gaudi. In 2016, he introduced Ithaka, a script typeface, followed by several releases in 2017, including the hand-lettered Anamorphic, Evangelos, Privé, and Qipao. That year, he also developed Nautis, a sans serif influenced by nautical themes; Jadeite, a mid-century modern sans; Cycladic, a sans serif inspired by Greek island architecture; Vantagram, a blackletter typeface; UNY, a slab serif designed for athletic lettering; and Designator, a modular monospaced font.

In 2019, Kikis expanded his collection with the hand-lettered Omoshiroi, Côte, and Penzance, along with monospaced typefaces such as Monadic, Chartreux, Originator, and the high-contrast sans Quantour. His 2020 releases included the dot matrix typefaces Receptor and Departe, as well as the industrial shipping monospaced Eleusis.[12]

Other works include Ermou (2021), a Greek emulation typeface and Telomere (2024) continuing his exploration of typographic design.[13]

Biotechnology

In 2010, Kikis co-founded Kannalife Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company and subsidiary of Neuropathix,[14] developing cannabinoid-inspired therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, CTE and Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.[15][16]

In 2014, he appeared on Bloomberg TV's Taking Stock with Pimm Fox discussing forming Kannalife Sciences, cannabinoid research, the regulatory landscape, and Medical cannabis industry in the United States.[17] His efforts have been highlighted in outlets such as the National Herald,[18] Vice Media,[1] and Temple News.[19]

In 2021, researchers at Temple University, in collaboration with Kannalife, were awarded a three-year $2.97 Million Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health to support preclinical studies on KLS-13019, a novel cannabidiol-derived compound. The research focuses on evaluating the compound's potential to protect nerve cells and reduce neuroinflammation, with the goal of addressing CIPN and other neurodegenerative conditions.[20]

In July 2024, Kannalife Sciences received a $1.49 million grant from the The Michael J. Fox Foundation. This funding aims to advance preclinical research into KLS-13019, a therapeutic targeting neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction associated with Parkinson's disease.[21]

Filmography

Feature films

  • 2006 — Darkon (producer, executive producer;)
  • 2011 — Alps (co-producer)
  • 2021 — Man in the Attic (co-executive producer)

Short films

  • 2016 — A Stone Appears (executive producer)

Typefaces

  • 2015 – Fugues
  • 2016 – Ithaka
  • 2017 – Evangelos, Anamorphic, Cycladic, Designator, Nautis, Privé, Qipao, Jadeite, Vantagram, UNY
  • 2019 – Omoshiroi, Cote, Penzance, Monadic, Chartreux, Originator, Quantour
  • 2020 – Receptor, Departe, Eleusis
  • 2021 – Ermou
  • 2024 – Telomere

References

  1. ^ a b Guion, Payton (November 12, 2014). "The NFL's Anti-Weed Policy Even Extends to Drugs That Could Prevent Brain Damage". VICE News. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
  2. ^ "Ελπιδοφόρα έρευνα από φαρμακευτική εταιρεία ομογενών". Ethnikos Kirikas. September 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "TEKNIKE Foundry". MyFonts.
  4. ^ "Greek-Americans Advance Medical Marijuana Legalization". New Greek TV. August 14, 2014.
  5. ^ "Official Awards of the 68th Venice Film Festival". La Biennale di Venezia. 13 November 2024.
  6. ^ "About Us". Hellenic Film Society.
  7. ^ "Hellenic Film Society Unveils New Logo as Part of Exciting Rebranding". The National Herald.
  8. ^ "Hellenic Film Society Unveils New Poster and Identity for 2025 New York Greek Film Expo". The National Herald. July 16, 2025.
  9. ^ "Members". Hellenic Film Academy (in Greek).
  10. ^ "Thoma Kikis". Fonts In Use.
  11. ^ "Hellenic Film Society Unveils New Logo". Queens Gazette.
  12. ^ "Thoma Kikis - Designer". Luc Devroye Typography.
  13. ^ "Thoma Kikis Fonts". MyFonts.
  14. ^ "Neuropathix, Inc. Wholly Owned Subsidiary Kannalife Sciences, Inc. Awarded $2.97 Million Phase 2 Study Grant from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)". Biospace. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-28.
  15. ^ "How cannabis is helping one company research treatment of CTE". Sports Illustrated. July 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "Cannabis biotech companies see new opportunities to raise capital". Crain’s New York Business. June 2018.
  17. ^ "Thoma Kikis discusses cannabinoid research on Bloomberg TV". Bloomberg.
  18. ^ "Kikis and Colleagues Mine Cannabis for Medical Innovation". The National Herald. 17 September 2014.
  19. ^ "CBD-like molecule could lower pain from chemo". Temple News. 25 February 2020.
  20. ^ "With New NIH Small Business Innovation Research Award, Temple Researchers Set to Test Novel Cannabis Analog in Preclinical Studies". Temple Health. September 29, 2021.
  21. ^ Lobo, Andrea (July 1, 2024). "MJFF $1.49M grant to advance preclinical research into KLS‑13019". Parkinsons News Today.
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