CultAWARD Launches
8 October 2026News · 08.10.2026 · Jan Hempel
Book & screenplay in progressJan Hempel
Book and film
A life story that has to hold up.
Three years of research, 608 manuscript pages and a screenplay in progress: the literary biography of Jan Hempel, one of Germany’s most successful divers, is entering legal review.
- Status
- Manuscript under legal review, screenplay in development
- Services
- Research, interviews, manuscript, narrative structure, screenplay
- Next step
- Completion of the review, incorporation of co-authored passages
What it is about
Jan Hempel competed in diving at four Olympic Games. His story explores soaring achievements and dependencies, morality and the question of what justice means for an athlete. Universal Brands is writing it as a literary biography, drawing on eyewitness interviews, archive material and press coverage – clearly distinguishing between evidence, recollection and narrative.
The screenplay for the film is being developed in parallel. The book and film share the same guiding idea, but each tells the story through the means of its own medium.
Where we stand
The manuscript currently runs to 608 pages. Munich lawyer Dr Thomas Summerer is reviewing the work in meticulous detail and providing his legal assessment. He is contributing as a co-author at several important points, giving the book the weight it needs – to make this life story as credible and robust as possible.
What we contribute
- Research and eyewitness interviews, analysis of audio, archive and press material
- Manuscript, narrative structure and literary storytelling
- Screenplay development for the film
- Personal brand and image archive – Universal Brands has worked with Jan Hempel since 2017
Please note: content from the manuscript and screenplay will only be published once the legal review is complete.
Universal Brands · Creative Studio · Bamberg