Rock Paper Cannon 

Edmond’s own Rachel Cannon spent more than two decades in the world of live-audience sitcoms, working on iconic shows like Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and more. Her life in Los Angeles was full and fulfilling, and now she’s bringing the best of that experience home. Enter Rock Paper Cannon, the independent television studio Cannon founded to develop and produce live-audience sitcoms that authentically tell the stories of Middle America. 

“Rock Paper Cannon has been a vision of mine for decades,” Cannon said. “It brings together twenty years in front of the camera in Hollywood and my work as Founder and CEO of Prairie Surf Studios, where I recruited major productions like Tulsa King and Twisters. This next chapter of my career is all about comedy with a new model for how sitcoms can be built, owned, and experienced together.” 

Her goal is clear and ambitious: to establish Oklahoma as a live-entertainment hub, much like Nashville became for country music. 

To help bring this vision to life, Cannon worked with state lawmakers last session to pass an innovative piece of legislation strategically focused on live entertainment, expanding our industry to include broadcast programming; the stabilizing force behind Hollywood studios for decades. Cannon has spent the last five years at the State Capitol advocating for policies that support a more sustainable film and television ecosystem. 

“I’m deeply grateful for a legislature that understands the value of a thriving entertainment industry,” Cannon said. “This work creates high-paying jobs, long-term opportunities for local vendors, and with sitcoms, we can now add live entertainment for residents and a new kind of tourism for Oklahoma.” 

With an experienced studio executive team in place and the first series already developed, Cannon launched Rock Paper Cannon’s inaugural slate fund in early December to finance and produce three original sitcoms. “While film funds are not new, ours is the first to focus exclusively on producing live-audience sitcoms,” Cannon said. 

Rock Paper Cannon will recruit A-list showrunners, directors, and talent to anchor each series while creating long-term career opportunities for Oklahoma’s creative workforce. The studio’s model includes bringing seasoned sitcom professionals to the state to help train and mentor Oklahoma-based crews as the industry grows. “This is an exciting time for our industry as we work together to build an entirely new sector of live entertainment,” Cannon said. 

Cannon sees Oklahoma standing at a familiar inflection point. “When Georgia made a long-term commitment to film, people moved there because they knew consistent work would follow,” she said. “Oklahoma has built an incredible foundation for entertainment and is now poised for that same kind of growth, with a deep bench of experienced, homegrown talent ready to meet the demand.” 

The sitcoms will cater to family-friendly Middle America. Cannon believes this audience is underserved and ready for stories that celebrate humor, hope, and heart, the things that connect us. 

“Comedy is an incredible gift,” she said. “The world is broken, and it needs more joy and laughter and love. I believe that joy should originate from the heart of the Oklahoma Standard. We deeply understand it here.” 

For Cannon, this work feels like a calling. “I’m not afraid of the hard work. And I’m not afraid of failure,” she said. “All my biggest rewards have been born from taking tremendous risk.” 

She calls this endeavor her “love letter to Oklahoma” and envisions a future where Oklahoma is known as the home of the American sitcom. 

Follow Rock Paper Cannon on Instagram @rockpapercannon and soon, from a seat in a live studio audience.