The beauty of LA — at least from Yolanda’s perspective — is that folks here earn their money in so many different ways. And they come from such diverse backgrounds, too! Almost nobody y’all meet these days was born and raised around here. These people come hail from all across the country and even from faraway overseas lands. Yet somehow they have all landed in this giant Southern California melting pot — for a multitude of different reasons, of course.
Take Robert Kirkman, a man who was born and raised in the Bluegrass state of Kentucky, a place about as anti-LA as states come. As a young fella, he began writing comic books and achieved early success — one of his first publications was adapted into a Spike TV webisode series. But that’s small fish compared to his real money maker — in 2003, he singlehandedly wrote and published The Walking Dead comic book series. The zombie apocalypse story was enormously successful and won him several Comic Con awards. And then it was developed into the tremendously successful AMC TV show that has been the highest-rated program among 18-to-49-year-olds for several seasons. Can y’all even imagine how loaded Mr. Kirkman is just off this one comic book series alone? Ka-ching is an understatement!
Anyway, who would have thought that a comic book writer from Kentucky would make it big through a series about bloodthirsty zombies and soon be living lavishly in LA? But so it is.
Although our pal Wiki Pedia states that “Kirkman and his wife live in Kentucky” Yolanda is gonna have to disagree with Ms. Pedia on this one. Your gurl’s intel suggests that the Kirkmans reside primarily in LA and have done so for a number of years.
Last month, a unique three-residence compound in a very posh Encino neighborhood sold for a fat $7,250,000 to a blind trust. The buyers, it turns out, are none other than Mr. Kirkman and his longtime wife Sonia. It seems the zombies have been very generous to this family, huh?
The newer Spanish Revival-style compound was built in 2012 by the previous owner, a prominent attorney named Jim Simon. Our Mr. Simon hired local architect John Andrews to design him a baller-sized spread reminiscent of Old Hollywood. Records show that vision came to fruition in the form of a 10,000+ square foot compound made up of a sizable main residence, a very large guesthouse/second residence, and accessory staff/mother-in-law quarters.
Situated on a prime 1.46-acre lot, the gated spread includes a large motorcourt with hordes of off-street parking, a three-car garage, and formal entryway with rustic hardwood and tile floors. To the right of the front door is a step-down formal living room featuring a fireplace and French door access to the outdoors. Just beyond that is a the family room, with its wet bar and foldaway doors leading to an ornate and (arguably) overwrought outdoor fireplace area.
The main house features a catering-sized kitchen with high-end stainless appliances and a sunny breakfast nook with broad views over the San Fernando Valley. Just beyond that is a rather stunning formal dining room equipped with a fireplace and French doors accessing to various parts of the yard.
To be honest, kiddies, Yolanda is unsure about how many bedrooms and bathrooms are in the main residence. But we do know that the estate’s figures total 7 beds and 10 baths, and the main house has a spacious master suite that includes a bedroom with a tile fireplace and opens to private gardens, and a bathroom with dual vanities, a soaking tub, and an intricate tile floor pattern.
The kitchen in the guest house is quite fancy and includes more high-end appliances plus another center island. And another breakfast nook area, too. There’s also a very large formal dining room and a master suite with — you guessed it — yet another fireplace. The staff quarters aren’t quite so fancy but do include a kitchen with utilitarian accouterments and an informal eating area.
The tiered property’s siting on a high knoll affords the compound fantastic views. Naturally there’s a free-form infinity pool w/ spa, a big lawn currently outfitted with a soccer pitch, a BBQ, and numerous outdoor dining and lounging options.
And as y’all might expect, the property is completely private, high-hedged, and camera-watched. Perfect for the ultimate zombie apocalypse safehouse, right? Some of the Kirkmans’ nearest neighbors include billionaire “junk bond king” Michael Milken and musician-turned-producer Ice Cube.
Listing agent: Craig Knizek, The Agency; Mark Rutstein, Compass
Robert Kirkman’s agent: Ninkey Dalton, The Agency