Veteran animation executive Nate Hopper has joined Greg Silverman’s Stampede Ventures as the executive in charge of adapting the work of bestselling author and illustrator Mo Willems; as first reported by Variety.
Willems is the award-winning creator of iconic oddball children’s characters, including the Elephant and Piggie book series and the Pigeon franchise, which just released the New York Times-bestselling The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!
Hopper will report to Stampede CEO Silverman, who said, “As we continue to expand and world-build Mo’s beloved characters into new forms of entertainment, we need someone with an eye for fresh content who thinks outside the box. Nate knows what resonates for this demographic better than anyone and we’re thrilled to have him aboard.”
Stampede has already produced two specials based on the author’s properties, both distributed by HBO Max. Storytime All-Stars Presents: Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime debuted in 2020 and received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Underground Rock Experience followed on its tails. Hopper will be responsible for building a robust upcoming slate.
“I’m excited to have Nate’s wisdom and support as we move forward with a new slate of ideas and projects. Now the Pigeon can pester him about driving the bus!” said Willems.
Hopper’s 20-year career in feature animation began in 2002 when he was hired as Sony’s first animation development executive. He was later promoted to senior VP of the division, running the day-to-day on a slate that included the Open Season franchise, the Academy Award-nominated Surf’s Up, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and the Adam Sandler franchise Hotel Transylvania.
After Sony, he served as senior VP in the former 20th Century Fox family division, where he developed titles now in the works at Disney+. He also served at Paramount Animation as a senior executive on titles including The Tiger’s Apprentice and Transformers.