Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

HBO Max Signs Exclusive Multi-Year Deal with Beloved Children's Author Mo Willems and Stampede Ventures

27/02/2020

HBO Max Signs Exclusive Multi-Year Deal with Beloved Children's Author Mo Willems and Stampede Ventures

HBO Max

Emmy -Award Winning Willems to be HBO Max's First Ever Artist in Residence, Deal Includes Streaming Rights to Willems' First Live Action Special Don't Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! Produced by Stampede Ventures and Willems

Photo Courtesy of Ben Folds

LOS ANGELES - February 25, 2020 - Following a highly competitive negotiation, HBO Max has announced an exclusive, multi-year deal with beloved children's author Mo Willems, an Emmy -Award winning writer, New York Times best-selling author, and illustrator, establishing Willems as HBO Max's very first artist in residence. As part of this two-year deal, HBO Max has acquired streaming rights to Willems' first live-action special Don't Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! from Greg Silverman's media company StampedeVentures who will produce all additional content under this deal. HBO Max has committed to additional live-action Storytime specials, as well as multiple animated specials based on Willems' wildly popular children's books. The first animated special will be based on New York Times Best Seller, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

Mo is a special talent with a profound ability to connect with children and families alike. We are so happy Mo and Stampede Ventures chose to partner with us at HBO Max, says Kevin Reilly, chief content officer, HBO Max, president, TNT, TBS, and truTV.

We are so lucky to be able to work with the multi-talented Mo Willems, whose work is authentic, inspiring and truly impactful, adds Jennifer O'Connell, executive vice president of original non-fiction and kids programming, HBO Max.

HBO Max is the perfect home for me to work on fun and experimental ways to bring my book characters and theater work to the screen because we share the goal of creating exciting shows and series that bring families together, says Willems. My focus is making stuff that amuses, entertains and sparks creative play after the screen is powered down. Having the creative teams of HBO Max and Stampede Ventures with me means that we'll get to create meaningful work and have fun doing it. We're so excited we even created a new logo for the occasion. Banana!

Added Stampede Ventures' Greg Silverman, Stampede Ventures is honored to be Mo's partner as he brings his vibrant world to life in media for the first time and we couldn't ask for a better home than HBO Max. Mo's characters are already beloved by millions of families - his books are often the first that many children ever read on their own - and we're excited to help him bring these characters to life on screen.

Previously announced and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, Don't Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! is a premium, live-action family comedy special featuring Willems and the Story Time All-Stars , a group of celebrities, comedians and actors, performing live readings and sketch comedy inspired by Willems' work, as well as a few surprise musical guests. Celebrity guests include Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Yvette Nicole Brown(Community), Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Cameron Esposito (Take My Wife), Tony Hale (Veep), Greta Lee (Russian Doll), Tom Lennon (The Odd Couple), Natalie Morales (Abbys) and Oscar Nunez (The Office). Shot over the summer at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, DC., Don't Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! is produced by Stampede Ventures, with Willems and Stampede's Greg Silverman, Gideon Yu, Jay Judah and Chris Bosco serving as executive producers.

Willems began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards. Willems also created several animated projects for Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. His New York Times bestselling books have been recognized with many awards around the world including three Caldecott Honors, two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors. Willems has written four musicals based on his books and is the most produced playwright for Theatre for Young Audiences in America. Willems currently serves as the inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, collaborating with artists in Jazz, Classical, Dance, Theater, Opera and Comedy.

The Willems deal with HBO Max was negotiated by Chris Bosco, Anna Pinar and CAA on behalf of Stampede Ventures; Ellen Goldsmith-Vein of the Gotham Group, Marcia Wernick of Wernick & Pratt and Rick Ross of Eisner, LLP on behalf of Willems; and spearheaded by Jay Judah.

About HBO Max

HBO Max is WarnerMedia's direct-to-consumer offering debuting in spring 2020. With 10,000 hours of curated premium content anticipated at launch, HBO Max will offer powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs and movies, and fan favorites from Warner Media's rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. Sign up for updates at HBOMax.com.

About WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others. WarnerMedia is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

About Stampede Ventures

Stampede Ventures is an independent entertainment media company founded by Greg Silverman, the former President of Warner Bros. Pictures. The company's lead investor and co-chairman is Gideon Yu, forme
LINK: https://pressroom.warnermediagroup.com/us/media-release/hbo-max-exclus...
See more stories from timewarner

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

Ratings Roundup: NBA Playoffs Return to NBC Sports up 38%; NFL Draft Down 12% Overall From 2025

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...

01/05/2026

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing Appoints Will Wright as Chief Operating Officer to Drive Global Growth and Operational Excellence

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing ( BKB ), today announced the appointment of Will Wright ...

01/05/2026

NAB Rewind: Lawo's Andreas Hilmer on the Power of the Edge One AV Stagebox

Lawo has been at the center of the industry's transition to IP and other next-generation technologies. At NAB 2026, its story was the Edge One AV stagebox, ...

01/05/2026

Kentucky Derby 152 to Air Across 19 Networks in 170-Plus Territories

HBA Media, acting on behalf of NBC Sports and Churchill Downs Incorporated, has announced broadcast and streaming distribution for Kentucky Derby 152, taking pl...

01/05/2026

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Barbara Kopple, the Director of American Dream

By Bailey Pennick One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...

01/05/2026

Find Out Which The Devil Wears Prada 2' Character You Are With Our New Playlist

Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. But a playlist that tells you which The Devi...

01/05/2026

Olivia Rodrigo Takes Over FC Barcelona Jersey for El Clsico Match at Spotify Camp Nou

One of the world's biggest popstars is headed to El Cl sico. Later this mont...

01/05/2026

Heritage Audio announce the Baby RAM Black Edition

Limited-edition model celebrates 15th anniversary Heritage Audio's range of monitor controllers has just gained a new member, the Baby RAM Black Edition...

01/05/2026

Universal Audio release UAD Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp

Dumble recreation now available as UAD plug-in Along with their renowned processing plug-ins, Universal Audio have been steadily introducing emulations of c...

01/05/2026

UPDATED: Republican AGs Join Nexstar-Tegna Antitrust Suit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Broadcaster Draper Media Names Bill Vernon President

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Analysts: 'Hollywood's Vertical Video Strategy Is Dead Wrong'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Lightware UK celebrates new London showroom with launch e...

To celebrate the opening of its new showroom and office, Lightware UK hosted a dedicated launch event at the new London location. The event welcomed partners, c...

01/05/2026

Calrec Puts Broadcaster Choice Centre Stage at MPTS 2026

Choice without compromise The broadcast industrys transformation is accelerating, and traditional broadcasters are having to fundamentally reinvent how they o...

01/05/2026

Beam Dynamics Showcases its Asset Intelligence Platform a...

Beam Dynamics will return to MPTS 2026 with its asset intelligence platform, helping systems integrators, live production teams, media facilities and profession...

01/05/2026

Synamedia and FX Digital collaborate to bring GO Shorts a...

Best-in-class UX design and rapid, scalable delivery for next-generation viewing experiences Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced a coll...

01/05/2026

Compact new cforce MAX lens motor brings unrivaled speed and responsiveness to the Hi-5 ecosystem

Compact new cforce MAX lens motor brings unrivaled speed and responsiveness to t...

01/05/2026

Panavision welcomes Fritz Heinzle as Vice President of Sales

Panavision welcomes Fritz Heinzle as Vice President of Sales Brie Clayton May 1, 2026 0 Comments Heinzle will support Panavision's global growth s...

01/05/2026

NAB Hires FCC Staffer Ben Arden as SVP, Deputy General Counsel

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

ARRI Introduces Compact New cforce MAX Lens Motor

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

CPI Media Deploys QuickLink StudioCall

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

FCC Proposes to Amend Audible Crawl Rule to Preserve Accessibility

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Republican AGs Join Nexstar/Tegna Antitrust Suit

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

01/05/2026

Dan Johnson Elevates Precision Editing With NUGEN Audio D...

LONDON, APRIL 30, 2026 The Post Republic London's Re-recording Mixer and Dialogue Editor Dan Johnson has built a reputation for clean, emotionally resonan...

01/05/2026

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations in Photoshop & Lightroom

Adobe Unveils Powerful New Innovations in Photoshop & Lightroom Deepa Subramaniam April 30, 2026 0 Comments Your most tedious creative tasks just got ea...

01/05/2026

Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund

Berklee Partners with Santander US to Establish Global Opportunity Fund The $400,000 grant offers students access to experiential learning opportunities withi...

01/05/2026

Student Spotlight: Keziah Thomas

Student Spotlight: Keziah Thomas The Indian composer, who was named the 2026 student commencement speaker for Berklee College of Music, talks about how shes p...

01/05/2026

Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa to host the series final two episodes of Saturday Night Live UK

Friday 1 May 2026 Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa to host the series final tw...

01/05/2026

Got plans? Cancel them. Sky Sports Big Weekend is coming

Friday 1 May 2026 Got plans? Cancel them. Sky Sports Big Weekend is coming Sky Sports is preparing for a bumper weekend of live action, including Manchester ...

01/05/2026

Sky Sports to broadcast all matches from World Sevens Football London edition

Friday 1 May 2026 Sky Sports to broadcast all matches from World Sevens Football London edition Sky Sports will be the exclusive UK broadcaster of the women&#...

01/05/2026

NIAJ Fest Gets Los Angeles In on the Joke With Free Pop-Up Events

Back to All News NIAJ Fest Gets Los Angeles In on the Joke With Free Pop-Up Events Entertainment 01 May 2026 GlobalUnited States Link copied to clipboard ...

01/05/2026

RT Secures UEFA Champions League Rights from 2027-2031

RT Sport awarded first pick free-to-air on Wednesday nights Champions League and Super Cup finals Highlights on Wednesday nights RT today (Thursday 30 Apri...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

30/04/2026

PWHL Reports Record Growth in Third Regular Season as Playoffs Begin April 30

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) concluded its third regular season on Saturday, reporting growth across attendance, viewership, digital engage...

30/04/2026

NBC Sports Launches National Sunday MLB Coverage Beginning May 3

NBC Sports will air national MLB coverage on Sundays beginning May 3, with MLB Sunday Leadoff on Peacock and NBCSN at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the debut of th...

30/04/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Brian Grahn and Ben Turnwell to New Roles

Clear-Com has appointed Brian Grahn as Market Outreach Manager of the Americas and Ben Turnwell as Business Development Manager for EMEA live. Grahn joined Cle...

30/04/2026

ARRI Introduces cforce MAX Lens Motor for Hi-5 Lens Control System

ARRI has introduced the cforce MAX, a new lens motor for the Hi-5 lens control system. The cforce MAX is twice as fast as the cforce plus motor it replaces whil...

30/04/2026

Knuerr, Voxtronic, and IHSE to Present Integrated Control Room Solution at Airspace World

Knuerr, Voxtronic, and IHSE will jointly present an integrated control room solu...

30/04/2026

The CW Network and ESPN to Stream CW Sports Live Events on ESPN App

The CW Network and ESPN have announced an agreement to make the ESPN App the exclusive streaming home for all CW Sports live events. CW Sports will continue to ...

30/04/2026

Sennheiser Spectera Deployed on Ed Sheerans The Loop Global Stadium Tour

Ed Sheeran's The Loop' tour launched in Auckland in January 2026 before moving on to Australia, with South America and the United States to follow late...

30/04/2026

Audinate Launches Dante Preset Creator for Offline Network Configuration

Audinate has announced Dante Preset Creator, a free online tool for configuring Dante network settings before hardware is available on site. Presets created in ...

30/04/2026

Yahoo Sports Appoints Jarrod Schwarz as General Manager

Yahoo Sports has announced the appointment of Jarrod Schwarz as General Manager of Yahoo Sports. Schwarz will oversee product, design, and technology; revenue a...

30/04/2026

Nielsen: U.S. Viewers Spent 79.8 Billion Minutes Watching Soccer in 2025

Nielsen has released a new report, Get Ready with Media Intelligence: 2026 FIFA World Cup Edition, examining U.S. soccer viewership trends, fan engagement, and ...

30/04/2026

USA Lacrosse Names SportsEngine Preferred Youth Sports Management Platform Partner

USA Lacrosse and SportsEngine have announced an expanded partnership, naming Spo...

30/04/2026

Telos Alliance To Appear at MPTS 2026 Across Multiple Partner Booths

Telos Alliance will participate in the 2026 Media Production and Technology Show (MPTS), taking place May 13-14 at Olympia London. Rather than exhibiting from a...